The Mini ERA turbo is one of the more distinctive variants of the iconic mini. I’m ashamed to say I used to think the ERA was simply a Mini with a bodykit… After being hastily corrected by an owner at a show, I was then told of the changes to the ERA model. This was not another lazy limited edition with a new stripe on the side, but perhaps the most significantly reworked Mini.

The ERA variant of the Mini was so called because Engineering Research and Application (ERA) were the company behind it. They met with Austin Rover and proposed a new variant of Mini that would be built by ERA and sold and serviced by existing dealers.

ERA Mini Design & Engineering

On meeting with Austin Rover in 1988, ERA shared a detailed file of their plan. It covered the engineering and design concepts along with projected performance, costs and profit margin. It was considered a spiritual successor to the discontinued Cooper S.

By now Austin Rover had stopped production of the Metro, including the MG and Turbo models. This meant missing out on the lucrative “hot hatch” market. The easiest way back into the market was to use the long standing Mini, but the Mini Cooper was simply too old and outgunned by faster, more modern machinery.

By making use of the Metro Turbo engine, ERA could build a Mini that would perform competitively using mostly standard components and have it ready the following year. At this point it’s pertinent to note that the Mini had outlasted the Metro which was supposed to replace it. Although the Mini was long in the tooth, it was deemed a good enough base for another “hot hatch”.

Modifications & Concepts

The proposal discussed key engineering and design concepts, explaining in detail the modifications needed to get the Mini ERA project up and running. These explained the aims of the project.

Following the initial proposal, a competition derived A series turbo was built. This was used to test the cars performance and handling. While many people quote the direct use of the Metro Turbo engine, the Mini ERA sales brochure noted that the engine had undergone significant durability testing – which may have indicated further changes. The following modifications were confirmed on the final road car:

• Dellorto horizontal 45mm twin choke carburetter
• Turbo with 12psi boost
• Intercooler
• Lightweight forged pistons and compression rate dropped to 7:1
• Modified cylinder head with 1300 inlet valves
• New camshaft
• New headgasket
• Modified gearbox
• Lowered by 15mm
• Rear anti roll bar
• Toe out and negative camber to prevent torque steer

Mini ERA Turbo Performance

Visually the Mini ERA is easy to spot with the chunky 80s bodykit set off by star shaped alloys with concealed wheelnuts. The interior was changed to include adapted Metro seats and a center console with a boost gauge. The interior made use of connolly leather, thicker sound insulation and a sunroof. The brief was performance but with luxury too.

Of course, what really sets this car apart from the myriad of limited edition Minis, is the performance. In place of the usual revvy A-Series character, is a torque rich engine, making progress easy. The ERA car would remain the most powerful Mini even when compared with the last Cooper models when the Mini itself ended production in 2000.

The Legacy 

For many, owning an original Mini ERA Turbo is something of a dream come true. With only 436 cars produced from a planned 1000, it’s rarer than a Mini Cooper S and yet cheaper. The turbo engine will be easier to drive in modern traffic than Mini’s of that vintage too. Indeed, anyone that’s used to wringing out the A series motor will find the shove of acceleration from the turbo engine a pleasant novelty!

Don’t let the bodykit fool you – In the world of drastically overpriced classic Minis the ERA Mini is good value and will always be the fastest official Mini ever sold.

The burgeoning hot hatch market had reached a head of steam by the early 1980s. The VW Golf GTI, introduced in 1976, had started things off and as a way into this market, using the MG badge on a sportier existing model was the easiest way to do it.

The Mini Cooper was too old to be considered viable competition at this point so British Leyland had transformed the Metro into the MG Metro to compete. It was expected to contribute 10% to sales of the entire Metro range, but had actually contributed an impressive 25% not long after launch. To add to the range, another sporting Metro model was planned.

With the old A-Series of the Mini underneath the Metro’s bodywork, there was limited tuning potential. Modifying the A-Series and keeping it naturally aspirated was expensive and would make for a highly strung engine. Not great for day to day use. Instead, British Leyland began work with Lotus on turbo charging the A-Series engine. This would provide an increase in power over the MG Metro and provide another hot hatch option to sell.

A Metro Cooper?

The Cooper badge was also considered, but John Cooper’s business model was to sell modifications to increase the performance of the standard Metro. British Leyland were worried about giving sales away and decided that anyone using Cooper modifications would void their warranty.

The Cooper brand wasn’t synonymous with the Metro like it was with the Mini, so the MG brand was used instead. John Cooper’s brief stint selling modifications to Metro owners was over. The handful of Cooper Metros are probably worth a lot due to their rarity.

Gearbox Issues

Lotus used a Garrett T3 turbo above a specially cast manifold to generate the increase in power. Unfortunately the Metro’s 4 speed gearbox was the same fragile unit the Mini used. The increase in power from the turbo damaged the gearbox easily, so the turbo waste-gate was modified to allow the boost pressure to leak until it was needed, to limit unnecessary load on the gearbox. The engine was re-engineered substantially and contained new valves, pistons and sodium lined exhaust.

MG Metro Turbo Driving Experience

As rare as these cars are, owners are a friendly lot and I’ve managed to have a go in both the MG Metro and the Turbo. The MG Metro Turbo seemed more relaxed and a less frantic drive than the MG Metro. The increased weight and naturally more muscular engine seemed to give the Turbo more options to go fast, whereas the MG Metro needed throwing around more. The hydrogas suspension gives the car a lot of roll while retaining grip. It’s an odd sensation, but certainly better than the standard Mini suspension I had experienced in the past.

The fragile gearbox also caused issues with the way the car drove, as the four spaced out gears meant you could easily change gears and be left “off boost” and waiting for the turbo to do its thing.

Competition

The MG Metro Turbo had many benefits. It inherited the standard cars practicality and combined it with the characterful A-Series turbo.

The car also benefited from the MG badge although staunch MGB fans would argue that the badge shouldn’t be used for a mere hatchback. Those dyed in the wool MG fans might not have seen the appeal of a hatchback, but the world had changed. The hot hatch made performance motoring available to more people than ever before – with a practical layout a decent engine and tweaked suspension, the once humdrum hatchback had democratized fun. No longer would you need a two seater convertible for a fun drive. In hindsight, this might have taken more effort to realise for British companies that had long been able to sell two seater sports cars with little challenge.

Rover and MG continued to push into the hot hatch market with mixed results. The Rover Tomcat, MG Maestro, MG Montego, Mini ERA were all pretty good all rounders. They struggled to generate the acclaim that the Golf GTI and Peugeot GTI got, but had successfully steered the company in the right direction.

With Rover no longer around and MG now avoiding sports cars altogether, these would be some of the final “fun” cars built by the company.

The “Tadek Marek” V8 Engine

Designed in 1968 Marek’s V8 went on to power a variety of cars from the Vantage, Volante, Virage models. It was also modified for use in the Bulldog concept car, the Nimrod racing car and the RHAM/1.

The V8 was used in a one off DB7 in 1998 (which normally used either a straight six or a 5.9Litre V12). This was the 6.3 V8 as used in the Virage, not the standard 5.3. The details are shown below from Gov.uk showing the unusual capacity.

The last production car the V8 was used in was the Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans V600 in 1999. This car was designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Aston Martin’s win at Le Mans.

From 2005 a variant of the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine (AJ37) was used to power the V8 Vantage. The engine was available as a 4.3 or 4.7 litre. This new engine replaced Tadek Marek’s V8 after over 30 years of powering various Aston Martins. This newer engine layout is flexible and the same block design is used for a V6, with blanked off cylinders.