B18 MINI CLUBMAN: A TRIBUTE ACT

After his equally Mini-mad brother passed away part-way through their latest project, Alec Harris decided to finish what they started and make a monster B18 Mini Clubman that would do his brother proud.

Modifying cars is a great bonding experience. Be it with mates, your kids or another family member, having a laugh while wielding a spanner is a pastime that’s tough to beat. Alec Harris is a man who knows all about the benefits of modifying when it comes to creating quality time to remember, as he and his brother Keith spent many a happy day up to their elbows in grease whilst working on their various Mini projects over the years, including this Honda-powered B18 Mini Clubman Estate.

“My brother Keith and I had been into Minis for a long time,” says Alec. “And I originally bought this one for us to have some fun with back in 2010.”

The B18 Mini Clubman was completely standard back then, but has evolved significantly over the last decade into the fire-breathing monster it is today.

B18 Mini Clubman

But, as fun as it’s been, the journey hasn’t been an easy one for Alec, as part way through the build, Keith passed away. Hence there’s a tribute to him in the rear window. “We were using the Mini to take him back and forward to hospital for treatment,” Alec remembers. “It took me quite a while to get back into the build after we lost him.”

The brothers were no strangers to Mini tuning, having explored the extremes of A-series turbo projects many times before.

“Originally we were going to keep it A-series, but the cost of parts to make it reliable would’ve been astronomical,” reckons Alec. “So after a bit of man maths, we reasoned that a swap to Honda power was the best way forward.” Luckily, Alec managed to find a complete Honda Civic VTi-S with a powerful B18C VTEC engine for reasonable money, stripped it of the parts they would need and went from there.

B18 Mini Clubman

Work started on the Clubman with minor repairs and the panelling of the rear quarter windows, but not because they wanted a van. “It’s a spaceframe in the back and we didn’t want the frame to be visible, plus I’m quite tall so it meant I could put the seat right back, as there’s no rear seat.”

This Mini is clearly an impressive custom build and must’ve been fun to do alongside the day job… Alec owns South Coast Vehicle Restoration in Southampton. “We do pretty much everything in-house: paint, bodywork, wiring, suspension, general mechanics, we do it all. We don’t just do restorations though; we work on new cars too, such as paint repair. We’re quite unique. I’m more into the modified stuff though, things that are unusual and a bit crazy.”

To allow the Mini to sit low over the 7x13in Supalight alloys and sticky Nankang Sportnex AR-1 tyres, the rear arches are tubbed and the mounting points sleeved to take centrally-mounted coilovers. And there are equally complex modifications up front: “The bulkhead is modified and strengthened, and the rollcage picks up on every point of the subframe so there is no twist.” Alec says. The single-piece back ‘door’, which Alec fabricated in steel using two original Mini door frames, is bolted closed from the inside. The nearside external hinges remain but have had their external nuts removed, which is a great touch.

B18 Mini Clubman

When Keith passed away, the project naturally halted, as Alec took some time out of the build. However, feeling that Keith would’ve wanted to see the Mini complete, Alec eventually gained the strength to pick up the tools again and make the Mini into the kind of car that he and Keith had always dreamed of.

“The naturally-aspirated Honda engine was great, but I needed more power,” Alec chuckles. The engine retains its standard internals but now has ID 420cc injectors, Audi R8 coil packs and a Mamba GTX28 ball-bearing turbocharger fitted to a ‘ram’s horn’ exhaust manifold. The list goes on with a TurboSmart Ultra-Gate 38 external wastegate and dump valve, intercooler and AEM water/ethanol injection and launch control, both of which are controlled by a Link G4X ECU. “A lot of people supercharge these engines, but I think turbocharging is more fun,” grins Alec. The TurboSmart external wastegate also allows the engine to run a ‘screamer’ pipe, where excess boost is vented to the unsuspecting public through an un-muffled pipe which exits the car through the nearside front wing instead of into the exhaust pipe. “I did have a cheap one but changed to the TurboSmart, which is actually quite quiet. In fact the whole car is remarkably quiet, except for the Bosch fuel pumps.”

