Mini Cooper Project
Call (239) 561-8662
Audio Connection Project Mini
1965 Mini Cooper Pickup Truck
Picture from HIN in Los Angeles Aug 19 2006
Written by: Chris Dalio - Audio Connection
This vehicle is the product of the wild imagination of Paul Ireson, of Paul Ireson Motorsports in Ft Myers Beach, FL. Audio Connection worked together with Paul to make his wild ideas become a reality. This monster Mini has an endless list of features that make it stand out from the crowd. Thats right, there is more to this little beast then just a killer paint job! The body has been completely rebuilt from scratch, then TWO Honda motors were dropped in! Yes, you read that correctly, TWO motors!! The one in the front drives the front wheels, and the one in the rear drives the rear wheels, creating an AWD machine that is creeping up on a total power rating of 1000HP!! Both motors are Honda B16A2 motors, which are 1.6L DOHC VTEC motors from the Civic Si and Intergra GSR. They were bored and resleeved to be 2.0L and all of the internals were beefed up.. Why? To handle the 20+ pounds of boost from the T4 turbos from Masterpower!! Each motor features a custom hand built system utilizing these enormous turbos. Even the headers and exhaust tubing are a work of art! Just in case that was not enough to make this car scream down the road, Nitrous Express provided two NXS direct port nitrous systems! Since the nitrous is not ALWAYS going to be used, we did not even figure that in to the HP numbers!!
To improve the stance of the vehicle, an EasyStreet system from Air Ride Technologies was installed so the ride height can be raised or lowered at the touch of a button! This allows the Momo wheels to tuck in the wheelwells while at a show, but still rise enough to put those monster engines to work! Of course, you cannot go fast without being able to stop, so a Powerslot brake system sits behind those wheels just waiting to slow them down. All of this is held in place by custom control arms that were built in house. Every detail of this car was carefully planned and put together, and everywhere you look there is something to make you wonder how it was done. Even the driveshafts, frame, and underbody have been painted. The paint job itself is an amazing creation. It is completely airbrushed! This is not a car that was a solid color with graphics painted on, the entire vehicle is layer upon layer of airbrush work. Fred Shutrump from Fireball Graphics conceived the awesome airbrush design. He used paints provided by Sherwin Williams Planet Color. Many of the colors used were introduced on this car in a paint scheme that has become a sort of tribute to all of the different designs and techniques developed over the years by the industries best artists.
Audio Connection was heavily involved with wiring such vital components as the Air Ride, nitrous, ECUs, and MSD ignition, but the interior is where we really shine. In fact we did all of the wiring for all of the components in the car. The first thing that almost everyone comments on is the 22 gauges in the dash. Stewart Warner Performance provided the full sweep silver faced gauges and the Chameleon LED light kit for them, which allows all the illumination to change colors. The sight of them really brings to mind the cockpit of a fighter jet. The switch panels really add to the jet cockpit image. Ignited Performance provided us with their covered toggle switches, which feature LED indicators and carbon fiber covers. These blend well with the carbon fiber accents on the dash, and activate our ignition and nitrous systems. We also used their push button starters, so starting this beast is a matter of flipping a switch and pushing a button! Their square Pro series buttons activate the rest of the electrical equipment in the vehicle. Finally, we used their wireless steering wheel buttons to activate the turn signals.
Speaking of turn signals, the Scion taillights and Mini Cooper headlights will get you down the road, but a vehicle like this needs more flash. That is why Varad provided their digital LED lighting kits. We mounted their underbody kits below the vehicle and in the engine bays. We also mounted their new ILS (interior lighting system) around the amp racks and under the dash. These kits are capable of 1000s of different colors and several different patterns. All of these are controlled from a single button, so the driver has ultimate control over the lighting effects! The system also can be programmed to be controlled by the audio signal out of the stereo!
The audio and video systems are also hard to miss! JL Audio provided us with a pair of their new ZR flagship component speakers for the front stage. Pair of 8” W7 series subwoofers provides the low-end impact. These are all powered by chrome versions of their 300/2 and 500/1 amplifiers. Audio Connection provided a Pioneer AVIC-Z1 source unit that also acts as our speedometer and navigation system. Since there are no side view mirrors on the vehicle, we mounted two cameras on the rear pillars, as well as two monitors above the windshield. These provide the driver with the same view the mirrors would if they were there. To add to the visual impact, there also are two 15” monitors in the car as well. One is mounted to the gull wing door so it can be viewed while the door is open, while the other is flush mounted into the tailgate.
This is truly a one of a kind vehicle that is not likely to be soon forgotten by anyone that has seen it. We still have sponsorship opportunities available for any companies that wish to gain some extra exposure. This vehicle has just made its debut at Hot Import Nights in LA on August 19, and it hit the ground running. We received Best of Show and four other 1st place trophies. We have spent some time with a film crew provided by Shell Oil Co., which is one of larger sponsors. Some of the footage can be viewed at the link below, and there is still more to come. We also did a photo shoot while out in LA for Truckin’ magazine, which has run a full feature on the truck in the Jan 07 issue (Vol. 33, No.1, 2007. Pgs 198-203) We have a date set in November with a crew from Motorweek as well. My Classic Car with Dennis Gage will feature the truck in an episode airing in 2007. There are also several other magazines and television shows that we are currently working with for the future. If you would like information on getting your company involved please contact Chris at Audio Connection at (239) 561-8662.
