A new look for an old Mini
REBUILD: THERAPY TURNS INTO A LABOUR OF LOVE
Rebuilding a car from the ground up takes a lot of dedication because if you don’t have the patience, you won’t finish your build to the standard you would like and that might leave you feeling like a failure.
You need to also have the know-how of where to source the parts you’re looking for, especially if you are building a classic car.
Original Minis have become rare in South Africa and very few are still in pristine condition, with the parts even more difficult to find. But businessman Kwadwo Obeng Manu has had a passion for the Mini since he was young, but a traumatic experience led to him buying and building his unique project, a Mini.
When Covid struck four years ago, Manu was pulled over on the highway by people he thought were South African Police Service members.
Little did he know it was a hijacking syndicate impersonating police officers.
The group of armed men took Manu hostage in his Range Rover before letting him go a short while later. Luckily, he was not harmed, but a traumatic experience like this leaves behind long-lasting mental scars. The trauma caused by the experience led Manu to visit a therapist who recommended that he tried to build something because he liked building things and this could help him heal from his trauma. Being the owner of a Mini Cooper as a teenager, Manu decided to build the Mini he had always dreamed of.
His idea was to keep it simple, no over-the-top customisation, he just wanted to mix some of the old with some of the new, namely the sunroof from a newer Mini 1275 GT.
Unfortunately for Manu, he had been told by several car shops that they didn’t think it could be done.
This is where he enlisted the services of Team Nerdo customs, a customs shops in the south of Johannesburg, who specialise in after-market sunroof installation and repair.
Team Nerdo was commissioned by Manu to rebuild his entire Mini Cooper – from the sunroof to the shiny new paint job and the interior.
Manu knew he did not have the required knowledge or skill to finish the build the way he wanted. This is why he chose to use the team to make the process less stressful.
Manu is now a proud owner of the first old Mini with a panoramic sunroof. More importantly, he has injected another 25 years of life into this car which he plans to pass on to his son.