Upgraded Mini Cooper S R56, Stage 2, 230bhp, Digital cockpit

Description

With great sadness and heavy heart, I am forced to put my pride and joy - Blue Mini Cooper S R56 “The Blue Arrow” - for sale. Turns out that divorces are a fairly costly affair.

I am confident to say that this is probably one of the best 2nd Gen R56 in the UK. Well, it’s certainly the loudest (road legal) example around - more on that later.

Modded to hell, with Stage 2 remap (230bhp certified on the dyno) and all the technology that Elon Musk is surely jealous of, this 2009 Mini is essentially a bastard child of an Alpine A110 and a Boeing 787. With the best features of both, of course.

I bought it in February with around 70k miles on the clock. It was supposed to be stop-gap sh*tbox. And oh boy what a box it was! Love at first sight but it was clear some serious work was needed to make this little gem pur-pur happily ever after. I spent more than any sane person should have and put hundreds of hours worth of sweat, blood and tears (with some moderate swearing here and there) turning it into a mechanical and technological Nurbring-worthy marvel. This would also partially explain why I’m getting divorced - but hey, totally worth it! 👍

No expense was spared, credit cards and IOUs locked and loaded, first thing done was the body work. I was honestly prepared to see rust deposits worthy of the Titanic but to my (and the body shop’s) surprise, there wasn’t any. The bonnet, bumper and the roof could use some love though - so a respray it was (funny - this costed more than the car but whatever, how bad can a CCJ really be?). There are some minor subatomic-scale stone chips here and there but nothing visible without a forensic investigation.

Slippery (financial) slope from then on - timing chain: done. Engine de-coke: let’s blast some walnuts! New battery: zap-zap. Aircon service: Eskimo-approved. Other work done: oil filter, cabin filter, Vanos solenoid, oil filter housing gaskets, transmission fluid (lifetime my butt BMW!), alloy refurb and fast road wheel geometry, turbo oil return pipe and a million other things that I probably forgot (but my bank statement and invoices included will for sure remember).

The little N14 was happy but the owner’s spirit felt uneasy so then came the mods and upgrades. And boy did we go genitalia-deep into those. Get a nice cuppa and put on some lounge music because here goes the list:

Engine, handling & performance:

* Full Stage 2 remap: certified & tested 230bhp with 340 nM torque
* Front & rear brake upgrade: discs, lines, calipers, pads, Motul RBF700 brake fluid.
* Drilled and Grooved Budweg kit
* Wheels refurb
* Original alloys were quite sad so I went for a full refurb and re-spray in matching black.
* Craven Adjustable Short Shifter & boot delete kit: you can adjust the throw to suit your taste; it’s so easy you can almost do it on the go.
* You know what’s better than a short shifter? Two short shifters: Yeap, there’s a 4H-Tech GS6/2A installed on the gearbox side further reducing the throw. The way shifting gears feels makes me question my sexuality.
* Exhaust
* Hornet Exhaust race system: arguably the best sounding kit on the market.
* Sports cat
* Scorpion sports cat to match the above & help passing the next MOT.
* Intercooler:
* MTC Motorsport upgraded intercooler (best for Stage 2 in my honest opinion)
* AEM Intake with functional bonnet scoop
* In addition to looking absolutely amazing and giving you those few precious horsies, your turbo will never sound this good.
* Crossover pipe:
* Replaced the leaky plastic OEM pipe with an aluminium aftermarket one. No more leaks.
* Thermostat
* Same for the thermostat & sensors. Brand new metal replacement.
* Led headlights and taillights
* Replaced the aging halogens with brand new LEDs. Super bright with sequential indicators & a bonus of cool startup animation. Fully coded for error-free brightness.
* LED fog lights with DRL mod
* Matching Angel Eyes combining fog and DRLs.
* Sequential side indicators
* Rear fog lights (custom LED)
* Strut bar
* From AEM to match the intake
* Head cover and seals
* Plastic is so ugly. Replaced with aluminium one for durability & looks.
* Oil filter housing
* Replaced the leaking gaskets and the housing cover with a custom one while at it
* Silicone coolant hoses
* Matching blue & leak-proof
* Steel coolant reservoir
* Plastic out, steel in
* Readable oil level dipstick
* Replaced the horrible OEM one with something that you can actually read
* Powerflex bushings
* Full Handling Pack PF5K-1005 for a go-kart feel
* Lowered springs
* Eibach Pro lowering springs - 30mm lower suspension
* Orranje Skid plate/armour
* Combining lower ride with UK roads can be a dangerous game for your undercarriage - hence why I got this 3mm metal plate.
* Turbo oil feed and return pipe
* GFB diverter valve
* T9382: improves throttle response and boost holding
* Noise generator delete & Resonator delete hoses (matching blue)
* Horns 2+2
* Replaced the OEM crappy ones with Hella replacement ones & threw in an extra pair of Hella Supertones behind the grille for the cool factor. You’ll sound like a freight train.
* Wheel spacers
* 15mm spacers to fit the brakes & look cool
* Ignition coils
* MMX high performance coils in blue
* Spark plugs
* NGK ILKR8E6 (1422) Laser Iridium
* Clutch stop (custom)
* The clutch catches quite easily so no need to floor it.
* Engine bay/hood insulation
* The car is LOUD & hot. This helps a bit.

