ROTA DAMASCUS

The bridge between classic Minis and modern MINIs is a robust and well-trodden one. There’s a natural thought progression from one to another, an evolution in desires and aspirations, whether it’s the newer car replacing the older or simply a case of the two sitting side-by-side on the driveway. For Paul Mcloughlin, the Issigonis influence stretches way back to his first car; “I passed my test in a Fiesta, but I like to think I really learned to drive in a Mini,” he muses. The car in question was a 1975 Mini 1000, which Paul transformed over time into a Cooper lookalike. “I’ve loved Minis since I was a teenager,” he says, “and once you’ve owned one, the bug really bites. The Mini scene and Mini owners are like no other, that’s a key part of why I like them so much.”

There’s now a ’90 Mini Mayfair sitting on the drive, but of course your synapses are no doubt firing rapidly with the disconnect between all