1965 Mini Cooper Pickup Truck
Picture from HIN in Los Angeles Aug 19 2006
Written by: Chris Dalio - Audio Connection
This vehicle is the product of the wild imagination of Paul Ireson, of Paul Ireson Motorsports in Ft Myers Beach, FL. Audio Connection worked together with Paul to make his wild ideas become a reality. This monster Mini has an endless list of features that make it stand out from the crowd. Thats right, there is more to this little beast then just a killer paint job! The body has been completely rebuilt from scratch, then TWO Honda motors were dropped in! Yes, you read that correctly, TWO motors!! The one in the front drives the front wheels, and the one in the rear drives the rear wheels, creating an AWD machine that is creeping up on a total power rating of 1000HP!! Both motors are Honda B16A2 motors, which are 1.6L DOHC VTEC motors from the Civic Si and Intergra GSR. They were bored and resleeved to be 2.0L and all of the internals were beefed up.. Why? To handle the 20+ pounds of boost from the T4 turbos from Masterpower!! Each motor features a custom hand built system utilizing these enormous turbos. Even the headers and exhaust tubing are a work of art! Just in case that was not enough to make this car scream down the road, Nitrous Express provided two NXS direct port nitrous systems! Since the nitrous is not ALWAYS going to be used, we did not even figure that in to the HP numbers!!
To improve the stance of the vehicle, an EasyStreet system from Air Ride Technologies was installed so the ride height can be raised or lowered at the touch of a button! This allows the Momo wheels to tuck in the wheelwells while at a show, but still rise enough to put those monster engines to work! Of course, you cannot go fast without being able to stop, so a Powerslot brake system sits behind those wheels just waiting to slow them down. All of this is held in place by custom control arms that were built in house. Every detail of this car was carefully planned and put together, and everywhere you look there is something to make you wonder how it was done. Even the driveshafts, frame, and underbody have been painted. The paint job itself is an amazing creation. It is completely airbrushed! This is not a car that was a solid color with graphics painted on, the entire vehicle is layer upon layer of airbrush work. Fred Shutrump from Fireball Graphics conceived the awesome airbrush design. He used paints provided by Sherwin Williams Planet Color. Many of the colors used were introduced on this car in a paint scheme that has become a sort of tribute to all of the different designs and techniques developed over the years by the industries best artists.
Audio Connection was heavily involved with wiring such vital components as the Air Ride, nitrous, ECUs, and MSD ignition, but the interior is where we really shine. In fact we did all of the wiring for all of the components in the car. The first thing that almost everyone comments on is the 22 gauges in the dash. Stewart Warner Performance provided the full sweep silver faced gauges and the Chameleon LED light kit for them, which allows all the illumination to change colors. The sight of them really brings to mind the cockpit of a fighter jet. The switch panels really add to the jet cockpit image. Ignited Performance provided us with their covered toggle switches, which feature LED indicators and carbon fiber covers. These blend well with the carbon fiber accents on the dash, and activate our ignition and nitrous systems. We also used their push button starters, so starting this beast is a matter of flipping a switch and pushing a button! Their square Pro series buttons activate the rest of the electrical equipment in the vehicle. Finally, we used their wireless steering wheel buttons to activate the turn signals.
Speaking of turn signals, the Scion taillights and Mini Cooper headlights will get you down the road, but a vehicle like this needs more flash. That is why Varad provided their digital LED lighting kits. We mounted their underbody kits below the vehicle and in the engine bays. We also mounted their new ILS (interior lighting system) around the amp racks and under the dash. These kits are capable of 1000s of different colors and several different patterns. All of these are controlled from a single button, so the driver has ultimate control over the lighting effects! The system also can be programmed to be controlled by the audio signal out of the stereo!
The audio and video systems are also hard to miss! JL Audio provided us with a pair of their new ZR flagship component speakers for the front stage. Pair of 8” W7 series subwoofers provides the low-end impact. These are all powered by chrome versions of their 300/2 and 500/1 amplifiers. Audio Connection provided a Pioneer AVIC-Z1 source unit that also acts as our speedometer and navigation system. Since there are no side view mirrors on the vehicle, we mounted two cameras on the rear pillars, as well as two monitors above the windshield. These provide the driver with the same view the mirrors would if they were there. To add to the visual impact, there also are two 15” monitors in the car as well. One is mounted to the gull wing door so it can be viewed while the door is open, while the other is flush mounted into the tailgate.
This is truly a one of a kind vehicle that is not likely to be soon forgotten by anyone that has seen it. We still have sponsorship opportunities available for any companies that wish to gain some extra exposure. This vehicle has just made its debut at Hot Import Nights in LA on August 19, and it hit the ground running. We received Best of Show and four other 1st place trophies. We have spent some time with a film crew provided by Shell Oil Co., which is one of larger sponsors. Some of the footage can be viewed at the link below, and there is still more to come. We also did a photo shoot while out in LA for Truckin’ magazine, which has run a full feature on the truck in the Jan 07 issue (Vol. 33, No.1, 2007. Pgs 198-203) We have a date set in November with a crew from Motorweek as well. My Classic Car with Dennis Gage will feature the truck in an episode airing in 2007. There are also several other magazines and television shows that we are currently working with for the future. If you would like information on getting your company involved please contact Chris at Audio Connection at (239) 561-8662.