ABF Mini news - Meet the 641bhp Mini - 2008

Anyone quaking in their boots at the thought of the new Focus RS pushing 300bhp through its front wheels should steer clear of this. It's the world'€™s quickest, and quite clearly maddest, Mini.

And so it should be, with a monstrous 641bhp on tap. A huge engine transplant? Nope.

It's the same 1.6-litre from the first-generation Cooper S, only the supercharger's been binned in favour of a suitably massive turbo. Big enough to hike power up four-fold from the stock 163bhp, anyway.

McLaren SLR-baiting power through the front wheels? Enough to torque-steer you into a healthy slab of Armco, surely? Seemingly not.

This mega-Mini, the work of MINI USA and ABF Performance, will crack the quarter mile in a mere 10.48 seconds, hitting 135.16mph while it's at it. And in a relatively straight line, we're told.

It isn't just a one-off side project, either. ABF have big plans for the small(ish) car - a range of modifications for road cars, as well as some special racing Minis.

Executive vice president of ABF, Hubie Fuh, also promises that the current, second-generation Mini provides a solid and flexible base for even more outlandish cars, with plans for drag, drift, and road racing versions.

With crazy ideas like that - and such a fantastic name - why isn't he president, full stop?