BEC Mini........any good ?

[Furyous]

Any BEC'ers had any experiences with a Z cars or similar Mini ?

Just toying with the idea currently......

[BECOC]

hi

personally some are very smart therese no doubt

but then people mention the money they spend on them and Im shocked to be honest Id rather spend the money on a TVR Cerbera and get credability when I pull up somewhere or a smart 7 like mine

also once youve been in a bike engine 7 ie R1, the run of the mill BEC mini is a lot slower imho and handles nowhere near as good yet people spend a lot more on the minis than they would on a good spec MNR etc seems a bit crazy to me for the final product.

ta chris

[Midas]

BEC MNR, what do they stand for?

[BECOC]

hi MNR Vortx 7 car with a bike engine

[Busa_Rush]

BECOC said:

Id rather spend the money on a TVR Cerbera and get credability when I pull up somewhere or a smart 7 like mine

It's the experience, not what people think of you. Who cares what other people think ? Personally, anybody who admires me because I can afford a Cerbera isn't worth knowing, yes ?

To the original poster, the Mini's have a short wheelbase and can be challenging to drive but will be a blast, especially if you get a Hayabusa engine or use a blower/turbo of some kind. Simply awesome. Get a test drive before you commit, Chris always has one available for test.

[Midas]

BECOC said:

hi MNR Vortx 7 car with a bike engine

Ok thanks, I've only got a CEC

[BECOC]

Busa Rush I didnt say I wanted to know these people I just stated Id prefer more £ for £ credability when i pull up somewhere especially the money some people spend on the mini's

are you saying you dont like the attention you get in a car? I presume you a have a dax

I also said some are very smart, but I wouldnt pay more than 6 grand for one for a bit of fun deff not some that go for well into double figures obv to do with the mini following thing.....

the final thing is at 6 foot 2 although not really tall Ive seen people driving mini's who are my height and it doesnt look right....

[Busa_Rush]

BECOC said:

Busa Rush I didnt say I wanted to know these people I just stated Id prefer more £ for £ credability when i pull up somewhere especially the money some people spend on the mini's

I think you're missing the whole point of kit cars and in particular sevens and BEC's, they are not about £ for £ credibility when you pull up somewhere. I and most of the people I know with 7's couldn't give a sh*t what other people think, we have these cars because they tick a little box deep in our brains which normal cars don't reach.

I can afford a new 911 if I wanted one but it doesn't do it for me, nice cars, great finish, reasonably quick but it's not a kit car and it's not fast enough and it doesn't handle well enough and it's not raw enough. It doesn't make me tingle, doesn't scare me, doesn't make me wish I could drive all day.

Looks like you run a BEC club of some kind which is odd given your comments above. Maybe you ought to buy yourself a Boxter and become the local area rep for the Porsche club, maybe that will give you the street cred you're craving ?

Also suggest you take a visit to Chris at Z Cars and have a chat with him, try one of his cars, he's been using bike engines in cars for years, longer than most people I can think of and although a fast Mini will always be a challenge a bike engined Mini is just awesome. Forget the R1 and blade, try a busa car, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[BECOC]

if your going to make comments like above please be prepared to back up your info

1. Im deff up there as one of the most enthusiastic people towards bike engine cars...
2. Yes I run the popular BEC Owners Club
3. I started building/working on other peoples BEC's from home, have since moved up another notch got a unit and Im fully booked with work also a Build Agent for MNR mostly BEC's
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid...

4. I own 2 fine examples of 7's a NOS R1 and a fireblade car

any more info you want

in each post Ive mentioned BEC 7's so dont know what your on about

you seem to pick out what you want to read because I mentioned the word credability...

I also stated some of the mini's are very smart why didnt you quote that ??

I just simply put a fair reply to the original question

that for the money they seem to fetch other BEC's could be built unless of course there the persons dream car and money is no object then fair enough

ta chris

[Busa_Rush]

BECOC said:

if your going to make comments like above please be prepared to back up your info

1. Im deff up there as one of the most enthusiastic people towards bike engine cars...
2. Yes I run the popular BEC Owners Club
3. I started building/working on other peoples BEC's from home, have since moved up another notch got a unit and Im fully booked with work also a Build Agent for MNR mostly BEC's
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid...

4. I own 2 fine examples of 7's a NOS R1 and a fireblade car

any more info you want

in each post Ive mentioned BEC 7's so dont know what your on about

you seem to pick out what you want to read because I mentioned the word credability...

I also stated some of the mini's are very smart why didnt you quote that ??

I just simply put a fair reply to the original question

that for the money they seem to fetch other BEC's could be built unless of course there the persons dream car and money is no object then fair enough

ta chris

Back up my info ? You said you wanted more credibility when you pull up in your car and you suggested a TVR gave you that where a kit car didn't. This is a kit car forum and some of us have spent more on our kits than even a recent TVR would cost.

Making a statement like that seems at odds with both this forum and your business . . . but you ask me to back up my info ? You're having a laugh boyo !

Oh, an MNR is hardly the last word in kit cars or se7ens, as a basic locost it's fine but why criticise a BEC Mini when you have an MNR ? Have you visited Chris and driven his cars ? Maybe you've aligned yourself as a competitor to Z Cars so your criticism is more commercially motivted than an honest reflection on Chris or his cars.

