SURGICAL SPIRIT

摘要

It certainly looks like a Mini and it corners like one, too, but Dan Balster's Clubman is not all it seems. For starters, it's not even a Clubman. Originally a humble Mini Ritz, its facelift to Clubman status was enforced by its other big surprise - the installation of a sweet 165bhp Honda V-Tec twin-cam complete with five-speed gearbox. From the moment the starter motor buzzes to the scream of 8000+ revs, this is a wholly un-British performance. And performance is what counts when it comes to Dan's motors. As a mechanic and lifelong Mini fan, he's owned more Minis than he cares to remember - and several of them have been a bit special, both as road cars and competition machines campaigned in oval racing. Originally a go-cart racer, the Minis have provided a more affordable form of motorsport. Never one to sit idle, when "Doctor" Dan began planning the surgery he intended for this car, he instantly knew he wanted something different. "I was always tuning A-series engines, but they were unreliable and noisy," he remembers. Considering his transplant options, he quickly discounted several other potential candidates. "The Vauxhall engine doesn't fit in so neatly and it's a lot heavier. I also looked at bike engines, but they're too expensive. The main reason why I went for the Honda engine is that we've got a customer at work with a CRX that's done 300,000 miles. All it's had is a cambelt and regular oil changes." The choice was easy, the 165bhp Honda was the only "sensible" option.