Milestone anniversaries should never be taken for granted; the number of years in the relationship show commitment and represent countless memories. Whether it’s the first or fiftieth, any proper anniversary celebration should include a gift that rises in extravagance as the years roll by.
I recently celebrated 20 years with my 2005 R53. It’s a special one, one that’s made me reflect on the memories and opportunities that this Mini has provided to enrich my life as time recedes in the rear-view mirror.
My Mini journey started with research and a test drive in 2005. I wanted a car that I could drive to work during the week and autocross on the weekend. The Mini fit the bill. I spent hours on the configurator, adding and subtracting options until I got to a price I could afford. I kept the vision of the car I created online in my mind as I drove two hours to the dealership in Pittsburgh. After speaking with a salesperson, I took the keys to a Cooper S and went for a test drive.
A test drive is like a first date. Sure, everything is great when things are limited to a computer, but that first hand experience tells if the initial interest could blossom into something long-term. You could say it was a successful date.
I could not stop smiling. It’s a driver’s car. The exterior and interior finishes gave off premium-brand vibes. I knew it would be the perfect one-car solution, so I had to see where this budding relationship would take me. I ordered my own Hyper Blue Cooper S.
I had to wait for the car to be built in Oxford, England, and make the long journey to Pittsburgh. My R53 arrived in September 2005—and it was love at first sight.
Fast-forward a few years and many miles later, and the R53 has transformed from daily driver and weekend autocross warrior to purely a performance car. The gains from performance parts no longer need to be considered in relationship to daily comfort; my life has evolved to the point where I can have a second car to drive to work. Driving the R53 is now my therapy. I enrolled in more high-performance driving schools. The R53 Mini became the vacation car, in a sense, since I drove it to the track. It was transported a few times—but I did ship it to California twice for Oktoberfest events, where I drove the R53 on the Pacific Coast Highway, turned laps around Laguna Seca, and put my feet in the Pacific Ocean on a coast far from home—all because of one small car.
Track days at Road America, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, and Barber Motorsports Park included lessons about car dynamics and created memories with friends new and old.
If I jumped in a time machine and told my younger self in 2005 that her new Mini would one day be in a museum display, she would not have believed it. Yet my humble R53 was chosen to be a part of the year-long Minis to the Max exhibit at the Ultimate Driving Museum. I’m so grateful it was included in this great exhibition of cars and Mini memorabilia, featuring Sixties classics all the way up to modern examples.
Photo: Melissa Cunnngham
At the museum, the R53 sat under the lights in front of a large exhibit banner. The glossy stock Hyper Blue paint seemed a little brighter against the yellow banners. This detailed, ultra-clean version of the R53 may have been right in front of me, but my mind wandered to the time the car carried me from an abusive relationship—starting for me immediately when I needed it the most, carrying me to safety. I fought back tears in the museum, looking at my one-time savior. Even in the darker times of my life, the R53 was a constant positive reminder that better days were just a little farther down the road.
I never imagined owning a single car for nearly half of my life, but in twenty years behind the wheel of the R53 I’ve learned so much, and seen so many beautiful places in this country. From the early days of scraping pennies together to make the payments to seeing the car under museum lights, the years have included many emotions—as well as many compromises and challenges. This twenty-year anniversary may not be conventional, but this car greatly influenced my life.