Joyriding with Joan “Nani” Roma, the winner of the gruelling 2014 Dakar Rally, in a Mini All4 racer.
Updated: June 05, 2014, 12:00 AM
In pictures: The mini all4 racing
Only the lights, door handles and windscreen are carried over. The body shell is made of carbon fibre and though close in appearance to the road-going car, the rear doors are fake and the overall size is a little larger.
Underneath, it’s all change, with a bespoke steel roll cage and survival cell for the driver and co-driver, storage in the back for up to three huge spare wheels and a chassis developed to survive high-speed off-road driving for six hours at a time.
The Mini is fitted with a six-speed Saldev sequential transmission with a large lever extending to within easy grasp of the driver’s right hand. It’s tugged back to change up a gear, or tapped forward to change down.
The clutch pedal is only used on taking off initially and coming to a stop. The brake pedal feels as solid as a block of wood and the steering is remarkably light.
Under the bonnet is a straight-six, 3.0L diesel engine with twin sequential turbocharging — not something that you’ll find in any regular Mini. It is, however, a BMW engine, based on that found in many a European example of the 5 Series sedan.
The wiring loom and control computer are completely new and developed specifically for this car. Maximum power is only 307hp, but it’s produced at an exceptionally low 3,250rpm, so there’s little incentive to rev the engine beyond that. Instead, this car feeds off its torque.
Expectations of a smooth ride and loads of suspension travel are dashed the first time that we hit a sand-dune jump at speed. The car launches all four wheels into the air, but awkwardly lands and tunnels down into the sand before exploding back out the other side in a cloud of dust.