t's been a busy quarter for the Clubman, from taking me up to the borders for a hot hatch war, carrying most of the Rush crew up to Carter Bar for some impromptu stargazing, and schlepping around Derbyshire visiting potential new houses. It has behaved impeccably well (including flying through its MOT) and, as a result, has received a few goodies.

During the last fast club entry (Rush 003), I introduced the Clubman. Although I was happy with the car, I wanted a little more power, and I wasn't gelling with the 19” wheels. I've set about solving those two points, and I'm pleased to report that all is now well in the land of the not-so-Mini.

A bump in power has come courtesy of a Burger Motorsport JB4 tuning box, and although the wheels have remained, a new set of PS4S tires has been fitted. Being chronically tight, I, of course, didn't pay full price for either. I'm a firm believer in the ethos of lightly used, and due to that, I was able to source the JB4 and tires for less than £600.

The JB4 was installed in 10 minutes, and a first test drive left quite the impression. You've got boatloads more BHP and torque, and the turbo is now very much present, with more chuffs, cheeps, and flutters than your granny's pet budgie. Hopefully, the turbo lasts longer than its avian counterpart, but that's a worry for another day.

What the newfound power did reveal is that my front tires could not cope, barely hanging on in the dry and utterly hopeless in the wet. I'd estimate the car now has over 230 bhp, and the tires are very much in agreement. I'll get a dyno run done sooner or later, but I can confirm that regardless of the number, the power is 'sufficient.' A new-to-me pair of PS4S tires has helped massively with putting the extra power down and has also given the car a much pointier front end. Weight is still very much the enemy, but there's not much I can do about that, short of breaking out the angle grinder and removing bits of the interior.

I don't have much planned for the Mini now. An impending house purchase means that I have much more important things to spend time and money on. It will still fill in as a great all-rounder and will no doubt see its fair share of furniture during the move. It's due for a service in the next few thousand miles, but outside of that, I'm not planning any more expenditure unless I see a JCW brake kit, that is…