Michelin Pilot Cup tires are fantastic in the dry, but tricky in the wet. After speaking to a few race-driver friends, Gamble established that while Dunlop SP Sport Race tires are slightly less grippy in the dry, they are brilliant on a wet track session. That also makes them more suitable for road use, so a 225/45 set now graces the five-spoke alloys.
The Cooper S Extreme took over 600 man-hours and around $83,000 to build. It is a stunning showcase of the Playmini team's ability to envision and build exciting one-off cars. The company has a wide range of performance and appearance components for both the classic Mini and the new MINI. Nick's father is Graham Paddy, founder of Moss back in the original Cooper S heyday, so modifying Minis is a way of life for him. This is the coolest big-mod R53 Cooper S we've seen so far.
Playmini Cooper S Extreme
Layout
Transverse front engine, front-wheel drive
Engine
1.6-liter I4, dohc, 16-valve, supercharged and intercooled. Play Mini big-valve head, supercharger pulley, modified inlet manifold, throttle body, Forge intercooler with CO2 spray, heat-wrapped exhaust manifold, 200-cell sport catalysts, stainless steel big-bore exhaust, software
Transmission
Quaife competition gearbox with straight-cut gears and LSD
Suspension
Bilstein adjustable dampers, Eibach anti-roll bars, adjustable rear control arms, OMP lower strut brace, carbon-fiber strut tower brace, Powerflex bushings
Brakes
KAD six-piston calipers with Ferodo DS2500 pads, AP Racing 330mm rotors (f), EBC Green Stuff pads, EBC slotted discs (r)
Wheels And Tires
Revolution alloys, 7.5x17
Dunlop SP Sport, 215/45
Exterior
Carbon fiber doors, hood and hatch, custom orange panels, metallic gray roof
Interior
Color-matched interior accents, metallic grey floorpan and roll cage, carbon fiber and Alcantara trim, Momo steering wheel
Performance
Peak Power: 265 hp
Peak Torque: 225 lb-ft
0-62 mph: 5.5 sec.
Top Speed: 145 mph