RADICAL CUSTOM
PURPLE
RAIN
There are concours Minis,
competition Minis, modified Minis,
customised Minis... all manner of
Minis in fact. Then there's H62 EKO.
T
o be honest, this is one of
those cars that's very hard to
categorise as it doesn't really
fit into any particular
grouping. It's been modified,
customised and had an engine swap. The
bodyshell is resplendent in a rather
vibrant, stand-out shade of purple called
Purple Rain. This isn't simply a Mini, it's
more of a statement piece... a very potent
statement piece as it happens. And it
belongs to, and was built by, Rhys
Williams who's something of a serial
Mini restorer and modifier and has been
for well over a decade.
"I used to help my dad work on his
cars," recalls Rhys smiling. "When I left
home I missed doing this kind of thing,
so I started looking for a project. As it
happened, I saw a 1989 Mini City on
eBay. I bid on it and won. I did a light
restoration, colour change, added some
bolt-on bits, and got it through an MoT.
In the process of doing all of the work, I
caught the Mini bug and bought a 1974
Austin, which I fully restored. This now
lives in Texas!"
That was back in 2007 and, not
counting the many Minis he's helped his
mates with, Rhys has owned eleven. Most
have been modified in one way orWords Martyn Morgan-Jones Photography Jason DoddRADICAL CUSTOM
PURPLE
RAIN
There are concours Minis,
competition Minis, modified Minis,
customised Minis... all manner of
Minis in fact. Then there's H62 EKO.
T
o be honest, this is one of
those cars that's very hard to
categorise as it doesn't really
fit into any particular
grouping. It's been modified,
customised and had an engine swap. The
bodyshell is resplendent in a rather
vibrant, stand-out shade of purple called
Purple Rain. This isn't simply a Mini, it's
more of a statement piece... a very potent
statement piece as it happens. And it
belongs to, and was built by, Rhys
Williams who's something of a serial
Mini restorer and modifier and has been
for well over a decade.
"I used to help my dad work on his
cars," recalls Rhys smiling. "When I left
home I missed doing this kind of thing,
so I started looking for a project. As it
happened, I saw a 1989 Mini City on
eBay. I bid on it and won. I did a light
restoration, colour change, added some
bolt-on bits, and got it through an MoT.
In the process of doing all of the work, I
caught the Mini bug and bought a 1974
Austin, which I fully restored. This now
lives in Texas!"
That was back in 2007 and, not
counting the many Minis he's helped his
mates with, Rhys has owned eleven. Most
have been modified in one way orWords Martyn Morgan-Jones Photography Jason Dodd