BaT Auction Success Story: Hitting VTEC in an AWD Mini

This Success Story comes from the winner of this VTEC-Powered AWD 1966 Austin Mini Super Deluxe from MadMiniManiac440 in an October 2024 BaT auction:

I have to admit—I was not sure if I was excited or totally scared that I had bought a Mini, basically sight-unseen, for over $35,000. However, after three months of ownership, I have to say that it has been a great experience so far. BaT has been a great asset to have by my side; the finance program, shipping assistance, and overall communication helped put me at ease, and make me certain that I was getting what I paid for. Boy, did I ever!

I received my car on time through BaT shipping, and the shipper had packed it away as if it were their own car. It was in better condition than expected—even better than the auction description and pictures.

I got enough information from the seller to find and speak to the original owner, who had commissioned the build of this fantastic little car, and I learned more about its history. With that information in hand, I put together a plan of action on how to make this Mini even more fun!

First, I added a few “enhancements” to make it MY car. After that, I decided to have it dyno tuned and aligned to make sure it was ready for the track and street. The alignment went well, and it was great peace of mind to know that I was going to be able to work on the car with ease.

The dyno tune was a bit more challenging. I arrived at the tuner’s shop, and we discovered that my “Mini” was truly that…mini! It barely fit on the AWD dyno, and in the long run, we had to disconnect the rear drive to get a proper tune setup. But I was able to get a baseline and was quite pleased with the overall results.

I have taken the car to a few shows, where it has been a standout—there are not too many Honda-powered AWD Minis! It even won an award at its first outing.

I also dusted off my limited performance driving skills during my first Auto-X run in over 40 years. I had a blast with the car; it handled great, and I improved my lap times every run without breaking anything.

During my time driving the car, I figured out fairly quickly that it needed some sound deadener so I could carry on a conversation with my passengers.

So I have begun adding “Seadeck” boat mat to the floors and started the process of adding Dynamat to the other exposed interior metal surfaces to knock down the noise. Of course, I didn’t want to make it too quiet—part of the fun with this car is the visceral experience. It is almost like having a motorcycle with a roof—you feel the road and smell the engine and lubricants. It’s not overpowering, but just enough to remind you that you are driving a machine. It just makes the whole time you are in the car more like it was when I was a kid—FUN!

Thank You, BaT, for providing a format that has made it possible to enjoy the motor vehicle hobby even better!

If you have a Success Story about a car you’ve bought or sold on BaT, please send a few lines and pictures (or a video) to [email protected], and we’ll send you a $50 credit to the BaT Gear Store when your story posts to the site.

We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.