00:02When I built Mini Ha Ha people thought I was nuts.
00:05This car is such a unique car and it's got a lot of history and it's been an honour to
00:09restore this car back to its former glory.
00:17Today's a great gathering of lots of Mini fans and it's great just to get together and go and see
00:22what other people are doing.
00:23Just generally be able to chat about Minis all day.
00:26Driving Minis is just an addiction, absolute addiction.
00:30There's one car at this Mini convention that's getting a lot more attention than the others for being more Mini
00:37than the rest.
00:38This is the Mini Ha Ha, an infamous Mini customisation created over 35 years ago.
00:48I did the original build with Mini Ha Ha back in 1983.
00:52Mini Ha Ha came about when I was at school. There was a group of four or five of us
00:56and we were all into cars.
00:57And I just knew that this had to be built.
01:01I was 19 when I built this. I built a car to use every day, which was its purpose.
01:05I was very new to it. It's had all the bumper brackets removed all the way round.
01:10The bootleg was welded into the panel. This section here is the section that holds the rear subs frame.
01:15So when I cut it in half, it was basically, it was cut into three. It was cut there.
01:22And then the two foot seven was taken out and then this was the second cut line.
01:25It is so strong. Like it's coming up to 40 years old now. It's so strong.
01:29After building the Mini Ha Ha back in the 80s, the car was sold on and made its own journey,
01:35leaving it in a rather unfortunate state.
01:37Andy sold the car to a car museum in Port Rush called Motor World. That closed down and then it
01:45changed hands three or four different times before I came across the car.
01:49Luckily, it was rescued, bought and repaired by a new owner.
01:53This car is such a unique car and it's got a lot of history and it's been an honour to
01:58restore this car back to its former glory.
02:00With no expenses spared, Andy worked tirelessly to restore the car.
02:05Whenever I first bought the car, it was not in good condition. The body shell was okay, but it just
02:11was a rolling chassis.
02:12Two subframes, no glass, no interior, no engine. It was going to be quite a challenge.
02:17The shell itself was in really good condition. So, stripped the car down to a bare shell, spread the car,
02:25put it all back together again. It went really well.
02:28As far as the restoration goes and how much it cost, I have no idea because it didn't keep the
02:32costs.
02:33I just wanted to restore the car gradually, so I had no idea what it cost. No idea.
02:39And his work has paid off as the Mini Ha Ha is still as popular as ever.
02:43I think it's just, the colour's good, but it's the size of it. It's just an amazing piece to look
02:50at. Nothing compares to this.
02:53Anybody that sees Mini Ha Ha always brings a smile to their face and really, that makes me so proud
02:59and happy.
03:00It's a fantastic two-seater. It gets smiles every time it's out on the road, which is what it's all
03:06about.
03:06It's an absolute pleasure for us to have it here on display.
03:11Seeing it like this, now it's restored, it cheers me up no end to think.
03:16Like I say, someone values my work and my design enough to actually restore it.
03:22My long-term plans for Mini Ha Ha is to let as many people see it as possible because it's
03:27been lost for so many years.
03:29This is the ultimate small car because it's the first, the original and the best.
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