Many Mini owners build up their skills over decades but Sam Buswell was still a teenager when he went ahead with his first Mini project. “I’ve been into cars since I was four. On my 13th birthday I decided I wanted a Mini so started saving.”
His family has strong connections with the Mini. “Dad’s first car was a 1979 850. My gran’s partner Michael, who taught me to weld on the Mini, had a ’64 or ’65 Cooper S. Grandad had Mini Vans. Nan had a ’63 850 Mk1 which was great. Also, my Grandpa had Cooper Ss back in the 70s.”
Michael was very generous. “He has 50 years of welding experience so he’s passed a bit of knowledge on and he gave me a MIG welder, which is absolutely brilliant.”
Sam bought his Clubman in early May 2020. “I was on eBay one night and I’d just missed a 1975 Mini 1000 by three minutes. Then I saw this 1980 Clubman starting at £700.” The seller was looking for £2500
