I have always admired the people who can take a rotten car and rebuild it into a show winning example. Nothing phases them, welding, engine rebuilds, brakes they can turn their hands to anything. Despite coming from a family with at least three generations of engineering heritage, I was never that way inclined.
I envy those with the skills and totally understand their desire to create a car as new or possibly better than new.
The investment of time to create an extrordinay car from humble beginings makes sense to me. It repays the owner/builder with admiration and appreciation. But it makes no financial sense. And paying a large sum of money to a specialist to rebuild a car to as new spec is similarily daft.
Don’t get me wrong I like a Mini, I have one myself. But there are plenty of brilliant Mini’s around and I’m not sure we need any more, even Mini Coopers. But what do you do if you don’t possess the skills and you already own a Mini you are attached to. Then I guess that if you have the money then you really have little choice.
Here we have another Mini restomod, this time by Tolman, creator of the ‘Tolman Edition’ Peugeot 205 GTi restomod. The Cooper S Mk II is the smallest car Tolman has restored and refined, making this undertaking anything but ‘Mini’.
The owner used the car for over a decade and turned to Tolman to create a Mini he could enjoy as a daily driver with all the charm of the original, but with fewer of the pitfalls of a 56-year-old car.
The 12-month project began where every Tolman car does, a complete strip-out of the interior and mechanicals, in preparation for a blast back to a bare shell and significant bodywork to achieve crisp and even shut lines and panel gaps. The Mini’s hydroelastic suspension has been swapped in favour of KAD adjustable tie rods and Bilstein dampers, ensuring the Mini remains comfortable but engaging on unpredictable British backroads. Fully adjustable, it can be set up to suit its owner’s requirements – which will include domestic driving and a regular commute.
As in period for the MkII Cooper S, it retains front disc brakes with rear drums whilst ATEC CNC brake lines which provide a more consistent feel.
Rather than opting for modern, grippy rubber, the Mini wears period style 10” 145 Dunlop Aquajet tyres. With power almost doubled to 90 bhp, 80 ft/lb of torque from 3,000-6,000 rpm and weighing just 685 kg, the Mini is lively when driven hard, but also far more practical and tractable in lower gears. The team decided not to opt for a limited-slip differential – this addition would make the car snappy through turns and detract from the original experience. The same goes for the refreshed gearbox, where the four-speed configuration was retained for authenticity.
The engine has been fully rebuilt and now benefits from fuel injection, a feature that wasn’t standard on Minis until 1991. The battery box in the boot now houses the fuel system with a collector fuel pot, high-pressure pump return and lift pump seamlessly integrated. With the regulator away from the engine, only one fuel line comes into the bay, maintaining the original appearance.
A one-off stainless steel exhaust ensures a sportier ‘A-Series’ sound but has been tuned to avoid being overwhelmingly noisy. Advanced heat protection under the bonnet protects the injection system whilst sound deadening throughout the cabin keeps unwanted road noise at bay. A fully electronic engine management system improves cold starts, idle control and low oil pressure detection.