‘Vini’ the V8-engined, rear-drive Mini – car pictures of the week

What happens when you take the ‘small car, big engine’ formula to its absolute extremes? Powerflex boss David Power has found out by creating a modified Mini that might just be the wildest hot hatch we’ve come across. Nicknamed ‘Vini’, it’s an R56-generation Mini with a 4-litre V8 engine stuffed in the nose, rear-wheel drive and an extensively modified chassis to tie everything together, and we drive it in the latest issue of evo.

To read the story behind Vini and what it’s like to drive, pick up a copy of evo issue 326 in-store, or online via the evo shop.  

The project is the culmination of almost six years of work, with Eliot Dunmore at EDMsport helping to bring Power’s concept to reality. Visually, there’s no indication that the Mini’s humble four-pot has been swapped out for a V8, with no tell-tale holes or bulges in the bonnet. With a moderately muscled-up body, custom rims and wide track suspension it looks like the kind of tuned Mini you might find at a local trackday, but to drive, Vini is quite unlike anything else.

‘The straight line acceleration is enough to make you catch your breath, the 1300kg Mini propelled by the high-revving V8 with addictive intensity,’ said our man Richard Meaden. 

‘To fully unlock the driving experience you need to think a gear or two higher for every corner. With seven speeds there are plenty to choose from, and once you’ve accepted some of the tighter corners can be taken in 3rd or even 4th gear the rewards are rich. The soundtrack is absolute bliss.’

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There’s been extensive work to the Mini’s chassis and suspension to effectively deploy its massive potential, too. The subframes, for instance, have been borrowed from a Subaru Impreza, so too the limited-slip diff, with Bilstein, Alcon and Forge Motorsport supplying hardware for the build. 

Grab a copy of evo 326 in-store or online to read the full feature.