RE: Minker K1: PH Carpool
Discussion
Finally!!!
I remember reading an article about these cars when they were brand new. I have never seen one in the flesh and everyone I ever told about this near mythical beast, laughed at me and said I was mad.
Well done that man! The performance this car offers is like having a current 5 door hatch with 650 HP that can do 0-60 in under 3 seconds. At the time it was faster than almost any supercar you could shake a stick at and also would leave them for dead in the twisty bits with the 4WD.
TOP MOTOR!! Proper carpool, so much more refreshing than look at my Ferrari Enzo.
I remember reading an article about these cars when they were brand new. I have never seen one in the flesh and everyone I ever told about this near mythical beast, laughed at me and said I was mad.
Well done that man! The performance this car offers is like having a current 5 door hatch with 650 HP that can do 0-60 in under 3 seconds. At the time it was faster than almost any supercar you could shake a stick at and also would leave them for dead in the twisty bits with the 4WD.
TOP MOTOR!! Proper carpool, so much more refreshing than look at my Ferrari Enzo.
anything fast said:
Finally!!!
I remember reading an article about these cars when they were brand new. I have never seen one in the flesh and everyone I ever told about this near mythical beast, laughed at me and said I was mad.
Well done that man! The performance this car offers is like having a current 5 door hatch with 650 HP that can do 0-60 in under 3 seconds. At the time it was faster than almost any supercar you could shake a stick at and also would leave them for dead in the twisty bits with the 4WD.
TOP MOTOR!! Proper carpool, so much more refreshing than look at my Ferrari Enzo.
I am sure I once read at a similar time about a wildly flared Dimma Peugeot 205 that only had 2 gears. But I think I might be mad about that one.I remember reading an article about these cars when they were brand new. I have never seen one in the flesh and everyone I ever told about this near mythical beast, laughed at me and said I was mad.
Well done that man! The performance this car offers is like having a current 5 door hatch with 650 HP that can do 0-60 in under 3 seconds. At the time it was faster than almost any supercar you could shake a stick at and also would leave them for dead in the twisty bits with the 4WD.
TOP MOTOR!! Proper carpool, so much more refreshing than look at my Ferrari Enzo.
Russ_16v said:
Performance is 100% correct.
I have been involved with XR4x4's for many years, and have helped carry out 2 twin turbo conversions on a friends 2 XR4x4's - in fact the last one we did we managed to get hold of a Minker ecu and ran it on that.
It made 282bhp and 280 lb ft of torque, and at a test day on Kemble Airfield a few years ago comfortably ran 0-60 in 4.7 seconds using Racelogic timing equipment (On budget tyres no less!) it also ran this 3 times in a row, and with more practice and better tyres I have no doubt it would have been 4.5 seconds - that is with less power and torque than a genuine Minker.
Have a few minutes on Youtube and search 'Twin turbo XR4x4' - there are plenty of video's showing how quick these old tanks are
And to the gent who ownes this, please get in contact if you ever want to sell it!
80's cars were much lighter than today. Close to 300bhp with the right gearing would produce impressive acceleration. I have been involved with XR4x4's for many years, and have helped carry out 2 twin turbo conversions on a friends 2 XR4x4's - in fact the last one we did we managed to get hold of a Minker ecu and ran it on that.
It made 282bhp and 280 lb ft of torque, and at a test day on Kemble Airfield a few years ago comfortably ran 0-60 in 4.7 seconds using Racelogic timing equipment (On budget tyres no less!) it also ran this 3 times in a row, and with more practice and better tyres I have no doubt it would have been 4.5 seconds - that is with less power and torque than a genuine Minker.
Have a few minutes on Youtube and search 'Twin turbo XR4x4' - there are plenty of video's showing how quick these old tanks are
And to the gent who ownes this, please get in contact if you ever want to sell it!
"Supercar slayer" is probably a fair description of its straight line speed. Obviously not the current crop of exotica, but it's contemporaries.
rtz62 said:
Jsr;
It was Gartrac that did the rwd conversions not Getrag, sold my RS Turbo to a mate in the army when he was in Germany and he converted it to rwd. And then 4wd later on...
But definately Gartrac; Getrag are known for their gearboxes.
Weren't Gartrac responsible for the RS1700T as well?...bet the youngster won't have a clue what one of those is It was Gartrac that did the rwd conversions not Getrag, sold my RS Turbo to a mate in the army when he was in Germany and he converted it to rwd. And then 4wd later on...
But definately Gartrac; Getrag are known for their gearboxes.
Some general comments... this car is still registered as a Ford Sierra XR4X4, so did the Minker K1 designation only appear on Turbo Technics documentation?
Also, the author describes it as a 3.0 twin turbo - but is this not the same basic engine that Ford called the 2.9 (with 2935cc)?
I worked for a company in 1990 that had Escort XR3i's and XR4X4's as their only company cars. The XR4X4 was really quick - more so than the 150bhp would have you believe! They can't have weighed much as standard!
Also, the author describes it as a 3.0 twin turbo - but is this not the same basic engine that Ford called the 2.9 (with 2935cc)?
I worked for a company in 1990 that had Escort XR3i's and XR4X4's as their only company cars. The XR4X4 was really quick - more so than the 150bhp would have you believe! They can't have weighed much as standard!
I think I have the original Autocar and Fast Lane reviews of this somewhere, assuming my parents haven't cleared the loft out recently. Awesome mechanicals but hideous (and I speak as an XR4x4 owner) body kits. It really did them no favours, although there was a "delete" option with standard trim.
The original Minker is based on the old Ford Cologne 2.8 block. Waaaaay before Cosworth came along and breathed on the 2.9 version. I had the good fortune to ride shotgun in one once, and the published performance figures certainly felt right, if my totally uncalibrated seat-of-pants is anything to go by. Noticeably faster than a standard Cosworth anyway. Don't forget that XR4x4s, even with the extra drivetrain and oldschool engine weighed in at only 1250-1290kg depending on spec, with the engine located (just) behind the front axle, unlike the quattro units.
If anyone still has an XR4x4 and has problems with the handling (assuming the dampers haven't died) swap thecardboardstandard ARB bushes for uprated poly items. It stops the front end floating and reduces the tendency to understeer if you get a bit enthusiastic in corners.
The original Minker is based on the old Ford Cologne 2.8 block. Waaaaay before Cosworth came along and breathed on the 2.9 version. I had the good fortune to ride shotgun in one once, and the published performance figures certainly felt right, if my totally uncalibrated seat-of-pants is anything to go by. Noticeably faster than a standard Cosworth anyway. Don't forget that XR4x4s, even with the extra drivetrain and oldschool engine weighed in at only 1250-1290kg depending on spec, with the engine located (just) behind the front axle, unlike the quattro units.
If anyone still has an XR4x4 and has problems with the handling (assuming the dampers haven't died) swap the
For those who dont know, the car it was based on the XR4x4 was a damn fine car in its day. 130 top end, 60 in about 8 secs and it gripped like you would not believe (compared to all the crappy FWD cars about). I test drove one (many moons ago) in the wet and the car dealer nearly crapped his pants and said "I had no idea these cars could do that" as I got a bit excited and did a four wheel drift exiting a round about a bit too fast. However they will always be in the shade due to the Cosworth legacy we all know about.
I remember when they came out and when the 4x4 Cosworth came out for a lot less money.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff