It’s pretty obvious that Mini Coopers are not made for off-roading. The pint-sized five-door is designed for puttering around town or zipping through the cones of your local autocross course, and not much else. Anything larger than a pebble would disrupt the suspension. But don’t tell that to the person who built this.
Someone turned their 2003 Mini Cooper S into a legit off-roader—and it rules. It features a Journeys Off Road lift kit and 29-inch Maxtrek Mud Trac tires wrapped around 15-inch Circuit Performance wheels, giving it a pretty significant ride height boost. There’s even a snorkel, rock sliders, auxiliary lighting, and as all good off-roaders do, a roof rack.
Based on a factory Cooper S, under the hood is a supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine making 168 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque, paired to a six-speed manual transmission. The engine has a healthy 140,000 miles to its name, and the seller notes that both the engine and transaxle have been rebuilt, the ignition system was fully overhauled, and it comes with a new stainless steel exhaust.
The best news? You can buy it. This off-road Mini is currently listed for sale on the auction site Bring a Trailer. It has no reserve, and the current asking price at the time of writing is a mere $3,750. With just two days left on the auction, it could be a cheap, fun option for flinging around the trail.
Source: Bring a Trailer via Silodrome
