You can say you are a Chevrolet guy or a Ford guy or a Jaguar guy or whatever, but there are some universally cool cars that everyone seems to love regardless of what their favorite brand might be. Such is the case with Minis. I don’t know if it is just because they are so small and cute, or because of the heritage and bad assery that they have been about historically, or both. In fact, some people love them for each reason. Some people think they are cute because they are quaint and small. Some like them because they know the amazing history on the rally circuit, which showed just how bad ass and tough these little bastards are.
For me, I think of both when I see them, and it sort of depends on what style they are. If I were to own the perfect Mini, I would have to own three. One that is the street cruiser with the slightly larger wheels and tires and maybe flares, maybe not. Then I would want a road race style Mini like this one here, and then I would want the total gravel road owning Rally Mini to go destroy anything dirt I could find. The good news is that three Minis only take up a little more than one normal car in the garage. How cool is that?
Oh, and did we mention that this one is so ultra lightweight you can carry it around like a wheel barrow? That should make parking it easy.
Here is one evil and cool little turbocharged wonder we’re sure you’ll like.
It’s 1965. My brother has been drafted, parking his 1964 max wedge super stock Dodge. We go to visit him at Ft. Dix, N.J., and he’s allowed post leave, so we go over to McGuire AFB where they hold drag races on an unused runway. I was only 12. But I got to see a little Mini Cooper kick the snot out of a ’63 fuelie StingRay, heads up, not once, but twice.
I’ve loved them ever since…
That is a bad ass Mini, I always have always liked Minis since visiting relatives in England years ago.
I saw a Mini circa 1977 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. It was purple with the cutest daisy mags you ever saw and four velocity stacks sticking out of the hood. Where is that car today?