1982 MINI VAN
Chris King shows us his interpretation of the future
Come rain, shine, wind or snow, I drive my Mini Van every single day and it not only does the job brilliantly every time, it puts a massive smile on my face, without fail! Especially as I’ve fitted a 1275cc engine, complete with a cylinderhead ported and polished by myself.
I’m a locomotive fitter in Stoke-on-trent and my daily commute is a ten-mile round trip. The car never misses a beat, getting me to and from work and I have so much confidence in it. It has only failed twice in the five years that I have owned it – once due to a fuelling issue and on another occasion, malfunctioning electronic ignition. Easy fixes, as I do all the servicing myself.
When I lived further from work, it used to do even more mileage per day – around 25 miles – and I had some of the best driving moments of my life. That commute involved early mornings in the Peak District, as me and the Mini took on some of the best roads in England. That’s the best thing about a Mini – you feel like a total hero, even though you’re far from breaking the speed limit!
Having been built in the Mini Van’s final year of production, this Mini has been a working van its
whole life – and used to be owned by the Oxford University Department of Zoology. When I bought it, I kept finding evidence of animals – including fistfuls of hay – in all the crevices of the car! I’ve since had all sorts of things in the back of it, such as twelve bags of cement, plus two seats and a gearbox from a Volkswagen Beetle. It’s extremely practical, as you can imagine, and has transported my fiancée Abby and I on numerous amazing trips, including the London to Brighton rally when it carried all our camping gear plus loads of spares. It is an absolute trooper!
Abby also has her own Mini – a British Open – which we generally only use as a weekend toy. This means that my Mini Van will continue to face the daily grind. I wouldn’t trade the leaky doors or the steamy windows in winter for anything! That burble on the overrun – who wouldn’t want that each day? When I have a tough day at work, it always cheers me up the end of it. Thanks to my van, I always get home with a big smile!