(Wed 30 Jun 10)

In the same week that MINI announced that it was going to fit a new diesel engine to its cars, news has reached us of a separate and frankly rather more special project along similar lines.

This one was sparked off at a show where Cummins was displaying its colossal 18-cylinder 78-litre QSK78 engine, which weighs 11 tonnes, has 12 turbochargers and develops a maximum of 3500bhp. Viewing this monster, "some wag" (as Cummins describes him) asked if it could be fitted to an old-style Mini.

The obvious reaction to this would have been to pat the fellow on the head and advise him to switch to decaff, but in a moment of whimsy Cummins decided to take his suggestion seriously. Fitting the engine under the bonnet was discounted as a possibility; instead, Cummins decided to place it in the rear of the car, which as you can see from the picture meant extending the wheelbase quite considerably.

The resulting vehicle - one of the very few we've ever seen which we really don't want to attempt driving - will be on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 1-4.

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