It’s not everyday you come across a mid-engined V8 Mini pick-up truck, and this one was built using a modified Ford GT40 replica frame by the team at GT Developments.
Power is provided by a 5.0 liter Ford V8 which sends power to the rear wheels via a 5-speed transaxle. The vehicle has independent front and rear suspension, four wheel disc brakes, a modified Mini Countryman body, and an estimated 300 bhp.
Fast Facts – A Mid-Engined V8 Mini Pick-Up
- This unique mid-engined V8 Mini pick-up truck was built using a modified Ford GT40 replica frame by GT Developments. The vehicle is powered by a 5.0 liter Ford V8, producing an estimated 300 bhp, and features independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and a 5-speed transaxle.
- GT Developments, a British company founded in the early 1980s, became renowned for producing highly accurate Ford GT40 replicas. They built these replicas from the early 1990s through the early 2000s, gaining a reputation for exceptional fit and finish, which made their vehicles highly sought after.
- The 1994 mid-engined Mini pick-up project showcased GT Developments’ engineering capabilities. The vehicle used a modified GT40 replica chassis and a Mini Countryman body, which was transformed into a pick-up truck with a V8 engine housed in the rear cargo bed, achieving significant attention from the motoring media.
- This custom Mini V8 pick-up, now set to be auctioned by Iconic Auctioneers, features a 5.0 liter small-block V8 producing 300 bhp. The car has been a media sensation since its completion in the 1990s and will be auctioned with a price guide of £30,000 to £35,000 ($39,000-$45,500 USD).
GT Developments
GT Developments was a British company that began building some of the most highly-regarded Ford GT40 replicas in the world in the early 1990s. The firm started out making sub assemblies for the KVA GT40 replica developed by Kenneth Attwell – the senior production manager at Ford’s Swansea factory.
This is the Mini as we’ve never seen it before, built around a GTD40 chassis with a mid-mounted V8. With 300 bhp and a presumably low curb weight, it’s likely a shockingly quick little car.
Attwell had been able, with permission, to take exact fiberglass molds from one of the original Ford GT40s, offering a level of accuracy rarely seen on replicas. GT Developments would soon begin building their own replicas with company director Ray Christopher coming to an agreement with Bob Lutz (then the head of Ford Europe) for a supply of genuine Ford parts.
GT Developments would build their GT40 replicas, called the GTD40, from the early 1990s through to the early 2000s. They’re no longer in production, however surviving examples are highly sought after as their level of accuracy, and their fit and finish, are considered among the best in the world.
The GT Developments Mid-Engined V8 Mini Pick-Up
In 1994, Ray Christopher commissioned the car you see in this article. It was a project to showcase the company’s engineering talented, and to capture the attention of the automotive media – providing a huge amount of publicity for his firm.
Inside you’ll find an integrated roll cage, seating for two with harnesses, a right-side shifter, and all the essential instrumentation.
The build began with a modified version of the GT Developments GT40 replica chassis, a tubular steel spaceframe designed to accommodate a rear-mid-mounted V8 powering the rear wheels. The chassis was fitted with a version of the independent front and rear suspension used on the GTD40, as well as four-wheel disc brakes and rack and pinion steering.
The body from a Mini Countryman was sourced, this was the long wheelbase van version of the Mini, and it was then modified with the rear van section cropped into more of a pick-up truck style back end. The front cab remains, offering seating for two with an integral roll cage, and both seats have racing harnesses.
The cargo bed rear now houses a Ford small block V8 with a displacement of 5.0 liters. There isn’t much detail in the listing about what’s been done to the engine, but it has have been at least mildly warmed over as it’s now producing a claimed 300 bhp.
It’s fitted with wrapped equal-length headers feeding into dual four-into-one straight pipes – so it’s sure to sound spicy.
Power is provided by a mid-mounted Ford small block V8 with a displacement of 5.0 liters, equal length tube headers, and a single carburetor. It’s making a claimed 300 bhp and sending it back through a 5-speed manual transaxle.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed transaxle, and given the low weight of the vehicle it’s likely to be very quick indeed. After it was completed in the mid-1990s it was featured heavily in the British automotive magazines of the day, achieving Ray’s goal of bringing in a tsunami of publicity for the company.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with Iconic Auctioneers on the 22nd of March with a price guide of £30,000 – £35,000 or approximately $39,000-$45,500 USD. If you’d like to read more about the car or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Iconic Auctioneers
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.