So during the winter this kind of happened, the supercharged BMW Mini R53 got replaced with a Turbo R56. The colour has stayed the same though. The ‘new’ R56 Cooper S is the ex EDMotorsports development car for there custom engine maps and so has been kept in a very good condition.
With EDM using the R56 as a development car, it already has some choice modifications. Such as a Forge Motorsport intercooler, PowerFlex front bushes, JCW aero front and rear bumper, Eibach springs and a JCW Exhaust. So why have we gone for a car that has already been played with? Well it’s down to the fact that we would have done most of these changes anyway. Plus she is already pushing 230BHP and 311Nm of torque from the 1.6 Turbo.
But we do have plans to do our own modifications to make the car more track orientated, and eventually become a full on race car. So there will be AP 4 pot brakes, MeisterR coilovers, bucket seats, OMP steering wheel, and the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2’s all taken from the old R53 to go on the R56. Along with plenty of new bits like the R56 challenge aero parts, which include a rear spoiler, diffuser and a front splitter.
Some might be asking why the change, well it was down to the fact there is an inherent heat soak problem with the R53. The intercooler soaks up the heat from the engine, and so the ECU pulls back the ignition due to the higher temps, causing loss of power on circuit. This can be fixed but for the cost it made more sense to move to a R56 and keep some of the parts from the old car.
Like the old R53, we are going to eventually aim to have this racing in the Track Day Championship, or Clubman Time Attack class. At first we will turn her into a clubsport spec track car. Then once a roll cage is sorted and the car is off the road, she will be a full-on track car. We already have things in the works for the car, so look out for the next update.