MAXIMINI
Wait a minute! Is that a guy standing in the shadows wearing an eye patch? Why yes it is! But what ingenious concoction is he standing next to? Well that would be a Mini Cooper Clubman from sometime around 1974 that someone was smart enough to jack up to ridiculous heights!
Sometimes I wonder how I can be so lucky when a photo-op presents itself. This was one of those times, especially with the forlorn-looking 1-eyed chap lurking in the shadows.
I can't tell you much about this car except what I see. The frame looks to have been abruptly Sawzalled off at the front, probably because this is one of the smallest cars ever made. There is a tiny 4-wheel-drive car called the Lada Niva that has been built in Russia from the mid-'70s through today, but it's wheelbase is still 86 inches as opposed to just 80 for the Mini. Who knows what frame they used for this ride? My best guess would be a Suzuki Samurai which did have a model that had an 80 inch wheelbase.
I can't tell you much about this car except what I see. The frame looks to have been abruptly Sawzalled off at the front, probably because this is one of the smallest cars ever made. There is a tiny 4-wheel-drive car called the Lada Niva that has been built in Russia from the mid-'70s through today, but it's wheelbase is still 86 inches as opposed to just 80 for the Mini. Who knows what frame they used for this ride? My best guess would be a Suzuki Samurai which did have a model that had an 80 inch wheelbase.
Overall this looks like one of the Tyco Stompers I loved as a kid! There's something goofy about seeing such a jacked-up ride with smooth tread street tires on it though. You can see from the minuscule wheel wells how tiny the original tires were for the Mini.
There goes that nefarious character with the eye patch!
This thing was parked on the sidewalk next to a repair shop that frequently has an orange Mini out front that is beautifully restored (to be featured soon on NYC Hoopties). I wouldn't be surprised if one of the mechanics made this on a lark.
This thing was parked on the sidewalk next to a repair shop that frequently has an orange Mini out front that is beautifully restored (to be featured soon on NYC Hoopties). I wouldn't be surprised if one of the mechanics made this on a lark.
Nothing like neon lime green paint to further stand out from the crowd.
I'm gonna go ahead and say that this is unregisterable in its current form, though I could be wrong. Something about the crank of the engine just being exposed to the street like that, along with the missing turn signals and torso-high bumper make this seem like a work in progress. However, as a fan of bone-headed ideas and motor heads over-reaching with their projects this makes me extremely happy. Hopefully they get it together enough for me to catch it cruising around the neighborhood one day!
It couldn't be a zuk. The rear differential is on center and all zuks have both differentials offset.
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