2002 Mini Cooper

YEAR: 2002
MODEL: MINI Cooper (R50)
VIN#: TC30095
ENGINE: 1600cc DOHC Inline 4 and Two 175hp Polaris Snowmobile Engines 
CURB WEIGHT: 1,512 LBS.
TOP SPEED: 75-90 MPH
PRICE WHEN NEW: $16,850 – $19,850
NUMBER BUILT: 1
BUILD DATE: February 28, 2002
COLOR: Blue (Originally Chili Red)
OWNERS: Miles Through Time Automobile Museum
(Since 2023) 
LOCATION: Clarkesville, Georgia
NICKNAME: Snowmobile

This highly modified MINI Cooper snowmobile was designed and created in 2003 as part of the Discovery Channel’s “Monster Garage” TV program. Hosted by custom motorcycle fabricator and owner of West Coast Choppers Jesse James, the show featured how James and his team of fabricators turned an everyday MINI Cooper hardtop into a “Monster Machine” under restrictions that included only 5 days to complete and a $5,000 budget. The 2002 MINI Cooper was brand new when it was donated by MINI USA for season 1, episode 15 of “Monster Garage”. The team installed two complete 800 Polaris snowmobile assemblies, each with a 151”x12” track. The “driver” steers the vehicle by individually controlling the snowmobile tracks (as done with military tanks) and the skis that the team put on the front of the car. 

Each twin-cylinder, two-stroke Polaris Vertical Escape engine produces 200 horsepower for a total of 400 HP. The original MINI drivetrain is still intact. Inside the car, there is a lever that will push the snowmobile tracks down, which will lift the rear of the car off the ground.

After completing the project, the MINI went to Richard Petty’s Wyoming ranch for filming, where Petty raced a new 2004 Polaris Pro X 700 sled against the MINI. Petty won the race. The TV episode initially aired February 24, 2003. 

After the episode aired, the car was donated to the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where it remained until the museum donated it to the Miles Through Time Automotive Museum in Georgia in 2023.