This Mini's original turbo engine wasn't purely Japanese or Italian — De Tomaso's engineers took Daihatsu's naturally aspirated block and developed their own turbocharged version in-house, badged CB-DT for 'De Tomaso.'
Median 64 hp across 190 similar cars
Lead trim: Turbo De Tomaso catalysed CB60 (68 PS) · up to 71 hp
Innocenti Mini Turbo De TomasoTurbo De Tomaso · 1983–1990
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Innocenti Mini Turbo De Tomaso yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis Mini's original turbo engine wasn't purely Japanese or Italian — De Tomaso's engineers took Daihatsu's naturally aspirated block and developed their own turbocharged version in-house, badged CB-DT for 'De Tomaso.'
The Turbo De Tomaso, presented in December 1983 (Italian sales from January 1984), used a turbocharged 72 PS (53 kW) version of the 993 cc three-cylinder Daihatsu engine (the two-valve unit, not the multivalve of the Charade GTti), with revised bodywork (backward-sloping headlights, new bumpers and skirts, 160/65 SR315 TRX alloy wheels) and a leather-rimmed sporty wheel. The original CB-DT engine was an Italian development of the CB22 with an IHI RHB5 turbocharger and 9.1:1 compression, with max power at 6,200 rpm; in the second half of 1984 it was replaced by the Daihatsu-built CB60 with a smaller IHI RHB32 charger and 8:1 compression (max power at 5,700 rpm, better low-speed response), and in July 1988 by the CB61. Road tests complained of an awkward upright driving position, mediocre comfort and instability under braking, and praised steering, light weight and appearance. Canada- and Switzerland-bound cars got a catalysed CB60 with 68 PS (50 kW) at 5,500 rpm; Incacars imported it to Canada from 1984 and sales fell from 2,000 cars in the first year to 196 in the first half of 1986. The table prints the power only for the CB-DT (72 PS); the CB60 and CB61 rows are entered without power. Wheelbase 2,045 mm (80.5 in), length 3,135 mm (123.4 in), width 1,530 mm (60.2 in), height 1,380 mm (54.3 in).
Collectors Spotted in the Innocenti Mini Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Innocenti Mini yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo De Tomaso CB-DT 993 cc turbo SOHC three (72 PS) | 1983–1984 | 1.0 L Inline-3 | 71 hp | 70 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Turbo De Tomaso CB60 993 cc turbo three | 1984–1988 | 1.0 L Inline-3 | — | 77 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Turbo De Tomaso CB61 993 cc turbo three | 1988–1990 | 1.0 L Inline-3 | — | 80 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Turbo De Tomaso catalysed CB60 (68 PS) | 1984–1987 | 1.0 L Inline-3 | 67 hp | 78 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The tiny Innocenti Mini 500 found fans in France, where its featherweight tax class matched the famously minimal Fiat 126 — good company for a car this small.
The long-wheelbase Innocenti 990 got an unlikely fashion collaborator: its 1991 Serie Speciale special edition had an Alcantara interior designed by Italian fashion house Missoni.
Innocenti's 1984 Minidiesel squeezed a one-litre diesel into a Mini-shaped body — at launch it was the smallest passenger-car diesel in the world, and the highest-output naturally aspirated diesel in series production.
Innocenti's tiny two-cylinder 650 made just 31 PS, but it ran surprisingly smooth for such a small, cheap engine thanks to twin balance shafts — tech usually reserved for bigger motors.
This Mini's original turbo engine wasn't purely Japanese or Italian — De Tomaso's engineers took Daihatsu's naturally aspirated block and developed their own turbocharged version in-house, badged CB-DT for 'De Tomaso.'
Swapping in Daihatsu three-cylinder engines backfired on Innocenti's owner in an odd way: reliability improved so much that his repair network ended up overstaffed, with warranty claims down 70%.
Innocenti's Italian-bodied Mini was good enough that there were once plans for it to replace the original English Mini outright — the plan just never happened.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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