onehundredoctane

I hit up the Greensboro C&C again this past Saturday, (unlike Phlip. . .) as usual there were plenty of cars that caught my eye, but this one stood out, and for good reason! When I walked up the first thing I noticed was how many people were asking questions about the car, but the owner was no where to be found. None the less people were admiring the car. .
This guy was trying to get a look up under it to see how the front wheels could turn without hitting the fender. . . Another guy wanted to see what the interior looked like.



I can't say I blamed him, the interior didn't exactly look at all original, see what I mean?


I eventually tracked down the owner and asked if I could snap an interior pic to see just how extensive the Mini Cooper treatment went.


Funny how unsuspecting the outside of the car is. . .


For those keeping count at home, the dash, steering wheel, pedals, door panels, console, shifter and even seats were liberated from a Mini Cooper.



Going back to the outside of the car. . . ^The guy on the right is the owner, who answered every question I asked and was happy to have the attention. He mentioned that the exterior was in fact painted and not an inch was actual rust, except for the bumpers.


Taking a better look at the front end you'll notice the center mounted light on the front bumper, which wasn't actually a fog light oddly.


The owner went on to tell me that this is called a "passing light" which was more popular on the west coast, when a driver went to pass another car they would flash this light to signal they were passing and the other driver to slow a little. First time I've heard of it, but it almost belongs with all the other oddities on this car, but it doesn't end there. . . Some might not think this is worth noting, but the base of this car was a Nash Rambler, (at least the outside...) Everyone remembers Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman, who by day worked at the Daily Planet.


Then you notice the stickers on the back window. . . what exactly is going on here? After asking the owner about the stickers on the back glass he told me that not many people notice that small detail, but when they do it triggers even more questions. Turns out the car has never been used in a movie. The funny part is he admitted to ocasionally saying "Yeah it's a movie car." just to get some people to go away. The cherry on top is really under the hood though, some of you saw this coming, but I had to save it for last. Yep, that's right, this thing is truly a Mini Cooper S underneath it's dated and rustic exterior. The owner went on to tell me that the car is actually lighter than the Mini Cooper the was slain to give this wagon life, which also means better gas mileage. He drives the car as much as possible, and enjoys the funny looks, the truth is the general public isn't the wiser. . . but now you are!

EDIT: after posting this I found a post from another forum of the car back before it was lowered and had the "Mini Cooper treatment", the person even mentions that its from a Superman Movie, HA!

sharpe_corners

that is sweet

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