Lots of bargains to be had. Probably more Porsche stuff than MINI stuff, but we secured what we could.
I got a set of MINI Challenge 17" Rims for about $800. Bought a lot of 20 x Dunlop (MINI Challenge spec) Slicks for $45 each (they were all about 1/2 used). A set of Wet competition tyres brand new for $400; We also got a JCW rear bar and set of sills, a couple of strut braces, and some other bits and pieces.
They also auctioned one of the MINI Challenge cars which went for $61k - someone from Motorline MINI garage bought it, but I suspect they may have been bidding on behalf of MINI Australia??? Went for more than I thought it would that's for sure. They had a BMW130i race car (full cage; Fuel Cell; Competition suspension and Brakes etc) which sold for $41k - thought this was a good buy.
No, there were no rear wings for sale .... but I have the part number for them and I priced one from my local BMW parts guy earlier this week. Came in at just over $3200
Not yet as they won't fit a "non-MINI Challenge" car without some modification. I am planning on doing the required modifications in the upcoming weeks, so maybe when that is done I may sell one of them.
There are a number of very minor changes which are made to the challenge cars in the factory which we are still only learning about. Unfortunately the strut towers are one of these areas. The challenge cars have a large slot cut into the top of the tower to allow for way more neg camber than a standard car - the strut bar has matching slots to match the car. But the problem with fitting it to a standard R56 is caused by the fact that the stud pattern on the tower is different on a challenge car. They use KW coilovers and camber plates which come with 4 holes in them however they only use 3 of those holes when mounting to the car. NOW the strange thing is that while the KWs will match up with a standard R56 tower, for some reason on the challenge cars they have moved one of the holes in the strut to match the "other" hole in the camber plate. Very strange indeed
I know what I said probably didn't make much sense as it's a bit hard to explain. But next time you get a look under the bonnet of a Challenge car, have a close look at the strut tower and the position of the bolts holding the camber plates - the bolt on the inside is in a different spot! The interesting thing is that they didn't need to do this to fit the KWs
I have attached a pic to try and show what I mean. Not a massive problem as replacement mounting plates should be easily fabricated - it is the strut bar itself which is worth the money. I personally don't like the JCW bar as it prevents you from accessing the camber plates (which I have fitted to my car), so even with the extra work, I'm gald to have scored the Challenge strut bar, and at a good price.
I have attached a pic to try and show what I mean. Not a massive problem as replacement mounting plates should be easily fabricated - it is the strut bar itself which is worth the money. I personally don't like the JCW bar as it prevents you from accessing the camber plates (which I have fitted to my car), so even with the extra work, I'm gald to have scored the Challenge strut bar, and at a good price.
I wanted one for the same reason, I didn't notice the extra stud when I was up close with the Challange car at the JCW launch - should have put my beer down and taken some pictures!
Still interested if the cost of the mounting plates dosen't get too high.
I'll keep you in mind when I get around to sorting them out.
Just to clarify, they don't actually have an extra stud, but the stud towards the engine bay is in a different location. If you picture the camber plate out of the car it has 4 holes in it. The R56 uses the 2 outside holes plus one of the inside ones. The Challenge car uses the 2 outside holes and the other inside hole.
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