Lola

When I bought Lola in 1999 she had fewer than 2,500 miles on the clock and was near perfect. The story goes that she was bought 10 years earlier as an 18th birthday present but the girl didn't like the colour so Lola was stored away in a workshop. My uncle was looking for a frog-eyed Sprite and by chance saw the shape of a Mini under a sheet in the corner.

I hadn't passed my test yet, so she was kept in my dad's garage while I started driving lessons. Sadly my dad bought a new car so Lola got put outside, and there she stayed until I eventually got around to taking my driving test last year.

One year and 6,000 miles later and I've had a few Mini adventures such as snapping the accelerator cable in Colchester while visiting my sister and making it back with elastic bands to keep the throttle open, and a 7 hour trip home when the float chamber packed up and started squirting fuel over the bulkhead, and the persistent steering rack headache - I'll be doing it in my sleep before long!

With the mechanics mostly sorted and the bits that fell apart from standing still for nearly 20 years replaced, it's time to learn some new skills and tackle the tinworm.

Maxi Austin Article

While I was at Mini In The Park '08, a journalist and photographer from the French Mini magazine "Maxi Austin" were interested in Lola, and asked to take some photos and took down some details. They said it would take 3 to 4 months before the magazine and would send me a copy. Sure enough, 4 months later Maxi Austin no 7 arrives!