The exhaust is a bespoke, single back box, stainless steel 3in system that Alec fabricated himself. Both the exhaust and turbo ‘screamer’ pipe have protective plates to shield the paintwork against the pyrotechnics. Sometimes you have to compromise, and he admits the intercooler’s positioning isn’t the most efficient. “It’s the only place I had,” he laughs. The Clubman’s normally cavernous engine bay could only afford room at the front for a Honda Integra radiator and oil cooler. So to keep the charged air cool, the Clubman is fitted with water/ethanol injection. “It’s controlled by engine temperature, with the ECU initialising the pump and a control switch on the pipe, so it primes it and then injects it.” The water/ethanol bottle is mounted on the complex cage, just behind the front Cobra Imola Pro bucket seats and four-point harnesses.

The seats themselves have been mounted to suit his height, which meant Alec also needed to make changes to the steering. “The wheel position is over toward the driver by 2in, and 6in closer, as my seat is positioned on the floor and tight back, to fit me.” The OMP steering wheel also has a B-G Racing quick-release boss. But as stripped out and racy as the Mini’s interior looks, Alec has allowed himself some creature comforts in the form of a later Mini heater and electric windows, which mount behind the aluminium door cards. “The only thing that remains original Mini is the wiper motor and the rear lights. The loom is one of the things that can really let Minis down, so pretty much all the wiring is now Honda, and is mounted behind the custom dashboard.”

A Honda binnacle shows the basics, with the rest of the information from the Link ECU displayed on a tablet mounted above the steering wheel.

The Honda gear lever is mounted further back in the cabin for comfort, while the tunnel is also raised and squared off; the only bit of floor that’s been changed. Other internal changes include a hybrid pedal box which is late Mini linked to a Honda master cylinder.

Alec has achieved what he’d intended by moving away from A-series power, with the current configuration producing a reliable 350bhp+ at the front wheels. He doesn’t have any rolling road figures as he’s found live mapping to be more effective for this turbo system.

As yet, Alec hasn’t had the Mini down the quarter mile, but he has taken it around Goodwood circuit and was really happy with how the car performed. But it’s not all about the go as, to slow things down, a set of Mini Sport billet four-pot alloy calipers and vented and grooved discs have been squeezed behind the front wheels and provide prodigious stopping power.

The B18 Mini Clubman has not just provided a fitting tribute to his late brother, but has also given Alec a great showcase for his skills, not least his talent with a spray gun. The latest orangey-red colour, which looks amazing in direct sunlight, uses a three-stage process. “I fancied changing the colour from the previous green. The paint is a water-based MIPA three-stage with a red base and a gold Xirallic tinter which is the next one up from pearl. A lot of the new black paints have Xirallic in them.” The paint really is as vibrant as the photos show but it was not just a case of rubbing the car down and slapping on some paint, as all of the logos in the bodywork are also painted and prep-work is key. “I’d just gone over to MIPA paint for my business and it was during a training day that I decided on the Mini’s colour. It’s not one of their ‘off the shelf’ colours. A lot of reds bleed through, so I used a high-build white primer, flatted that, and then laid down the red base with the Xirallic over the top, then clear over that.”

He then flatted the shell and painted the graphics before re-lacquering. “With three-stage, the paint is OK to match if you have a small repair, if you know what you’re doing,” he says proudly.

Alex is considering whether to re-paint the Mini back to its earlier stealthy black look, but this vibrant colour certainly catches people’s attention and showcases his skills nicely, and after all, there’s only so much stealth you can have with that huge turbo hanging out the front! But either way, he’s sure to continue enjoying his cool Clubman. “It’s a car I use quite a lot,” he says. “In my opinion, cars are to be used and not just left in the garage to look at. In fact, I was driving it home the other night and it tried to kill me! I like cars like that wake you up, and Keith did too.” We’re sure Keith would be very proud of what his brother has achieved and Alec can be proud that he’s finally fulfilled their vision. And what better way to honour loved ones lost than a turbocharged tearaway tribute drenched in eye-popping orange? We can’t think of one!

