When it comes to modding, there are levels to this hobby. But even at the very top end of the modding scale, where you’ve got the big-power builds, the wide-arch cars, you’ve got those people who take things further still, who go beyond and take their cars to the next level, people like Richard Everitt and his roof-chopped R53. Going wide-body on your MINI takes commitment, but going for a roof chop? That’s something else and it’s just the tip of this incredible iceberg of a build.
Before we even start getting under the skin of this R53, it feels like we need to learn a bit more about Richard to understand what kind of person takes on a project on this scale. “When I was a child, we always had classic Minis around the house so I grew up with Minis,” he tells us as we chat, “however I had a classic during the launch of the new MINI and I hated everything about it. That is until I drove a demo Cooper S that was given to me as a courtesy car, and throwing that around made me find a liking for the car’s sound and the way it drove with a very distinct Rover feel,” he enthuses. “Other than the classic Paul Smith Mini, which was my first Mini, the first new shape was a 2004 JCW car with a lot of JCW extras back in 2004, and probably a car I should have kept, but it was sold to fund this project,” says Richard, and we reckon that was the right decision.
“I was looking for a project. I always wanted to do a chop top but was not prepared to cut up a perfectly good car,” he reasons, “and this car had been fire damaged at the front and was on Copart. Every week I bidRichard had a clear goal and vision in mind, and this R53 was perfect for it.
