Very quickly, in fact: try 251 km/hr quickly.
Thanks to a team of Kiwis from Nelson, New Zealand, and $100,000 worth of sponsorship, a 1964 Mini hit a record-breaking speed of 251 km/hr during the Bonneville Speed Week.
The main issue with bringing the 970S Mini up to speeds like that? Well, for starters the car was only meant to reach a max speed of 120 km/hr (as was it's less than 1,000cc engine); and while it might look cute, the aerodynamics of the Mini Cooper are less than ideal for such high speeds. Meticulous, detailed engineering was needed in order to properly prep the Mini for its high-speed run.
Driven by Nelson Hartley (Formula driver, Brendon Hartley's brother), the over-50-year-old vehicle was brought up to speeds that might be commonplace for modern vehicles, but is in now a feat that's in the Bonneville record books.
Thanks to a team of Kiwis from Nelson, New Zealand, and $100,000 worth of sponsorship, a 1964 Mini hit a record-breaking speed of 251 km/hr during the Bonneville Speed Week.
The main issue with bringing the 970S Mini up to speeds like that? Well, for starters the car was only meant to reach a max speed of 120 km/hr (as was it's less than 1,000cc engine); and while it might look cute, the aerodynamics of the Mini Cooper are less than ideal for such high speeds. Meticulous, detailed engineering was needed in order to properly prep the Mini for its high-speed run.
Driven by Nelson Hartley (Formula driver, Brendon Hartley's brother), the over-50-year-old vehicle was brought up to speeds that might be commonplace for modern vehicles, but is in now a feat that's in the Bonneville record books.
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| Photo: BMW AG |