B18 Mini Clubman

Tech Spec: B18 Mini Clubman

Engine:

1.8-litre, 40cyl, 16v Honda B18C engine, ID 420cc injectors, Audi R8 coil packs, K&N cone air filter, Mamba GTX28 ball-bearing turbocharger, ‘ram’s horn’ exhaust manifold, TurboSmart Ultra-Gate 38 external wastegate with screamer pipe, TurboSmart  blow-off valve, top-mounted intercooler and AEM water/ethanol injection Link G4X ECU, Bosch fuel pumps, bespoke, single back box, stainless steel 3in exhaust system, Honda Integra radiator and oil cooler

Performance:

350bhp+

Transmission: 5-speed Honda SB9 manual gearbox with Kaaz plated-tyre LSD

Suspension:

Custom coilover suspension all round with custom rose-jointed suspension arms

Brakes:

Mini Sport billet four-pot alloy calipers and vented and grooved discs

Wheels & Tyres:

7x13in Supalight alloys with175/50/13 Nankang Sportnex AR-1 tyres

Exterior:

Rear windows removed and replaced with panels to convert to a van, wide arches, alloy fuel filler cap, one-piece rear door, F1-style mirrors, custom front bumper with turbo cut-out, gloss black grille, roof and vented bonnet, full respray in MIPA three-stage red base with gold Xirallic tinter

Interior:

Stripped interior, custom rollcage, Cobra Imola bucket seats with blue harnesses, custom aluminium dashboard with Honda instrument binnacle, aluminium door cards, electric windows, later-sepc Mini heater system, tablet displaying ECU parameters.

From Fast Car. Words & Photos: Jim Jupp

Source

Alpine teases 3 electric vehicles, including sports car

France’s Renault gave an update on its electric-vehicle plans during an online presentation held on Wednesday, and confirmed during the presentation were three EVs for its Alpine performance brand.

Silhouettes for each of the three electric Alpines were briefly shown, along with confirmation that the first will arrive in 2024. The remaining two are expected by the end of 2025.

The silhouettes point to the EVs consisting of a fastback sedan or hatchback, a hot hatch, and a sports car.

We know the sports car will be based on a new E-Sports platform being developed by Lotus for its own electric sports car. Lotus is also open to licensing the platform to other automakers.

3 Alpine electric cars teased during presentation on June 30, 2021

3 Alpine electric cars teased during presentation on June 30, 2021

Meanwhile, the hot hatch looks like it could be related to a production version of the Renault 5 Prototype unveiled in January. Some readers will recall that the original Renault 5, sold briefly in the United States as the Le Car, had a hot Alpine version, so there’s a previous connection there. The platform in this case would be the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-EV, which we’ll see shortly in the 2020 Nissan Ariya crossover.

The fastback model is hard to pin but we could be looking at a potential rival to the Audi E-Tron GT or Porsche Taycan.

Alpine’s sole model at present is the A110, a lightweight, mid-engine sports car that only sells about 5,000 units annually. However, the brand in Jan. said it will transition to a pure EV brand in an effort to become the technology spearhead for Renault.

The move toward EVs will potentially enable Alpine to attract customers in China, where Renault plans to stop selling vehicles equipped with internal-combustion engines. Unfortunately, it isn’t likely to help the case for a U.S. launch, so don’t expect to see Alpine introduced here anytime soon.

Source

TUNED R34 SKYLINE GT-T: PURPLE CRAZE

When James Hibbert swapped his R34 GT-R for its lesser-powered GT-T sibling, people thought he’d lost his mind. But there was definitely method in his madness as his tuned R34 Skyline GT-T will demonstrate.

From Fast Car. Words & photos: Dan Sherwood.

