Nothing Mini about B.C. man’s collection
The line up of 10 classic British-built Mini cars traveling into Vancouver early on a Saturday morning was an unusual site.
The fact that they all have the same owner made the procession even more special.
Nadir Ibadullah loves his vintage Minis so much he decided to display all of them at the 35th annual All-british Field Meet, among the 500 British classics arranged on the lawns at Vandusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver recently. He enlisted help from fellow members of the Vancouver Mini Club and classic Mini Whatsapp groups to make the 25-kilometre trip from his home in Cloverdale to South Vancouver.
Nadir fell in love with his uncle’s yellow 1964 Mini before he could legally drive in his native Karachi, Pakistan. His father let him buy the car when he was 15 years old. When he attended university, he fixed up a several old Minis and resold them. When he left Pakistan, he stored his green 1982 Mini in his family’s garage.
His family sold the car and his cousin sent him a photo of the stripped body heading to the scrap yard on a cart.
Now established in Vancouver with a successful marketing and branding company, his collection of Minis has grown to 11. His wife, Naima Nadir, who once helped him refurbish Minis in Pakistan, drives a new Mini to her teaching job.
The compact Austin and Morris Mini cars manufactured by the British Motor Corporation from 1959 through 2000 became a popular cultural icon and it is recognized as the second most influential car of the 20th century, just behind the Ford Model T. The Mini was also manufactured in Australia, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Chile, Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.
Nadir’s collection of restored Minis sourced from all over Canada include some rare special edition models, including a black 1994 British Open model, a green 1997 30th anniversary model and
Nadir fell in love with his uncle’s yellow 1964 Mini before he could legally drive in his native Karachi, Pakistan. His father let him buy the car when he was 15 years old.
a British Racing Green 1998 Balmoral Edition. His blue and silver 2000 Mini marks the final year of production for the original British-built Mini.
Odd balls in the collection include a Mini pickup, a 1962 Mini Traveler, which is a wood-sided micro station wagon, and a Mini Moke which is a Jeep-like buggy.
When the Vancouver Mini Club organized a 600-kilometre trip to Likely in B.C.’S Cariboo region, Nadir’s Mini with its original 998-cc engine couldn’t keep up and the engine failed. Now that Mini has been restored to show quality in purple and is equipped with a chromed-up high performance 1380-cc engine with twin carburetors and a Stage 3 camshaft
All Nadir’s Minis have names and are numbered one through 11. He crams four of them into his garage and six more in a carport. Currently, one Mini is undergoing restoration
Although he doesn’t have room for any more collectible classic Minis, Nadir is still on the hunt. He wants a Mini Cooper S and a 1959 Mini, representing the first year of BMC Mini production to augment his 2000 model which marks the last year of production.
Nadir’s 1997 Anniversary Edition and his 1962 Mini woody wagon each won first in their class at the All-british Field Meet.