the ’ 90 s, but still faithful to the original
that was available in much older Minis.
Even the steering wheel boasts the
trademark awkward truck-like position,
giving the driver more knee room to
operate the pedals. The interior is still
very fresh even though the car is regu-
larly used.
Under the hood, it’s all form over
function, with a cramped 1.3-liter fuel-
injected engine lying on a transverse
gearbox. The setup gives the car more
interior room despite its puny size—
you’d be surprised how roomy it feels
inside. As for fuel efficiency, this Mini
can keep up with some of the new com-
pact cars we have today. It’s still living
up to why it was built all those decades
ago. It can do all that is asked of it.
PJ notes that when going for classic
cars, it’s better to wait for a unit in good
condition rather than having to do end-
less parts-hunting and repairs. He also
made sure this Mini is an original left-
hand-drive unit and not a converted
one before making the purchase. And
he actually made a good bargain for it.
“I’ve been restoring my own cars, and
I just wanted a well-maintained pur-
chase for a change,” he shares. “Once
the bugs were out, it was ready to
drive!”
Owning and maintaining a good unit
like his does not take much. Just do the
regular oil changes and tuneups, and
everything will just work fine. On the
street drive it as it’s meant to be driv-
en—carefully and not too hard. Even
the very unique rubber suspension,
known as the ‘siopao’ among local Mini
fans, on this one has not been changed
or modified under PJ’s ownership.
“This Mini has been driven to and
on the track,” PJ recalls. We can’t help
but be pleased that his car is pushed
harder while on the track. He adds that
his family once loaded it with picnic
gear for a weekend event. “I was with
my wife and kids driving up north, and
I noticed that even with load, the car
could still keep pace with other ve-
hicles on the highway.” What’s more, it
could overtake other two-door classic
sports cars with bigger engines on the
track. The secret: go-kart handling that
allowed PJ to attack corners with ease
and exit at full throttle. And at the end
of all that action, he still managed to
drive home without any problems.
PJ loves his Mini because he can
use it just like in those vintage adverts
showing the car doing a whole bunch
of things. “It’s fun to drive!” he shares.
“Every enthusiast should experience
the Mini at least once in his life. You
won’t regret it!”
‘PJ loves his mini because he
can use it Just like in those
vintage advertisements’
WWW.topgear.com.ph TOP GEAR PHILIPPINES 105
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