When it comes to cars, there’s a very definite hierarchy to manufacturers’ model line ups. At the bottom of the ladder is usually the smaller, lower-priced models, whose reduced costs are in line with their sparse levels of performance and specification. At the top are the luxury and high performance models, the halo cars that drip with power, technology and desirability. As petrolheads who see cars as more than just simple modes of transportation, and who value the experience and thrill of driving and ownership as much as the practical advantages, it’s only natural that we covet the models that sit at the highest echelons of those ladders. They provide not only the adrenaline kick of performance and the satisfaction of style, but also endow their owner with a certain unspoken status too – an element that can get lost on some people, but is crucial to a car nut. In fact, so important is this standing within automotive circles, that it goes way beyond the differences between the varying marques and models and can come down to just a handful of letters…

“For anyone into Japanese cars the GT-R badge is the stuff of legend,” says 30-year-old HGV driver James Hibbert. “For many of us, any Nissan Skyline model that features those three letters on its bootlid falls under the category of our dream car, with people gladly willing to give up various essential body parts to own one, myself included.”

Tuned R34 Skyline GT-T

So when James actually managed to make his dream a reality by purchasing an R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R – while keeping all his limbs intact, too – why did he soon sell it in order to buy the GT-R’s poor relative; the lower-powered, less revered R34 GT-T?

“People must’ve thought I was going crazy,” he laughs. “But as good as the GT-R was, I just started to miss the fun of rear-wheel drive, and drifting in particular.”

Since owning an EP3 Civic Type R many years ago, all of James’s cars have been rear-wheel drive, with various Nissan S15s, a Lexus GS300 and an NA Supra making up his enviable back catalogue and cementing his addiction to steering from the rear.

“The other issue was the value of the GT-R and the attention it caused,” James sighs. “It meant that I was always wary of driving it on the limit or where I was parking it, as I was constantly concerned about it getting damaged or stolen.”

Tuned R34 Skyline GT-T

And so, combined with his need to get his sideways-sliding fix, James had an epiphany of what his next move should be, and started looking for a rear-wheel drive R34 Skyline GT-T as a replacement.

The R34 GT-T is Nissan’s next rung down the ladder after the range-topping GT-R. Featuring a 276bhp 2.5-litre single turbo RB25DET NEO, rather than the legendary twin-turbo’d 2.6-litre RB26DETT of its bigger brother (claimed to produce 278bhp as per the Japanese manufacturer’s gentleman’s agreement at the time, but actually making nearer 330bhp), it’s certainly no slouch, but the lack of the iconic swollen arches and the legendary ATTESA E-TS four-wheel drive system housed within, plus the small matter of the GT-R’s racing pedigree, means the GT-T will never be as revered as its stablemate, but to James, that was part of the appeal.

“GT-T’s may not look as tough as the brawny GT-Rs and don’t have the same potential to be tuned, but aside from the fact they’re rear-wheel drive (which is actually a bonus in my book) they’re actually not that different really,” reckons James. “And when you consider that you can get a mint condition GT-T for less than a quarter of the price of a GT-R these days, that leaves you with plenty of cash to tune and modify one to your preferred specification, which was exactly what I had in mind…”

Tuned R34 Skyline GT-T

James began his search by putting up a post on social media to see if there were any GT-T owners who wanted to make the jump to GT-R ownership and were willing to work out a trade. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long for a suitable candidate to arise.

“I was contacted by a guy with a GT-T with a full Tommykaira bodykit and accessories,” James remembers. “It had really low mileage and was immaculate!”

As well as the rare bodykit, the tuned R34 Skyline GT-T came with a host of other tasty additions including an HKS GTRS Pro turbo, a Z32 MAF, Sard injectors and fuel pressure regulator, a GReddy radiator and intercooler and an A’PEXi Power FC.

“It was making around 500bhp,” James says. “Which, along with a set of BC Racing coilovers, an uprated ORC twin-plate clutch and bigger R34 GT-R Brembo brakes, made it a real weapon on the road. In fact it felt much quicker than my stage one tuned GT-R that was running around 380bhp.”

Tuned R34 Skyline GT-T

So after some friendly negotiations the pair finally did the swap on Christmas Eve, 2015, with James receiving an extra £18k his way, which just goes to show the price difference that occurs by moving that third letter of the badge just two positions along the alphabet.

