The Mini was originally created to be the car for everyone.  The original advertisements talked about how a family of four could put everything in a Mini for a weekend in the country.  There were some tricks- for example the license plate on the boot lid (trunk) was hinged so that it could be left open with luggage strapped down.  The Classic does have hiding places for many things and the parcel shelf in the front did offer storage.  For those who think the speedometer in the center of the new MINI dash is strange… it is historically accurate since the original Mini for years had the speedo in the center.  Was it really the “everyman’s car”? While visiting England and talking with folks about Mini there wasn’t a single person who if they did not own one at least had a story about riding in one.

I have also heard stories about the darker side of Mini ownership… those people who saw the potential of the Mini on the track.  One of my favorites (and I know I’ve missed parts since the sound was cutting out) was by Phil Wicks recalling his first encounter with a Mini.  As he tells the story a friend pulls up in a Mini and they start working on it to get ready for the track.  I believed they raced it and came back to the garage to make a few more modifications and his friend said he had to take the Mini back… it seems that it had been hired and wasn’t owned by his friend at all.  They scrounged together enough money to purchase the car since they had already put so much work into it and would have probably had to buy the car anyway.

So what’s next?  we really do get into some issues with lighting.