ANOTHER LEVEL

It must be increasingly rare for new drivers to get a classic Mini as a first car due to insurance costs, etc. For Rhys Vaus the likelihood was always high, mainly because his dad, Richard, had taken him to many Mini shows in the South East of England as a kid. Richard explains: “My first car was a Mini so the interest started there I suppose. When Rhys was born I had a motorbike at the time but, obviously, I couldn’t take him on that so his mum suggested getting another car. I got another Mini and joined Southern Mini Owners Club and Rhys was with us every weekend. We did Detling, The Hop Farm, Minis By The Sea, London to Brighton a few times. My last Mini was a Nightfire Red MPi.”

“And you had Bubbles the red one, before that, which kept breaking down,” laughs Rhys. “Yeah, that had a Metro engine which had a crack in the cylinder head. So I got rid