Somewhere along the line, at an almost typical age for becoming interested in cars, I became fascinated by the classic Mini, I don’t know why. Years later, when the new Mini was available, the desire was still there and led me to buy a Mini British Open in classic British Racing Green around 2010.
I’m older now and my car has matured with me, at least a little. It’s still a Brit and the nonsense I started with the Mini I’m continuing with an MG B GT.
It’s fair to call it nonsense, really. It just doesn’t make sense to buy a car that rusts quickly, is relatively impractical and you don’t fancy driving long distances in. But it’s fun!
You’d have to call it even greater nonsense when you look at the two Brits from Bad Obsession Motorsport who have been fitting a 4WD Toyota engine into a Mini for over six years.
I partially restored my GT from 2016 to 2018 (see here), and my patience quickly ran out. The angelic patience Nik and Richard show when going back to panels they’ve only just welded, or building the necessary parts themselves in painstaking detail… is remarkable!
Over six years and 24 episodes, they’ve got the car to the point where it looks almost finished. But from episode to episode, posted monthly on YouTube, it is often surprising what else they come up with to turn the old Mini into a car with all the trimmings. From a homemade air conditioning system to a complete rewiring of the car. Practically everything is custom-made so that in the end the Mini looks like a standard Mini, but is possibly the fastest Mini in the world. Which is the stated aim.
The lads can now do this full time through Patreon, merch sales and sponsorship and have recently revealed their plans for the time after Binky. As well as a trailer for Binky, an old Peugeot is being restored before one of the very last MGs is brought back to life.
For the full madness, check out this YouTube playlist. It’s perfect for a hungover Sunday, and even if you have little interest in British cars, it’s pretty brilliant for anyone with a general fondness for motors: badobsessionmotorsport.co.uk
This post is part of my All Things British page.
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