I Turned My Mini Into A Stretch Limo
FOR those who struggle to associate a classic Mini with a limousine, it’s time to meet the ‘Mini Limo’. Chris Wain, from Nottinghamshire, has created the perfect blend of vintage and luxury with his unique conversion of two classic cars. The revamped ride travels smoother than a standard Mini and is able to cruise at about 85MPH. Initially built as a wedding car and costing around £14,000 to build, Chris’s ‘Mini Limo’ was a true labour of love. Chris told us: “The thing I love most about my car is the reaction it gets from other people.” After meeting his future wife at ‘Notts About Minis’, a Nottinghamshire-based Mini enthusiast club, the pair decided a mini-limousine conversion would be the perfect car for their special day. Venora said: “It was my idea, I thought it would be a nice wedding car as the mini brought us together.” However, finding such unique wheels proved to be a struggle and the pair decided to build their dream ride instead. Whilst Chris assembled the majority of the car, Venora concentrated on the lining and interior. Under the bonnet, the car has a slightly modified 1275GF engine and a longer gearbox to ensure it can cruise nicely at a higher speed. Chris explained: “We were working very late at night and on weekends – it was a lot of stress and expense.” The car has since served the couple well as their family has expanded, providing the perfect vehicle for family days out. However, it’s not always the easiest to navigate. The car struggles to fit into smaller spaces and has a lack of power steering. But all of this is worth it, and it seems it’s not just the family that feel this way. “The car gets a lot of attention wherever you go, people love the car.”
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MotorTranscript
00:00 The thing I love the most about the car really is the reaction I get from other people.
00:05 People love the car.
00:07 My name's Chris and this is my classic Mini Limo.
00:12 For me the word 'limo' conjures up images of luxury, which isn't really what you get when you own a Mini.
00:22 But Chris has managed to create a vehicle where the words 'Mini' and 'Limo' come together.
00:27 This is the Mini Limo.
00:30 You'll see that we have an extra door.
00:33 This door is exactly the same size door as this one.
00:37 Inside we've got two rear-facing seats. These were donated from Alain Drobot Discovery.
00:42 They're the seats out the back that fold down.
00:44 The rear seat has actually been extended by four inches to make it four inches deeper.
00:49 Right, let's take it for a spin.
00:55 [MUSIC]
01:21 Because it's got a longer wheelbase, it rides bumps more smoothly and it's got a bit more stability.
01:28 Top speed, it'll cruise at about 85 kilometres per hour.
01:33 It costs approximately £13,000 to £14,000 to build a Mini Limo, including the parts that we used at the time.
01:41 We have a slightly modified 1275 GT engine.
01:46 This has been bored out to 1293 and then it's got a long gearbox in it so that it cruises at a high speed quite nicely.
01:53 With a few extra trick bits on it just to give it a bit more power.
01:56 And what was the reason for building such a unique Mini conversion?
02:02 For love, of course.
02:04 I had a classic Mini and I joined a Mini club.
02:08 I met Chris and then you asked me out.
02:11 I showed her the date.
02:12 And the rest is history.
02:14 [MUSIC]
02:19 I'd say it was my idea. I thought it would be a nice wedding car for us seeing as the Mini's brought us together.
02:24 But we struggled to find one, didn't we?
02:26 We did.
02:27 So Chris thought he would just build one.
02:29 Easy.
02:31 [MUSIC]
02:34 I did a lot of the assembly of the car.
02:37 She built the one-piece headlining that's in it and she recovered all the interior.
02:42 Working very late at night, working weekends on it.
02:46 There was a lot of stress and a lot of expense.
02:49 It was ready three days before the wedding.
02:53 It made the wedding.
02:55 It did make the wedding, yeah.
02:56 It made it very personal to us, didn't it?
02:58 Yeah.
02:59 After all the effort building this car, it's served the couple well as their family has expanded.
03:04 It provides the perfect vehicle for family days out.
03:10 Albeit with the occasional difficulty.
03:13 [MUSIC]
03:17 You don't really want to do a three-point turn in it.
03:20 It's really heavy on the steering.
03:22 There is no power steering and it's long.
03:29 You really just want to back it up until you find somewhere where there's a space to back it into.
03:33 [MUSIC]
03:37 [MUSIC]
03:40 And it's not just Chris and his family that love the car.
03:43 It picks up new fans at every turn.
03:46 It gets a lot of attention wherever you go.
03:50 People love the car.
03:52 My kids love it, my wife loves it.
03:54 This car is part of my life now.
03:56 [MUSIC]
04:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]