Maximum Mini

Cummins Mini shown at Goodwood has power... 4,400hp of it, to be precise.

Some idle thoughts we’ve probably all had: what if the Moon really was made of cheese? Who would win in a fight between Superman and Godzilla? And what would a 4,400hp Mini look like?

Happily, we can help you with the most ridiculous of all of these. Five years back, some wag asked UK company Cummins – one of the largest independent makers of diesel engines in the world – whether one of its ‘QSK78’ 78-litre, V18 engines would fit in a classic Mini.

Given that the unit itself is entirely larger than a Mini, the obvious answer would have been ‘No, shut up and go away, you weird, weird person’... but apparently Cummins likes a challenge and the end result was a white stretched Mini with a gargantuan red motor in the middle, which wowed the crowds at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed. As it had 3,500hp and 14,000Nm of torque. Yes, you read those numbers right.

Well, that wasn’t enough, was it? So here we have the black QSK95 Cummins Mini for the 2015 Festival of Speed. It has lost two cylinders over the original, but now we have 95 litres of cubic capacity, 4,400hp and more than 16,000Nm. Madness.

“The 3,500hp Mini display certainly proved to be a draw for visitors and customers previously,” said Steve Nendick, Cummins’ communications director. “It was clear they had seen nothing like it before, with their pictures and comments reaching around the world via the internet. So, for 2015 we decided to do something even more impressive with our 4,400hp engine.”

Cummins’ engines are typically used to power railway locomotives, those giant yellow mine trucks, power generators and marine vessels, not the iconic small hatch. Although it’s probably worth pointing out that the 4,400hp QSK95 Mini doesn’t run, as it doesn’t have the massive transmission, fuel tank, cooling and exhaust systems required to go with the V16 engine. But you probably know that, just from looking at it.

“It uses some of the same leading technology as a commercial vehicle engine, such as common rail fuel systems and SCR, but on a much larger scale. The QSK95 provides the torque of 16 delivery trucks, city buses or excavators. Each of the 16 cylinders has the cubic capacity of 5.9 litres, equivalent to six of the original Mini one-litre engines. However, the Mini doesn’t need to carry more than 400 tonnes’ payload in a mine or pull 12 passenger carriages in a locomotive,” added Nendick.

Well, quite.

Find Mini dealers Used Mini for sale