“It felt great to have the power going to the rear wheels again, so I was happy with the deal,” James beams. “But even so, I wasted no time in adding my own touches.”

For starters it was the bodywork that received James’s undivided attention, as, even though it was genuine, he wasn’t keen on the look of the Tommykaira kit, so he sought to replace it with body panels bought from Loughborough-based body-styling supremos EP Racing.

“I’ve known EP’s bossman Leon Chan for years and he’s always been a great help with my project cars,” says James. “So when I removed the Tommykaira parts and sold them on – including the gearknob which sold for £300 on its own! – I had a nice pot of cash to spend on the GT-T to get it looking how I wanted it.”

As anyone who’s really into their Skyline’s will likely tell you, the Z-Tune is the ultimate R34, but their rarity and astronomical price tag means few people are ever going to be able to own one, so James decided to do the next best thing and bought a replica bodykit, so at least his car could look like one.

“The kit was fitted by a friend of mine who owns a bodyshop in Chippenham called Desire Motor Factory,” says James. “He also tubbed the arches to allow more clearance for wider wheels, before respraying the car in a custom purple paint.”

With the body-styling sorted James swapped out the obscure 18in Sqobs wheels for a set of highly-concaved 7Twenty Style 46 split five-spokes and installed a HICAS lock-out bar and Kaaz two-way limited slip diff to ensure the rear wheels could be lit up on demand.

At this point in the build, James was happy to just kick back and enjoy his creation that combined the looks of his ultimate Skyline with the tail-happy handling attributes of his beloved S-bodies.

“It was great to get back into drifting again and the car looked great, but I can never stop tinkering with things,” he grins. “So it wasn’t long before I’d added a big Japspeed GT rear wing and changed the wheels to a set of 19in Weds Kranze Cerberus splits with a 6.5in rear dish.”

Such is James’s addiction to alteration, however, that both of these mods were relatively short-lived, with the spoiler being removed and the wheels swapped again for a set of 18in Work Emotion CR Kiwamis. But that wasn’t all…

“I like to run the car low, but it can make it impractical,” James concedes. “So I invested in a set of Stance Parts air cups. These trick bits of kit are like mini air-bags that sit on top of your coilovers and are fed by a small air tank that allows you to raise the car a few inches when you need extra clearance, yet still retain the handling characteristics of coilovers.”

As well as the air cups, James decided to give his interior a shot of racecar chic by stripping it out, fitting a pair of Corbeau Clubman bucket seats and harnesses and having a comprehensive custom rollcage installed by HDF Motorsport in Petersfield.

“I really love my music so the rollcage has been designed to fit around my audio system,” highlights James, pointing out the Hertz door speakers and 10in Vibe subwoofer in a custom enclosure behind the bucket seats. “It’s a great sounding setup and pretty loud too, which it needs to be, if it’s to be heard over the exhaust system!” he chuckles.

Uninspired by the car’s previous setup, James needed added aural excitement from the GT-T so decided to install an external wastegate with a bonnet-exit screamer pipe and a straight-through exhaust system with shotgun-style tailpipes.

“It’s certainly a lot louder now and sounds epic when you let off the throttle and it spits flames up the windscreen,” he smiles. “Unfortunately when I removed the downpipe to fit the wastegate, I noticed the turbo’s turbine blades were damaged.”

This was all the excuse James needed to get the turbo rebuilt by forced induction experts Midland Turbo, while at the same time improving the fuelling and ignition with larger Sard injectors, an high-flow fuel pump and Splitfire coilpacks.

“Once the engine upgrades were installed I had the ECU re-mapped by Tom Hudson at tuning gurus, Fensport in Chatteris,” James reveals. “As far as I know, the car didn’t make any more power as such, but the delivery was night and day. The turbo spooled quicker and the torque in the midrange was brutal. It’s a much quicker and more fun car to drive as a result, which is exactly why people shouldn’t get hung up on outright power figures.”

