Italian job for Mini

Understandably the Fiat 500 is fast becoming the cliché of the tuning world.

Much has been tried and successfully executed on the tiny Fiat with almost all the possible styling, modifications and special editions done.

Included is an extreme hark back to the old days by transplanting the engine to the rear, in true Abarth tradition, to drive the rear wheels.

The migration away from the Fiat 500 couldn't be more clear now.

Italian tuning house Romeo Ferraris, whose red and silver iteration of the 500C has graced this space, has a new project, which is fuelled by its patriotism and celebration of the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification.

However, the company has looked to Britain's motoring heritage to mark this historic event and created a special Mini Countryman S.

Locally, a sizeable chunk of Countryman owners have relied solely on the Mini accessories list for an exclusive look, which in fairness is wide and consists mostly of bits and bobs that successfully transform the car.

However the styling seen on this car shows an altogether different path and one which utilises colour as the core aspect of the pimp.

Special paints are the current buzzword for tuners and enthusiasts alike and matte paint, which is essentially a dull coat with no sparkle added, is a sought-after commodity for its "freezing the car" effect.

This Romeo Ferraris Mini Countryman boasts an unusual matte blue exterior.

The colour is repeated on the edges of the 19-inch OZ Racing wheels and contrasts well with a Romeo Ferraris favourite of licking the roof with polished silver and, uniquely, body stripes featuring the same bling hue.

The interior of this Countryman has also been outfitted with premium leather seats with blue contrast stitching and tricolor embroidery to reflect the exterior.

The tiny flags indicate the origins of the tuner, and the reason behind the existence of this unique model.

Here in SA the majority of the pimp-outs focus solely on aesthetics and a bit on the mechanical side at most, extending to free-flowing exhaust systems, perhaps a cylinder head gas-flow job and as an extreme, the fitment of wilder cams and higher strength pistons.

A total modification of a Mini Cooper's engine is virtually unheard of locally but under the hood of this Countryman beats a turbo-charged version of the production 1.6-litre 'S' engine and Romeo Ferraris has seen fit to bolt on a new, larger intercooler, a high-flow air filter, and revised ECU (electronic control unit) to liberate even more power.

Of course a sport exhaust system is a natural too.

This Smurf-like Countryman produces an additional 32kW of power and 88Nm of torque above mainstream Countryman S models.

This should really turn up the heat - which the standard car lacks a bit due to the lard that these chunky Minis carry around.