This is a 2003 Mini Cooper S that has been significantly modified, turning it into an off-roader thanks to a Journeys Off Road lift kit and a set of 29″ 235/75 Maxtrek Mud Trac tires.
The full list of upgrades is extensive, it’s also been given an aftermarket front bumper, a roof rack, rock sliders, an air intake snorkel, auxiliary lights, black wheel arch flares, and a whole lot more. It’s a Cooper S 6-speed manual powered its original 1.6 liter supercharged inline-four.
Fast Facts – A Mini Cooper S Off-Roader
- This 2003 Mini Cooper S has been heavily modified into a capable off-roader, featuring a Journeys Off Road lift kit and 29″ Maxtrek Mud Trac tires on 15″ Circuit Performance wheels. Other exterior upgrades include a roof rack, snorkel, rock sliders, and auxiliary lighting.
- The first-generation BMW Mini Cooper S, launched in 2001, featured a supercharged 1.6 liter inline-four producing 168 bhp. It delivered spirited performance for the era, managing the 0 to 62 mph dash in 7.2 seconds. Frank Stephenson’s retro-modern design remained faithful to the original Mini while introducing a sportier, more upscale execution.
- The development of the new Mini was a clash of visions between Rover and BMW, with BMW favoring performance and styling over economy. After BMW’s acquisition of Rover, it retained the Mini brand and greenlit a design that famously included a last-minute beer can prototype for the now-iconic exhaust tip.
- The Mini Cooper S featured here has had its engine and transmission rebuilt according to the seller, along with an upgraded stainless exhaust. It retains much of its original interior but gains leather John Cooper Works seats. Listed for sale in Washington State, it includes a clean title and Carfax, and is offered at no reserve.
The Development Of The “New” Mini
When the “new” Mini was being developed in the mid-1990s there were two separate teams working on it, the team at Rover in the United Kingdom and the team at BMW in Germany. By all accounts the two teams had wildly differing views of what the new Mini should be, with the Rover team preferring it to be a cheap economy car, and the BMW team wanting it to be a performance hot hatch with genuine sporting credentials.
This is a 2003 Mini Cooper S that has been significantly modified, turning it into an off-roader thanks to a Journeys Off Road lift kit and a set of 29″ 235/75 Maxtrek Mud Trac tires.
In the end, BMW (thankfully) won the tug-of-war, largely due to the fact that BMW had bought Rover in 1994 and as a result had the power to overrule the Rover concept.
The design of the new Mini was undertaken by Frank Stephenson, one of the best-known automotive designers of the modern age. He made a point of remaining true to the core engineering and styling of the original Mini – a car that had become an icon in its own lifetime.
When BMW sold the Rover Group in 2000, they carved out the new Mini sub brand and retained ownership – such was the belief that this new compact car had the potential to be a major sales success. By 2001 the designers had the final, full-sized clay mock-up of the Mini ready to show to the BMW board of directors.
The Legendary Beer Can Exhaust Tip
At the last minute, Stephenson realized the car didn’t yet have its exhaust pipe fitted. There was a scramble in the design studio for a suitable object to substitute and an empty beer can was found. The paint was stripped off, and a large hole was punched through the bottom – it was pressed directly into the clay just in time for the presentation.
The board of directors loved the clay model so much they made just one order – not to change a single thing about it before it goes into production. This left Stephenson and his design team in the unusual position of having to design an exhaust tip that closely resembled the base of an aluminum beer can. This exhaust tip can still be clearly seen on the first generation of new Minis.
The seller notes that the engine and transaxle have been rebuilt and that the ignition system has been overhauled. The only engine mod listed is the fitment of a stainless-steel exhaust system.
When it was released in 2001 the Mini would become an immediate sales success for BMW across Europe, with strong sales in North America, Australia, and further afield. A number of variants were offered, but in many world markets only the Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S were initially offered.
Both Coopers were powered by a 1.6 liter inline-four however the Cooper S had a supercharger fitted, along with a slew of other more sporting parts, turning it into one of the most desirable hot hatches of the time.
The Mini Cooper S
At the time of its release, the first version of the new Mini Cooper S was powered by a 1.6 liter inline-four that was mounted transversely, and powered the front wheels via either an automatic or manual transaxle.
The standard Mini Cooper (sans “S”) was good for 113 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 110 lb ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The “S” version, the Mini Cooper S, had a mostly-similar engine that was fitted with a supercharger, and as a result it made 168 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 155 lb ft of torque at 4,000 rpm.
The Mini Cooper S could do the 0-62 mph dash in 7.2 seconds and onto a top speed of 135 mph. These were solid figures for an affordable hatchback at the time, and they’re not bad by modern standards either.
The Mini Cooper S Off-Roader Shown Here
The car you see here is by far the most off-road capable Mini Cooper S we’ve ever seen. It’s strange to think that these cars are rapidly approaching their 25th birthday, and as such they’ll soon qualify for vintage status in many countries.
This Cooper S now benefits from a range of mods, including the fitment of a lift kit from Journeys Off Road as well as 15” Circuit Performance CP29 wheels with 29″ 235/75 Maxtrek Mud Trac tires. The car retains its original disc brakes and much of the original interior, although it now has black leather-trimmed front seats from a John Cooper Works Mini.
The car retains its original disc brakes and much of the original interior, although it now has black leather-trimmed front seats from a John Cooper Works Mini.
The seller notes that the engine and transaxle have been rebuilt and that the ignition system has been overhauled. The only engine mod listed is the fitment of a stainless-steel exhaust system. The car has black wheel arch flares, an aftermarket front bumper, an air intake snorkel, a roof rack, rock sliders, and auxiliary lights.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Blaine, Washington at no reserve with a clean US Carfax report and a clean Washington title. If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