Maintenance:

* Vanos solenoid replaced
* Brand new 12v Halfords Pro battery
* Timing chain done 1000 miles ago.
* Oil change & filter done 300 miles ago, with Motul 8100 X-Clean.
* Decoke, otherwise known as walnut blast done 1500 miles ago. Makes the engine as clean as new and run soooo smoothly.
* Fast Road Wheel geometry
* Transmission fluid
* BMW says it’s a “lifetime fluid”. After seeing the black sludge that came out of the gearbox, I beg to differ. Replaced with RED LINE Synthetic Gear Oil 75W­90 GL5.
* Aircon service done 1000 miles ago
* Cabin filter change

Interior & tech

* LCD instrument panel
* Probably the only one in the UK. Custom instrument panel that replaced the analog original, with full CANBUS integration and customisation options, as well as RPM, temperature and fuel readouts.
* Android Dudu7
* Not a simple aftermarket Chinese crap. The best, most sophisticated Android unit on the market. Runs more smoothly than my gaming PC. Built in GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, wireless android auto, Apple CarPlay, DAB radio and a million other shiny and cool tech.
* Also included 5G connectivity: comes with a pre-paid SIM giving you 50GB per month until June 2027 without having to pay a penny!
* Yes, you can totally hotspot it!
* 360 camera system
* Front and rear cameras for easy parking
* Infotainment is pre-wired for side cameras (included) for a full 360 degree view (see details later)
* TPMS sensors:
* Instant tyre pressure readout on the main screen
* Parking sensors
* Pre-wired front & tons of spares included (see below)
* Cruise control retrofit
* Replaced the collar, added buttons, coded & presto!
* Alcantara steering wheel
* Custom real Alcantara trim
* Ultragauge
* The best Mini computer on the market included
* LCD rear view mirror with front and rear dashcams
* More screens! This one you can switch off and it will be just a regular mirror though. Doubles as a dashcam for front and rear.
* Automatic Emerald struts
* Pressing the tailgate button on your key will automagically open the boot. Mind your head.
* Custom seatbelt with blue reweave
* Exterior de-chrome and custom badges throughout
* LED interior lighting
* Fast usb charging throughout
* Automatic hidden LED strip boot illumination
* Custom blue wipers for the final touch

Still with me? Good. Now there are some things I recklessly spent money on but didn’t have the time to finish, namely:

- Ambient light kit
- Custom made for R56, includes Dashboard lights, footwell, speaker rings, door handles and door bin lights. Bluetooth controlled
- Audio upgrade
- 2 x Amps
- 1 x Subwoofer
- Full 10 speaker Harman Kardon kit, with OEM BMW matching trim
- Sub-GHz blind spot sensors
- Parking sensors (front installed but not wired)
- Sensors & control box included
- Turbo gauge
- Included with wiring and probe adapter
- Suede interior wrap
- You’ll see some sample quality inside - I’ll include a few rolls
- Window tint kit
- Decal kit

All of the parts, bits and pieces are included and would probably take 2-3 days for someone competent to install. Also included is a huge box full of car care and detailing products and a bunch of spare/different colour trim pieces, as well as a box full of screws, bolts and nuts - just to keep you entertained.

Selling now having driven less than 3000 miles. Clock reads 72619 as of today.

* 2 keys with custom blue metal ring
* Full history and all paperwork/invoices
* MOT until feb 2026
* Personalised 3D plate included

Happy to throw in a ArtiDiag pro diagnostic/coding tool (with the newest MINI software) for an extra £200.

Price-wise: yeah, it’s expensive but so is maintenance and the amount of Great British Pounds you’d have to throw at the thing to get anything close to this. You’ll be getting one of the best 2nd gen Stage 2 Mini in the country (definitely most tech-packed) that will give you tons of fun and won’t need any work for a long time. Looking for 10-11k - I’m taking a hit either way but you’ll get to enjoy something truly spectacular. Test drives welcome, contact for details.

Ad ID: 1504861527

Exact specification may vary from the details on this page. Please contact the seller to reconfirm any details before purchasing. See Terms & Conditions for further information.