The world's fastest Mini Cooper S

Few will argue the new Mini John Cooper Works is a quick bit of gear, but the multi-hued contraption pictured here is in altogether different league. In fact, it's from an altogether different galaxy.

This one-off is the result of a joint project between Mini USA and reputed Stateside tuning firm ABF Performance, and its performance credentials are otherworldly.

How does a tally of 650 horses (485kW) and a quarter-mile (standing 400m) split of 10.48sec sound? That puts it only a fraction behind the Bugatti Veyron, which can dispatch the standing quarter mile in 10.2sec.

The Mini drag racer started life as a 2002 MINI Cooper S, but has since been extensively engineered and tuned by ABF Performance.

Exact specifications for the blown four-pot haven't been released, other than the fact that it runs an enormous 38psi (2.6 bar) of turbo boost and revs to 9000rpm.

Despite its extreme state of tune, the Mini drag car reportedly "performed flawlessly over one week of grueling competition in tough heat and humidity".

Amazingly, the Mini retains the standard car's front-wheel-drive layout, but the factory axles had to be replaced, as they kept "snapping like toothpicks" when subjected to the immense torque of the engine.

The press release adds: "The little 'MINI That Could' took down car after car with multiple 10-second passes and trap speeds exceeding 135mph (217kmh)".

Its creators claim the explosive drag car is "Officially the 'World's Quickest and Fastest MINI" and its victims at the strip include a host of big-block-equipped Yank muscle-cars.

With its custom carbonfibre bodywork and distinctive "Get Your Hands on a MINI" graphics (which shows two hands trying to grab the 795kg race car) the Mini stands clearly apart from the typical metal that graces US drag strips.

And there's more performance to come as the ABF tech heads say getting the Mini into the nine-second zone is just a few suspension tweaks away.

Punters (at least those in the US) will be able to benefit from the R&D that went into building the car, as ABF Performance plans to build on its extensive portfolio of performance parts for street-bound and race-only MINIs.

In addition, ABF Performance will continue designing and building a range of turnkey racecars available for purchase by motorsports enthusiasts.

ABF Performance will also support a number of club racing series at racetracks throughout the US, conceived to showcase the racing capabilities of the Mini platform and build the marque's brand image in the process.

(You can see it in action here)

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