First it was the WRC, now it appears as though MINI is building a Countryman to take on the toughest rally of all, the 2011 Dakar in Argentina and Chile.
That’s the word according to German website BigBlogg anyway—and also evident from the spy video after the break. They say approval for the project was given by BMW back in June. Development has been undertaken in partnership with Magna Steyr and the first tests are scheduled for next week. Understandably, things are getting a bit anxious as the race start, on 1 January 2011, is just a few weeks away.
The Dakar racer is a step removed from the WRC weapon being developed by Prodrive. Proof of this is given by the twin-turbo diesel engine found under the bonnet of the Dakar machine. With 310hp and a very healthy 710Nm of torque on tap it’s sure to be a blast.
[via MotoringFile]
2 replies on “MINI Countryman preparing for 2011 Dakar Rally”
Ah, that’s good. One of my favourite motoring events
[…] detail on the MINI Countryman-based Dakar racer has come to light, including a handful pics of what we now know is called the MINI All4 […]