The Honda B engine and the Mini are classics on their own but taken together, the mashup is harder to define. This 1968 panel van, as you may have found out from the headline, features the B18C1 inline-four mill from an Integra GS-R with dual overhead cams and VTEC technology.
Though the outside isn’t as extreme as the six-wheeled Mini pickup truck we’ve covered in a previous article, this car’s character becomes crystal clear if you take a look at the passenger’s side of the dashboard. There lies a black plaque that reads “riding in this vehicle may cause blurred vision, seizures, nausea, temporary loss of hearing, and shortness of breath” in bold letters.
Featured on Bring a Trailer with 500 miles (805 kilometers) on the odometer, the “Hondini” if we can call it that way currently sits at $15,250 with four days of bidding left. A five-speed manual transaxle does the shifting while a limited-slip differential makes sure the car carves every corner right.
The modified panel van further boasts Recaro racing seats and Sparco harnesses, a roll bar, nitrous oxide (!!!), Mini Tec front and rear subframes, front disc brakes, 13-inch Superlite wheels, and coilovers on all four corners. Finished in Tahiti Blue and white for the roof, the Anglo-Nippon bruiser here sweetens the deal with a fiberglass clamshell hood and satin-black flares.
LED headlamps, carbon-fiber door mirrors, a fire suppression system, and a hydraulic handbrake are also worthy of note. The removable steering wheel from MOMO is complemented by a Hurst pistol-grip shifter, a rather strange choice given that Hurst is associated with ponies and muscle cars.
“To bidders and potential bidders, this Mini was modified and put together by a professional Mini specialist and rest assured it was done right,” said the seller on BaT. “Rock solid and very reliable,” the build “takes full advantage of the crazy horsepower-to-weight ratio. This thing is a laugh riot.”
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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