Mini Mk3

C and I saw this little gem parked at the local Spar Supermarket. C took a snap or two for me with her iPhone, since my camera was at home! The owner saw us and offered to 'pose' for more pics and treated us to the little car's history! ;-)

The owner is an 81 year old gentleman, this little Mini belonged to his mother. When she grew too old to use it, she gave it to her daughter, who used it for mány years. When her son turned 16, she gave it to him and he really messed around with it on the farm, pushing it to it's limits! He 'climbed' mountains with it, raced on gravel roads, rushed through river and mud pools, and when it was really broken beyond repair, they just left it on the rubbish dump.

A few years ago the South-African Mini Club offered her R8,000.00 for the 'piece of scrap', but that's exactly where this gentleman decided it should not leave the family, and he offered to buy it from her for the same price!

He rebuilt it with lóts of tender loving care, importing original parts from the UK, doing the upholstering in black leather, panelbeating and spraypainting it to it's original colour and shape! He even refused to change the generator for an alternator, which was the better choice since it will not be used tóó regularly and he might have battery problems, because he insisted on keeping everything in it's original form!

I salute this old gentleman for his perseverance!! Well done!!