A RENOWNED car customiser has taken a standard Mini and cut it down to an even more ‘mini’ size. With its 1300CC engine, it is so small that it’s even able to do a wheelie when driven in reverse gear! Customizer Andy Saunders told FutureStudiosCars: “I did the original build with Mini Ha Ha back in 1983, people thought I was nuts.” The Mini Ha Ha is one of the first and best-known creations by the famed independent car designer and customizer. “The idea came about when I was at school, there was a group of four or five of us and we were all into cars and I just knew that this had to be built,” remembers Saunders. The car was subsequently sold to a museum, before falling into disrepair. It then fell into the hands of car restorer Andy Shaw who has painstakingly restored it to its former glories.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:02 When I built Mini Carhartt, people thought I was nuts.
00:05 This car is such a unique car, and it's got a lot of history.
00:08 And it's been an honor to restore this car back
00:11 to its former glory.
00:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:14 60 horsepower in that car, and he's on.
00:17 Today's a great gathering of lots of Mini fans,
00:20 and it's great just to get together and go and see
00:22 what other people are doing.
00:23 Just generally, we're able to chat about Minis all day.
00:26 Driving Minis is just-- it's an addiction.
00:29 It's an absolute addiction.
00:31 There's one car at this Mini convention
00:33 that's getting a lot more attention than the others
00:36 for being more Mini than the rest.
00:39 This is the Mini Ha Ha, an infamous Mini customization
00:43 created over 35 years ago.
00:48 I did the original build with Mini Ha Ha back in 1983.
00:52 Mini Ha Ha came about when I was at school.
00:55 There was a group of four or five of us,
00:56 and we were all into cars.
00:58 And I just knew that this had to be built.
01:01 I was 19 when I built this.
01:03 I built a car to use every day, which was its purpose.
01:05 I was very new to it.
01:07 It's had all the bumper brackets removed all the way around.
01:10 The boot lid was welded into the panel.
01:12 This section here is the section that
01:14 holds the rear subframe.
01:15 So when I cut it in half, it was basically--
01:19 it was cut into three.
01:20 It was cut there, and then the 2 foot 7 was taken out.
01:24 And then this was the second cut line.
01:25 It is so strong.
01:27 It's coming up to 40 years old now.
01:28 It's so strong.
01:29 After building the Mini Ha Ha back in the '80s,
01:32 the car was sold on and made its own journey,
01:35 leaving it in a rather unfortunate state.
01:38 And they sold the car to a car museum in Port Rush called
01:42 Motorworld.
01:43 That closed down, and then it changed hands
01:46 three or four different times before I came across the car.
01:49 Luckily, it was rescued, bought, and repaired by a new owner.
01:53 This car is such a unique car.
01:55 And it's got a lot of history.
01:57 And it's been an honor to restore this car back
02:00 to its former glory.
02:01 With no expenses spared, Andy worked tirelessly
02:04 to restore the car.
02:06 Whenever I first bought the car, it was not in good condition.
02:09 The body shell was OK, but it just
02:11 was a rolling chassis, two subframes, no glass,
02:14 no interior, no engine.
02:16 It was going to be quite a challenge.
02:17 The shell itself was in really good condition.
02:20 So stripped the car down to a bare shell,
02:24 sprayed the car, put it all back together again.
02:26 It was meant really well.
02:28 As far as the restoration goes and how much it cost,
02:30 I have no idea because it didn't keep the cost.
02:33 I just wanted to restore the car gradually.
02:35 So I had no idea what it cost.
02:37 No idea.
02:39 And his work has paid off, as the Mini Ha Ha is still
02:42 as popular as ever.
02:43 I think it's just--
02:45 the color's good.
02:47 But it's the size of it.
02:49 It's just an amazing piece to look at.
02:51 Nothing compares to this.
02:54 Anybody that sees Mini Ha Ha always
02:55 brings a smile to their face.
02:57 And really, that makes me so proud and happy.
03:00 It's a fantastic two-seater.
03:02 It gets smiles every time it's out on the road,
03:05 which is what it's all about.
03:07 It's an absolute pleasure for us to have it here on display.
03:11 Seeing it like this now, it's restored,
03:13 it cheers me up no end to think, like I say,
03:17 someone values my work and my design
03:20 enough to actually restore it.
03:22 My long-term plan for Mini Ha Ha is
03:24 to let as many people see it as possible,
03:26 because it's been lost for so many years.
03:29 This is the ultimate small car, because it's the first,
03:32 the original, and the best.
03:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:38 [AUDIO OUT]
03:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]