The first ever Aluminium block, 5 main bearing engine to suit the Classic Mini is being designed and manufactured using the Hurco machines at A&M EDM in the West Midlands.
The long-awaited Circuit Test of the A+5 has been completed! Testing of the A+5 1273cc K16V Turbo engine took place in December 2022 at the Llandow race circuit in South Wales.
This project is the brainchild of Gary Surman. It is something that he had been planning in his head for several years. The additional free time created by Covid, combined with forward-thinking management at A&M EDM allowed his dreams to be brought into fruition. The engine is being promoted under the Ascaso brand name. It really is amazing to see so many different engine components being manufactured on the 3 and 5 axis Hurco machining centres at A&M EDM
The target was to put the engine through some real live race conditions. The engine proved to be 100% reliable. There was also a new twin plate clutch assembly under test which worked flawlessly. The engine cooled a lot more than expected and although it was a cold day, it was a struggle to get the car up to temperature. After approx. 30 laps the oil temp was only around 80C°.
Jim Lyons who tested the engine in his race car commented “It's amazing how different the car felt, steering was so much sharper with the lighter engine block, and the engine just wanted to rev!!! We are still using the multi piece development crankshaft, so revs were limited to 7,000rpm, although the engine has revved to 9,250 rpm in test. As soon as the trials are completed, the engine is going to be stripped and inspected".
The process of manufacturing solid billet crankshafts has begun, ready for product launch during the 1st quarter of 2023. These are being machined using the swivel B axis of the VMX60SRTi at
A&M EDM, synchronised with a Kitagawa GT320 rotary table 4th axis.
Special thanks to A&M EDM for all their machining expertise and support throughout the project and a special thanks to Rob Kemp of A&M who was the 1st person to ever build an A+5.
