Alloy Blocks & Unicorns

[Mini-geek]

Just to save you having to watch it, all you see of it is the picture above... It's not running in the car or anything...

[Mini-geek]

Has anyone contacted KAD for a price on them?

[murty]

Has anyone contacted KAD for a price on them?

I've heard around the £16.5k ex-VAT mark for the block/crank/rods/pistons/flywheel kit.

[Mini-geek]

Has anyone contacted KAD for a price on them?

I've heard around the £16.5k ex-VAT mark for the block/crank/rods/pistons/flywheel kit.

You could buy a car for that!

Cheers

[Exminiman]

Has anyone contacted KAD for a price on them?

I've heard around the £16.5k ex-VAT mark for the block/crank/rods/pistons/flywheel kit.

You could buy a car for that!

Cheers

Quite a nice one
Think it must be pitched at the £20k to £25k engine, Miglia type market, not sure where you could you actually use one now?

[murty]

I've heard around the £16.5k ex-VAT mark for the block/crank/rods/pistons/flywheel kit.

You could buy a car for that!

Cheers

Quite a nice one
Think it must be pitched at the £20k to £25k engine, Miglia type market, not sure where you could you actually use one now?

And the rest. KAD head, injection system and ECU, etc. Probably over £30k would be my guess. Approaching Millington Diamond territory.

[Mini-geek]

I've heard around the £16.5k ex-VAT mark for the block/crank/rods/pistons/flywheel kit.

You could buy a car for that!

Cheers

Quite a nice one
Think it must be pitched at the £20k to £25k engine, Miglia type market, not sure where you could you actually use one now?

My understanding is it won't qualify for the Miglia/Libra as it's not really an a series anymore..

[mk1]

This has always been my biggest question over this entire project. Where can you use it?

Fastest Mini in the world's about it.

[Mini-geek]

This has always been my biggest question over this entire project. Where can you use it?

Fastest Mini in the world's about it.

Can't see it being much use there because it won't run in an A series class and the others are free choice so why run that..

Unless some rules are going to change to allow it... Maybe masi is involved in it


On the subject of price I believe a BTCC engine is about 25k (probably plus vat and that was a few years ago) and that has a warranty for race use

[Tim]

David Brown Minis are something like £98,000 and people have the money to spend on them. They have new heritage body shells, so why not fit a shiny new engine at the same time?

Tim

[Peter Laidler]

I always wondered just how many DB special minis have actually been sold. Anyone know the REAL figure.

[mk1]

Fair point on the DB Minis, but I seriously doubt that many of them do more than drive round Chelsea a couple of times before finding their way to the back of a very large garage. Not the sort of car that requires a 200 bhp engine.

But what do I know, I'd no sooner spend £100,000 on a Mini that fly to the Moon on Fart power.

[mk1]

Regarding numbers, anecdotally, it appears that they have bought a good few shells, so it is reasonable to assume they are selling them. Impossible to get a real number though.

[Mini-geek]

I heard that one has been built to put in a penthouse apartment so will never be used anyway.. I don't think the people who buy them care about a 5 bearing crank... Or even know what a crank is..

[mk1]

I totally agree.

Colour will be far more important

[Pandora]

The only real justification for it I can see is as an engineering exercise. proving that they can do it, and if they can do it, they can design and make anything else folks might need or want.

A loss leading vanity / PR exercise in effect. And if they can sell a few to rich 'enthusiasts' (by which I mean enthusiasts of displaying wealth & means really) to offset some of the costs of the project, so be it.

As a technical and engineering exercise there is no doubt it's very impressive what they have achieved.

But it meets a market that we all know doesn't really exist. But if you are chasing contracts for specialist design and machining work, a great calling card to display a lot of very clever work.

Just my thoughts, but why else? They must know there is no viable market to make money on them directly from mini owners / racers.

Al

[Richspec]

Theres a few interesting offshoots that will / can be made available for the rest of us though, the option to have damaged crank noses splined, the twin plate clutch system and the new design engine steady bracket are all interesting by products.
As much as i'd like to put one of these under a big boost arden I can't really see me ever being able to afford it

[iain1967s]

Latest Facebook update:

5 main bearing billet alloy A-series block with KAD 16v head

Making over 400 bhp on the dyno @8k with 30 lbs turbo boost
https://fb.watch/mdXAFL9hCY

This looks to be R&D as part of a ’fastest mini in the world’ record attempt.
https://cmrchallenges.co.nz

Photo: left & center are two 998cc iron blocks (~350bhp each), with the 1071cc alloy block on the right (427bhp)
https://cmrchallenges.co.nz/wp-content/ ... er-Reg.jpg

[Hipwell]

Latest Facebook update:

5 main bearing billet alloy A-series block with KAD 16v head

Making over 400 bhp on the dyno @8k with 30 lbs turbo boost
https://fb.watch/mdXAFL9hCY

This looks to be R&D as part of a ’fastest mini in the world’ record attempt.
https://cmrchallenges.co.nz

Photo: left & center are two 998cc iron blocks (~350bhp each), with the 1071cc alloy block on the right (427bhp)

The gearbox must love that!

[iain1967s]

The gearbox must love that!

CMR are going for a terminal speed record in Bolivia, so presumably max torque will only be used when the gearbox will be in 4th. i.e. a 1:1 ratio. I’d be more concerned about the quality of the transfer gears and the clutch needed to cope with 280 ft lb…

For the Ascaso engine in Jim Lyons “fastest mini in the world” at Brands Hatch it looks like they have it covered, with ‘straight cut everything’ in the gearbox. Photo below.

Maybe someone who is at Brands Hatch today can report back as to how it went?
Jim Lyons, car #11