If you want to break a high-speed record, Bonneville is the place to be. Many a record has been smashed on the legendary salt flats in the US state of Utah. The Bonneville Speed Week is the logical choice – a 1964 Mini, perhaps not so. While the 970S boasts an iconic design, the aerodynamics of the legendary shape hinder any attempts to improve the car’s top speed. This can be particularly troublesome when the goal is to raise the bar for cars with engines with a capacity of less than 1,000 cc. Despite this, it could not have been an easier decision for a team from Nelson, New Zealand.

“I will only believe that we have broken the record when I see it in black and white,” said Mike Wilson after the first of two prescribed record attempts, from which the average was to be calculated. The printout ultimately showed 236 km/h – 26 more than the existing record. This figure was later to be revised to 251 km/h.

What nowadays can easily be achieved in modern sports cars on the world’s motorways was the result of two years of hard work for Wilson’s team of Kiwis. The team generated 100,000 dollars of sponsorship money in order to make the record attempt a reality. On top of that came all the meticulous, detailed engineering. Despite all the preparations and best-laid plans, the extreme heat in Utah caused problems for the 1,000 cc engine, which could only be solved with the assistance of local engineers – just in time for the legendary runs.

The 1964 Mini was driven by Nelson Hartley, brother of Formula driver Brendon Hartley. The problem with such a compact car is that the wheel base and track are hardly ideal for driving in a straight line at an average speed of 251 km/h. “This Mini was not designed to travel at more than 120 km/h,” said a grinning Hartley. “It starts getting serious at 240 to 250 km/h, when the car really starts moving from side to side.”

The names Wilson and Hartley, and those of the other team members, now stand proudly in the record book at the Bonneville Speed Week. For ever? The legitimate successors to Burt Munro, who set speed records in an Indian Scout, are turning their attention to new projects. Maybe we will see the return of an iconic Mini at the “Race to the Clouds” at the legendary Pikes Peak …

Check out Project 64 on Facebook.

[Source: Official Release from MINI Motorsport]

Garry Orton, Guy Griffith and Garry Grand have named their unbelievable sounding mission “Project 64″, as they look to demonstrate to the world just how much power their modified Mini Cooper S possesses. The trio hopes to push the boundaries of speed with the classic Mini at the “Bonneville Speedweek”, which takes place from 8th to 20th August in the US state of Utah. They have set their sights on a speed of 150 miles per hour – that is just over 240 km/h. However, they believe the Mini might be capable of even more.

It goes without saying that numerous modifications had to be made in order to take the Mini to a fifth of the speed of sound. “We had a guy in England tell us we’d need 250-horsepower to make a body shape like the Mini’s go at the speed we wanted,” said a grinning Garry Orton. “We have more horsepower than that.” In order to achieve this performance, the engine was modified, the aerodynamics of the chassis were optimised, special tyres were fitted, the undercarriage was tinkered with, and so on and so on. Despite all the technical modifications, the 1964 Mini has retained its classic appearance – a feat the team is very proud of.

Full speed on pure salt.

The “Project 64″ bullet has now arrived in the USA. Starting out in New Zealand, the car travelled by ship to Los Angeles, from where it was taken by trailer towards Utah, where it will line up for the record attempt at the “Bonneville Speedway”, halfway between Salt Lake City and the border with Nevada. Here, huge salt flats stretch out for miles, providing a perfectly flat surface that allows cars to thunder up to maximum speeds without any difficulties.

The “Project 64″ Mini will line up in the class for vehicles up to 1000 cubic centimetres. Garry Orton, Guy Griffith and Garry Grant have achieved all the technical requirements to set a new record. However, the success of the project, in which the trio and their sponsors have invested about 100,000 dollars, is not entirely in their hands. The local weather conditions and the surface of the salt flats play a major role in the speeds achieved by the cars. It is not yet certain what day the record attempt will take place. That also depends on the weather. According to the programme, the races get underway on Saturday 11th August. Then it is a case of crossing your fingers for what Orton, Griffith and Grant hope will be the fastest classic Mini of all time.

Check out Project 64 on Facebook.

[Source: MINI Motorsport]