The inspiration came after British Motor Car Day 2008 at Berry College, north of Atlanta.

We were at the show with my 1974 MGB-GT V-8 which I had built a few years ago and was enjoying. You may remember, the summer of ’08 had seen gas prices spike up over $4. Of course, a British car owner is often looking for the next project. We wandered around the grounds looking at various other British cars. I was attracted to the Mini’s on display, and particularly a few cars that had been converted to a Honda engine (the VTEC is popular).

Then an idea was born. A mini with a small displacement Honda motor (think 40-50 mpg). But I wanted something different. After some research my vision was complete. An Austin Mini – Van. The search was on. After a few months pursuing ebay and other ads for British cars I located a 1980 van not far away in Charleston. The price was a little high, but I was ready to start on a new project.