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Editor's Note: This is part of a series at KSL.com featuring some of Utah's coolest cars. If you own a customized vehicle — from sports cars to semi trucks — email fjolley@ksl.com with a photo of the vehicle and a brief description for consideration.OGDEN — When Tanner Payne first purchased his 1989 right-hand drive Mini Turbo in September 2015, he had no idea the amount of work he would shortly be putting into the car.
Payne flew to Seattle, Washington, after looking at many different cars to see this particular Mini in person.
“My wife wanted a Mini,” Payne said. “As soon as I saw that this one was Turbo, I was sold.”
With an $11,500 price tag, he not only thought the car was a decent deal, but that it would be a solid car as well.
After the test drive, he decided to purchase the vehicle, but little did he know that the trip home was about to be short lived. Payne had only been driving the car for roughly 20 minutes toward home when the Mini’s head gasket went out.
After many phone calls and a few extra nights stay in Seattle, Payne found a shop that specialized in Mini Cooper repair and restoration. The car was later dropped off at the shop and Payne headed home without his new car.
During many months of communication with the shop and after a substantial amount of money was put into repairs and upgrades, the car was ready to be picked up. After purchasing the Mini nine months previously, Payne was finally back on his way, with a trailer and truck, to acquire the car he had been patiently waiting for.
During the repairs, the car went through an extensive rebuild. Many parts were replaced and upgraded on the Mini.
The block was bored .40 over and fitted with forged Omega pistons along with a Phase-two crankshaft. The cylinder head was ported and polished and the overall displacement increased from 1275cc to 1310cc. The shop also installed an upgraded clutch with a higher clamp load on the pressure plate to hold the extra horsepower the car would be making.
The car also utilizes a Garrett T3 turbocharger that is mated to a high-flow exhaust. The factory suspension was replaced with coils and shocks, and the car is fitted with Mini Ultralite wheels and Yokohama tires, to keep this feather-light car planted on the tarmac.
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The Mini has 40,000 original miles and is number 224 of 436 cars made, most of which were sent to Japan. This Mini is even rarer because it was one of the few that came with air conditioning.
Besides cranking up the turbocharger, Payne doesn’t have any future plans for his Mini, and he is just looking forward to driving it.
