You want an ERA Mini Turbo
Don't ask questions. Trust me, you want one.
I'm gonna be quite blunt here and say that I'm not the worlds biggest Mini fan. To be quite honest they're one of my least favourite cars made by Rover. Now don't get me wrong, if someone offered me one for a decent price, and if I had the money, it would definitely be on my list of cars I would buy. My problem with the Mini though, is for me, it is an overpriced classic for something that even 20-25 years ago was just another small car. Yes, I can understand the hype around special editions such as the Cooper or 1275GT but for me, I feel like people are spending 7-8000 pounds just so they can go around saying "I have a classic Mini". I know mini's drive fantastically well (I'd love to experience this for myself one day as I've yet to drive one) but once again, when I see someone forking out 5000 pounds for a half rotten mid-eighties Austin Mini City , I just think it could be spent somewhere a lot better.
Although, if I was going to go hunting for one, it would be this. Seen as the spiritual successor to the original Mini Cooper, the ERA Mini Turbo, was the half drunk, half high on petrol fumes brainchild of Engineering Research and Application Ltd. ERA as it's more commonly known started out in 1933 as English Racing Automobiles and up until the mid fifties, made proper two-seater 1930's style racing cars. Eventually it stopped producing cars and was turned into an R&D department.
That was until some point during the mid-eighties. Someone in the head office of ERA must have gone into a board meeting and said: "That Mini that Austin has been making for 30 years. Lets put a turbo in it, flare the arches, make the dashboard look like a cockpit and the outside like a gym freak who's taken one too many steroids."
When you're cruising down the road with more only 94bhp you would have thought that, by modern standards this would be quite slow. But being a Mini and having 87lb of torque, the ERA Mini had a top speed of 115mph and a 0-60 time of 7.80 seconds, which was more than adequate for those thrill seekers seen as the original Mini City's top speed was a pedestrian 84mph. It got all of its get up and go from the re-used A-Series unit as used in many BL/ BMC cars since the late 40's. Although this time it was the 1275cc variant from the MG Metro Turbo, beefed up to make extra power from the original 1275cc engine with a turbo. This would become a trend that many Mini owners would follow, taking many a Metro Turbo engine and wedging it into a standard Mini, which would result in clapped out Mini's beating most cars, big or small on a 'mines bigger than yours' gung-ho dual-carriageway race. Along with this, the ERA Mini was low to the ground and had large 13" chunky alloy wheels which helped give it presence on the road and outstanding handling.
Watch this turbo converted Austin Mini blast around country roads!:
Less than 500 of the ERA Mini Turbo's were ever produced making it quite a rare vehicle. A lot of the cars were sent over to Japan as it could cash in on the 'small car with big car power' that Japan had started to lap up in the late 80's. A used one is rare to come up for sale but when they do, they're usually gone quick, it's probably by an auction and could fetch anywhere between 10-15000 pounds. Because of their rarity, you're most likely going to see ones as museum or car show pieces like the one in the header picture.
The ERA Mini was the epitome of everything that was brash and in your face about the 80's. Driving along the motorway and country B-roads with the whirrr-tschh of the turbo and New Orders' 'Blue Monday' blasting out the speakers. These Mini's may have been just a base Mini City when they started life but by the time ERA had finished with it, it was something that you would have been privileged to get a drive in.
What do you think of the ERA Mini Turbo? Would you have one? Would you make a Mini turbo if you had the parts?
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Comments (14)
The only more desirable Mini was the twin engine racer that was just plain inspiring to watch blasting past Mercedes and Alfas in the corners
I've never heard of this! Looks... Interesting. Ill have to take a look into it 🧐
In the early seventies It Was a Race Track Terror! I'm sure there were many drivers of larger cars that would just freak out watching that many zip around outside of them going 25 miles an hour faster in a corner and disappear over the hill while...
Read moreNice! 😳
Such a wonderful looking car!
Is this awd?
How
Glad you liked the article.