[Smart roadster]

Furyous, not meaning to be personal but can you get in and out of a mini without using a jack?

[Furyous]

Smart roadster said:

Furyous, not meaning to be personal but can you get in and out of a mini without using a jack?

Just about.....

[Foolish Dave]

Furyous said:

Smart roadster said:

Furyous, not meaning to be personal but can you get in and out of a mini without using a jack?

Just about.....

But can you use the pedals and steer at the same time? It was a squash for me when I was a nimble teenager... not sure I could now

[Lost my mojo]

What happened to the Elise? I was expecting to see you at Abingdon in one come spring time?

[Furyous]

Lost my mojo said:

What happened to the Elise? I was expecting to see you at Abingdon in one come spring time?

Andy

Still the plan, but its looking more like 09 now as the house needs some dollar
spending on it.

I saw a half finished R1 mini on ebay go for about £1200 and thought it may some cheap fun.

Not working for a Lotus dealer now either, so dont get any fun fixes currently.

[BECOC]

not really interested in taking the discussion any further now he asked about a BEC mini I said there very smart!!!!!! but I wouldnt spend the money some do as for that ££ I could buy one of my fave cars or another car which I own and just said a smart 7

but its up to others what they do with there money

Ive drove them and thats why I made my first comment about once youve been in one there not as quick as a 7 and dont handle like one you even kind of agreed to that yourself...

youve now twisted it to Im biased as Im a competitor to Chris at Z cars hehe!!! I never even mentioned a company as there is others aswell youve mentioned him twice are you commission based or something ?

nice to see the few agreements with me about the height thing

and on a final note Ive obv narked you with this credability thing and how most people you know couldnt give a shite about looking good etc

and Im sure this goes for Bike Engine Minis and 7s alike a few people Ive built a car for them in kit form now theyve left money to buy guess what?? not sierra wheels or wheel trims but the best looking wheels for them example pro race

r 888 tyres
carbon mirrors
carbon dash digi dash
good colour
the list is endless

and why because they want to look at it in there garage?

no because they want attention simple as and to feel smart

strange how not ones said "aint bothered about looks mate just want some fun just get me on the road"

end of..

ta chris

[Furyblade_Lee]

I spent a wwekend with Chris Allanson in Zolder this year, doing demo rides for the Belgians. He had with him a Type-R steel shelled mini, his main demonstrator. I was mightily impressed, and he gave me a DVD of how to build one. They really are a work of art, very clever and do what they say on the tin. But there is no getting away from it, they are mightily expensive. I remember mentally noting as he costed it all out that it was about £5k more to build an R1 Mini, than and R1 Phoenix which I currently have. That is a lot of money in kit car terms, but as stated they do sell second hand for a lot of money, coincidentally £5k more than my phoenix probobly would! And with a race series launched last year for z-car mini's there is a big market for them. Part of the reason they are expensive is that Chris makes sure all the parts are top quality. So if you buy a Z-Cars mini built on a solid shell you know you will be getting a quality car. Performance wise, I would guess that a Fury / Phoenix would be a bit faster with the same R1 or Busa engine to the mini, mainly due to the aerodynamics / weight. But that is not the point. Mini's are Mini's, and the world is a better place for the Z-Cars Minis. However, the Monte Carlo Mini is a different kettle of fish altogether. I think I would rather save up and spend £22k on one of those than a £15k steel-shelled mini. Proper race car, period. Expensive for a lightweight kit car, yes, but when you look at what is in the fully comprehensive kit and the performance you get, it is very affordable.

And even better he is currently developing an even more special type of Mini....

[JeffC]

seen a couple of busa powered minis, they go reasonably well, not as well as a seven type car, but the ones Ive seen really struggle in the corners, last one I saw was spinning all the time.

[rhinochopig]

Chris at z-cars fitted a trickshifter for me (b-bird westy) and showed me around their factory. The engineering and finish quality of their kit is absolutely superb. Far better than any other kit (and some mainstream) manufacturers. IMHO though, you would be better getting their type r kit. It'll be far more reliable in the long run and is much more tractable and will be at least as fast a Busa

Directly comparing it to my westy I would say the following was true (and my westy is very well set-up)

The Mini rides better over B roads
It felt much faster two up than my westy 1-up
It has a screen and a roof which helps.
Can't comment on how it drives as I was just a passenger.

If I had the cash I would definitely swap my westy for one of their Monaco cars.

[deviant]

Furyous said:

Any BEC'ers had any experiences with a Z cars or similar Mini ?

Just toying with the idea currently......

Its a mid-engined, rear wheel drive mini!!! Need I say more

I was passengered round Donno in their R1 demo car.

It didnt feel massively fast but it was stupidly amusing through the corners and the way it rode and cornered still felt very much like a mini...I think that is the reason the car is so popular...Chris managed to keep the mini feel and responses but with more poke and RWD.

I fancied doing one for a long time (and still do) but got put off by the cost of finishing the car off...the kit itself is pretty good value I think (and is quality) but by the time you have your shell painted, buy seats, wheels, tyres, big brakes, dash, gauges and what not they get to be pretty pricey things.

I really like the look of the 2 litre Vtec powered car though...no doubt it is outrageously fast!