Fifty years after the Minor first appeared, and getting on for thirty since production stopped, development still continues. JLH Minor Restoration, a company heavily involved in the business of Minor modification for road and track, has been rejuvenating tired cars for many years. Dwindling stocks of Fiat twincams meant that an alternative had to be found. But what?

Easy- the Rover K-Series engine, which is fast becoming ubiquitous in specialist car circles. This is not surprising, given the motor's credentials. For a start it is light; 15kg lighter than an A-Series, in fact, owing to its all-alloy construction. Secondly, it is powerful (or can be- the 1100cc isn't too hot!). Mild tweaking can make the 1800cc version produce 190bhp. Thirdly, engines and spares are available off the shelf, new or second hand. Which is all very well, but will it fit a humble Minor?

Thanks to JLH, the answer is yes. As ever, the bulkhead-mounted steering rack and battery are the main obstacles. You can buy a kit to do the work yourself, mating it to a Sierra five-speed box, but the engine needs machining which isn't an easy DIY prospect. Any capacity no matter what its state of tune will fit, with the 1.4 offering the best compromise. But don't even think of a K-Series Minor before uprating the suspension and brakes.

Two cars came to Darley, both 1.4s, but one featuring more radical suspension alterations, plus a pair of the twin-choke carbs instead of the standard fuel- injection system. The familiar telescopic dampers, front anti-roll bar and disc brakes were present on both. The W registration Traveller we looked at (reregistered after being imported from Germany), could be mistaken for 1000 from some angles. The distinction only becomes apparent when you get blown into the weeds by a 100mph Woody!

Unlike most of the field, this Morris isn't significantly lower than normal, and still wears 14in wheels, albeit wider alloy ones with 185/60 boots. Jonathon Heap, the man behind JLH, has found that for everyday driving it's better to keep the stately ride height. Even so, a 1m 32.8sec sprint demonstrated that the power was getting to the road effectively.