Twenty one years after the start of my first MINI adventure, I decided to open a new chapter. My first MINI was a brand new 2004 R53 Cooper S which slowly evolved into a track car over about ten years. My second R53 was a slick-top 2006 model which I purchased in 2011 and set about to immediately turn it into a track car. This one is different (although I probably said something similar back in 2011). This will be a trackable street car. And the starting point is very different.
The car we’re starting with was saved from the scrap heap. It has over 180K miles on a rebuilt engine. The rear brakes are seized. The rear sub-frame is completely rusted out. The oil filter housing is leaking. And it is a mess, having spent the better part of a year sitting in a barn.
The goals for this project are three-fold: Get it to pass the Maryland State Inspection; Get it robust enough for track use; and make it look good enough that I can use it for mobile detailing jobs. I’ve got a month from when I registered it to accomplish the first task; there’s really no limit on the second, though I would like to take it to the track in March 2025; and before I get started with either of those, I’ll have to give it a thorough cleaning, paint correction, and detail.
Come along and enjoy the ride.