Jezzas Hartge Review

OUPED UP MINI IS ONE IN A MILLION!

We've always known that the new Mini's chassis could handle even more power and now tuning companies are queuing up to release it. Some of the modifications being offered are expensive and not that good, but I tried one this week that was sensational.

A company called Hartge, try saying that after a couple of drinks – in fact try saying it when you’re sober – has fiddled about with the supercharger and let its geeks loose with the engine management system, so that their version of the Cooper produces a whopping 212bhp.

That’s about as much as you get from a Ford Focus RS and it means the Mini fairly flies, 0 to 60 in 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 145. 145mph. In a Mini. And the cost of this metamorphosis is just £1,700. So you get a 25 per cent power hike and only add ten per cent to the cost of the car.
I gave it a damn good seeing-to and couldn’t find any flaws. There was oodles of power at the top end of the rev range and lots of steak down at the bottom… they also offer a suspension kit which isn’t worth the bother as well as a four tailpipe exhaust system which is probably a bit much too. I liked their big wheels though.

In fact, I loved this car. It feels like it’s running on Tabasco sauce. Chic, cheap and properly fast, it’s the million pound jackpot.

Jeremy Clarkson, The Sun, February 14th 2003