8 replies to this topic

[Matt Brighton]

Hi

 

Anyone know anything about an Austin Rover approved conversion by Sussex Performance Engineering ?

 

1987 SPE SX 1400 Mayfair  

 

Apparently only 28 sold and its a 1380 engine with over 100bhp...

 

Any information welcome as a friend has asked me to find out anything I can about such a model..

 

I have just seen recent post that was posted earlier this month... and the links to road tests.

 

Any further info welcome as Im helping a friend who has found one for sale from current owner who has had it for last 25 years 

 

Thanks

 

 

Matt

Edited by Matt Brighton, 12 May 2019 - 07:44 PM.

[pdaykin]

I doubt that any high output conversion like that was AR approved. Willing to be proved wrong and would love to know more about it.

You used to get a few dealer specials, particularly around 88/89 to celebrate the 30th anniversary. A few were just decals. Others had more significant changes. The ones I looked at (Mrs and I were buying new then) came with dealer warranty not AR warranty.

[Matt Brighton]

Thanks for the reply

 

 

 

https://www.roblight...my-archive.html

 

 

Hers a link to a contemporary article comparing it to the ERA.... about half way down

 

Apparently AR commissioned a few tuning companies to spice up the standard model and went with the ERA as it used more off the shelf parts than other proposals...

[r3k1355]

From the article it looks like the SX 1400 was just a tuner car made by a long defunct company, even by the time that article came out the company had been out of business a couple of years already.

 

Says nothing about it being approved or anything like that, I'm sure there were tuning companies up and down the country knocking out fast Minis.

[OzOAP]

Avonbar had the ZX in 1989.
Sold through Rover dealers with Avonbar warranty on engine/gearbox and Rover honouring their warranty on the rest of the car.

[Matt Brighton]

Thanks both

 

The car has original paperwork from AR and SPE from when it was bought new in '87.....

 

If it progresses any further I will let you know how we get on

 

Best and thanks for replies

 

Matt

[IslandBlue]

Hi,

 

I remember these cars being produced in fact I still see the man behind it from time to time as believe it or not he sometimes drinks in the pub where my local Mini club meets.

 

In the late 80s he was selling off the standard parts he was removing from the cars he was converting, my friend had a delivery mileage 998 engine for a woody he was restoring and I had shocks, an exhaust and a steering wheel for the Mini City I was running at the time. 

 

He also built a storming 998 engine for a road rally car I had in the late 90s.  I well remember him showing us a Lotus Elan he was restoring over a cup of coffee in his alarmingly neat and tidy garage/workshop before we showed him the parts we we'd brought round as the basis of our engine build.  These had been collected on a rainy morning from a series of lock up garages belonging to a friend and were in stark contrast to his workshop being as the parts were not all very clean and resided in a selection of damp and tatty cardboard boxes    

 

If you've found the period road tests you probably know most of what there is to know but pm me and maybe I can help.

 

  

[Harwoods]

Hi

 

Anyone know anything about an Austin Rover approved conversion by Sussex Performance Engineering ?

 

1987 SPE SX 1400 Mayfair  

 

Apparently only 28 sold and its a 1380 engine with over 100bhp...

 

 

Hi,

 

I remember these cars being produced in fact I still see the man behind it from time to time as believe it or not he sometimes drinks in the pub where my local Mini club meets.

 

 

 

 

Did you end up buying it? We also have one of the Mini SX (Bought by the family in 87, one owner) and I have done extensive research/painstaking analysing to figure it all out. We're rebuilding it as it was in a garage for 10+ years. Feel free to PM. Would be amazing to see another one of the remaining 28!

Also would be amazing to perhaps connect with the creator himself!

It may be that you ended up buying our 998 head before it got replaced with the tuned one!

- Harwoods

[Matt Brighton]

No - I passed on what information I could find but as far as I know he didnt buy it..

 

Thanks

 

matt