Now, for most people, this would be the end of the story, but not for James…

“I got a call from Leon at EP Racing who said he had just taken delivery of a new Sunline Racing style kit for the R34,” recalls James. “It’s a really aggressive looking kit with wide arches and was the first of its kind in Europe… I just couldn’t resist!”

James sent the kit, along with a JUN-style front bumper, to be painted before installing it himself on his driveway the day before he was due to attend the Player’s Classic show at Goodwood racecourse.

“‘It was a bit of a race against time to get it on, but it fitted really well in the end and I made the show the next day, where it’s safe to say, it got a big reaction!” he beams. “I was well chuffed with how it looked, but it’s even better now I’ve changed the rims to these 18in Work Emotion CR-2Ps.”

So surely this is end of the road for James’s fettling fetish? Well, not quite, as he has his sights set on a forged engine with top mount turbo and a tucked bay! But that’ll have to wait until another day. For now though, James can be content with what he has. It may not have an R at the end of its moniker, but by taking a step down in the Skyline hierarchy, he’s built a car that not only looks a million dollars, but puts a huge smile on his face every time he gets behind the wheel, and there’s nothing crazy about that!

Tech Spec: Tuned R34 Skyline GT-T

Engine:

2.5-litre, 6-cyl, 24v RB25DET NEO single turbo engine, HKS GT RS pro turbocharger, A’PEXi Power FC and hand controller, Blitz SUS air intake, Z32 MAF, TiAL external wastegate fitted to the exhaust housing of the turbo, Splitfire coilpacks, HKS oil filter, IHR high-capacity fuel pump, SARD bigger injectors, SARD fuel pressure regulator, large GReddy radiator, GReddy oil cooler, large GReddy intercooler, carbon coilpack cover, steel head gasket, blue and black silicone hoses, HKS downpipe, HKS elbow and custom unsilenced shotgun-style exhaust

Performance:

450bhp @ 1.4bar of boost

Transmission:

RWD with 5-speed manual gearbox with a short shifter, 80% solid gearbox mounts, Kaaz 2-way 4.1 limited slip differential, HICAS lockout bar, ORC twin-plate clutch with a lightened flywheel

Suspension:

BC Racing coilovers with adjustable dampers, Driftworks Stanceparts full air-cup kit with the air tank hidden in the boot, Japspeed tension arms, Japspeed track rod ends, Japspeed rear camber arms, front lower arms extended by 25mm

Brakes:

Skyline R34 GT-R Brembo brakes with EBC grooved and dimpled discs (front), standard discs and calipers (rear), Ferodo DS2500 pads all round, drift button on the stock handbrake, braided brake lines all round

Wheels & tyres:

9.5in18in ET 0 (front) and 10.5x18in ET 20 (rear) Work CR-2P wheels in GT Silver with polished lips and 225/35/18 (front) and 255/35/18 (rear) Achilles 123 tyres, 10mm spacers all round

Exterior:

Sunline Racing-style rear quarters, Sunline Racing-style side skirts, Sunline Racing-style front wings, Jun-style front bumper, Z-Tune-style bonnet, R34 GT-R rear bumper, rear lower diffuser, genuine Ganador mirrors, De-spoilered, rear wiper removed and blanked, R34 GT-R rear light covers, Nismo smoked side repeaters and front indicators, rear arches have been cut up and tubbed, rust proofed underside and inner wheel arches, resprayed in custom one-off purple, full undercar neons controlled via Bluetooth

Interior:

Fully stripped interior, full HDF weld-in rollcage with crossbars, door bars and gussets, Corbeau Club seats with custom low mounts and Driftworks 4-point harnesses, dash trimmed around the rollcage, fabric carpet dash mat, Blitz gearknob, outlaw drift button, Nardi small steering wheel with NRG quick release boss, Defi water temp gauge, Defi oil temp gauge, Defi gauge controller, Blitz boost gauge, A’PEXi boost controller, fire extinguisher, 10in Vibe sub in custom rear enclosure, Vibe 6x9s, Hertz front speakers, Kenwood DVD headunit, Broadway rear-view mirror, interior painted metallic silver with added glitter

Source