The Independent American Magazine for all Mini Owners
Issue link: http://mc2.epubxp.com/i/33537
Jevgenij Rudak and Dace Andzane Photos Courtesy Minipeople.lt by Peter D. DuPre Thanks to itting on the edge of the Baltic Sea and located between the 52nd and 56th parallels, Lithuania sees plenty of long dark days, and more than it’s fair share of snow and cold weather during the winter months. This means that people have plenty of time on their hands to dream up interesting Mini projects that don’t always end up the way they were planned. Take the case of the 1987 Mini shown on these pages. Originally, the goal was simply to restore a classic Mini back to its original glory. However, during conversations with the builders at the Golden Wheel shop in Vilnius over those long winter nights, somehow the concept got changed. Perhaps it was boredom. Maybe it was too much vodka imbibed during the long winter. Whatever the reason, once the S car was apart, and the enormity of the restoration sunk in, a new idea to build it into a monster Mini took hold. 48 MC2 Magazine www.mc2magazine.com According to Jevgenij Rudak, founder of the Lithuanian Mini club, Minipeople.lt, the sea change happened sometime during the engine overhaul. The old powerplant was shot and they decided to replace it with a larger, more powerful engine, settling on a Toyota 180 hp, 3.4L V-6. Now 180 horses is a lot of power for a Mini and it was decided that the bigger engine would be perfect for powering a four-wheel drive powertrain, as well as delivering a zero to 100 km/h time of (zero to 62 mph) of 10 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h, or 111 mph. After that, it was just logical to add a jacked up suspension, 24-inch XD wheels and Kuhmo tires. Like I said, maybe it was winter boredom. Maybe it was the vodka. So, with a new goal for the restoration project, the craftsmen at the Golden Wheel shop took a year to restore the forlorn body, fashion new sub-frames to hold the larger engine and suspension, interlocked axles and other bits. Super wide steel flares were added, an extended front valance was installed and chrome tube bumpers, along with running boards, were installed. Finally, the exterior was repainted yellow and black, with a white roof, custom leather-covered seats and door panels dressed the interior, and the Vilnius Monster Mini was born. According to Jevgenij, the big little Mini is a popular attraction at Minipeople.lt events all over Lithuania, and also at Mini events in neighboring countries. Jevgenij also points out that although the Monster Mini has a big footprint and is considerably taller than a standard classic, it is still small enough to just fit into the single car garage, with a few inches to spare, where it is parked in between Mini events and Lithuanian snow busting adventures. Gee, I wonder what the Golden Wheel shop could do with a Countryman… given enough time and vodka, of course! T M W h a Lt s t i ta r h hoen t ne id oa g u u a t ao Vs s a s i iln i te r u t a l i me o t p t s l u l e re s t t o ora f h an t d i ! on j ob i n