Project 64 (Mini Cooper)

Last updated
Project '64 Mini Cooper S
Project 64 Mini Cooper Logo.png
Overview
Manufacturer British Motor Corporation
Body and chassis
Class Land Speed Record vehicle
Body style Mini Cooper S
Powertrain
Engine Turbocharged 970 A-series Cooper S
Transmission 4 speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,036 mm (80.2 in)
Length3,054 mm (120.2 in)
Width1,397 mm (55.0 in)
Height1,346 mm (53.0 in)

Project '64 is the name of the attempt to break the car land speed record for vehicles with an engine capacity of between 751 cc and 1000 cc (I/BGCC class) in a 1964 Mk1 Mini Cooper 970 S. The Project '64 team was successful in 2012, setting a record of 146.595 mph (235.922 km/h) at the SCTA Speed Week at Bonneville Salt Flats. The Project '64 team had planned to attempt to raise the record in 2014 and 2015. In 2014 their car was not complete in time to ship to Bonneville due to delays manufacturing specialist engine components and in 2015 Speed Week was cancelled due to poor track conditions. They now intend to compete at Speed Week 2016.

Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) is a competition sanctioning body that maintains rules and record for Land Speed Racing events held at El Mirage Dry Lake, California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. It is a non-profit, volunteer organization made up of eleven separate car clubs.

Bonneville Salt Flats densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah

The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. The area is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville and is the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake. The property is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is known for land speed records at the "Bonneville Speedway". Access to the flats is open to the public.

Contents

Project 64 team

The core Project '64 team members for the 2012 record attempt were Garry Orton, Guy Griffith, Garry Grant, Bryan Hartley, Nelson Hartley, Larry Mulholland, Chris Jones and Mike Wilson. The Project '64 team was founded in Nelson, New Zealand, and team members are based in Nelson, Christchurch and Palmerston North. The project is privately funded through fundraising and sponsorship.

Nelson, New Zealand City in Nelson City, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay. Nelson is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in New Zealand – it was established in 1841 and was proclaimed a city by royal charter in 1858.

Burt Munro's grandson, Rob Henderson, unveiled the Project '64 Mini at a fundraising event on September 10, 2011. [1] Munro, also from New Zealand, broke the land speed record with a 47-year-old Scout Indian motorcycle in 1967. His story was the basis of the film The World's Fastest Indian .

Burt Munro New Zealand motorcycle racer

Herbert James "Burt" Munro was a New Zealand motorcycle racer, famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville, 26 August 1967. This record still stands; Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year-old machine when he set his last record.

New Zealand Country in Oceania

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

<i>The Worlds Fastest Indian</i> 2005 New Zealand biographical film directed by Roger Donaldson

The World's Fastest Indian is a 2005 New Zealand biographical sports drama film based on the Invercargill, New Zealand, speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified Indian Scout motorcycle. Munro set numerous land speed records for motorcycles with engines less than 1,000 cc at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. The film stars Anthony Hopkins, and was produced, written and directed by Roger Donaldson.

Project 64 car

The Project 64 car is a modified 1964 Morris Mini Cooper 970 S, manufactured in 1964. Only 963 of the 970 cc Cooper S models were built, all in the UK, although more than 5 million Minis of all types were built between 1959 and 2000. [2] Although the Mini was not originally conceived as a racing car, its potential was quickly foreseen by motorsport luminaries such as John Cooper, who developed the Cooper version. The 970 cc Mini Cooper was created to compete in sub-1000 cc categories. The compact car has a wheel base and track that are not suited to straight line speed; [3] the car's success in motor sport is credited to braking, acceleration, and cornering ability.

John Newton Cooper CBE was a co-founder, with his father Charles Cooper, of the Cooper Car Company. Born in Surbiton, Surrey, United Kingdom, he became an auto racing legend with his rear-engined chassis design that would eventually change the face of the sport at its highest levels, from Formula One to the Indianapolis 500.

Modifications

The Project '64 car was built from a rusty Cooper S, with repaired parts of the body shell coming from a similarly aged Morris 850. A roll cage to conform to SCTA requirements for record runs was added. The short-stroke 970 A-series Cooper S motor was bored to 998 cc and modified with a BMW K1200R motorcycle twin cam 4 valve per cylinder head, fuel injection, and an IHI turbocharger and intercooler. [4] The modified engine delivers approximately 286 bhp (213 kW) on pump fuel and 328 bhp (245 kW) on methanol. The aerodynamics of the chassis was optimised and 12 inch Yokohama tyres rated for speeds up to 150 mph (240 km/h) were fitted. The body is stock apart from a front spoiler, smooth undertray, modified grille and ducting for the air intake. [5]

BMW K1200R motorcycle

The BMW K1200R is a naked supersport motorcycle manufactured between 2005 and 2008 by BMW Motorrad, producing a claimed 163 hp (122 kW) @ 10,250 rpm from its transverse-mounted 1,157 cc inline-four engine with torque of 94 lbf⋅ft (127 N⋅m) @ 8,250 rpm. Acceleration to 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standing start is claimed to be 2.6 seconds.

Records

The previous world land speed record in the Project 64 class was 131 mph (211 km/h). [6] The two key records Project '64 aimed to break were:

2012 record

On 16 August 2012, Project '64 broke the world land speed record for a forced induction competition coupe petrol car of 751cc to 1000cc in Record class I/BGCC. [8] The record is calculated on two runs: a qualifying run (faster than the existing record) and a record run (fast enough to provide an average greater than the existing record). The qualifying run was timed at 142.103 mph (228.693 km/h), and the record run was even faster at 151.087 mph (243.151 km/h), giving an average of 146.595 mph (235.922 km/h). [9] The record was listed under Classic Cars Ltd (the name under which the car was entered). [10] On its last run, the Project '64 car achieved an officially recorded speed of 156.045 mph (251.130 km/h). Technical issues and lack of time prevented the team from converting this into a record. [4] [8]

Project '64 at Bonneville flats, along with some support crew. Project 64 Mini Team 2012.jpg
Project '64 at Bonneville flats, along with some support crew.

2014 record attempt

Although Project '64 planned to return to Bonneville Salt Flats in August 2014 to attempt to raise the record above 150 mph, the plans were cancelled due to logistical difficulties and costs.

2015 record attempt

In 2015 Project '64 again planned to return to Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Week. The car was shipped to Los Angeles but Speed Week was cancelled due to poor track conditions. The car remained in the USA in storage in Lancaster, California.

2016 record attempt

The Project '64 team are returning to Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Week 2016, August 13-19.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Project 64 stripped down Archived 2013-02-19 at the Wayback Machine .
  2. ↑ "History of the Mini". British Motor Heritage Limited. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  3. ↑ Classic Mini Screams Past Record at Bonneville
  4. 1 2 Wilson, Mike (2013). "World's Fastest Mini". The BMC Experience (4): 7.
  5. ↑ New Zealand’s Project '64 goes for land speed record
  6. ↑ Matthew Theunissen. Kiwis smash Bonneville record in 'world's fastest Mini'. Otago Daily Times. 19 Aug 2012. Kiwis Smash Bonneville record
  7. ↑ The 2014 Attempt Archived 2013-12-04 at Archive.today
  8. 1 2 The 2012 Record
  9. ↑ Darren Bourn. Project 64 smashes world land speed record
  10. ↑ SCTA Event Records - Cars Archived 2012-10-18 at the Wayback Machine .
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