Even if your first experience of Mini ownership was a nightmare, there's a tendency to remember its better days rather than its no-go days. Dutchman Ivo Aris is no exception to this rule and was fortunate to be raised with Minis - his dad still owns a British Open Classic LE. After his mum had owned a 1975 Jubilee Mini with brown paint and a cream vinyl roof, she moved onto a Belgian built 1100 Special in 1979. The black car with its black vinyl roof was handed down to Ivo in 1985 when he was 18 years old and he had passed his driving test. Most Mini fans are aware of the UK's limited edition 1100 Special, launched August 1979, celebrating 20 years of UK Mini production. Mainland Europe already had a mainstream Mini 1100 Special produced, according to the Netherlands' Ben van Leeuwen, between 1976 and 1982. Manufactured in Belgium's Seneffe factory, the European Mini Special wasn't as heavily equipped as the UK 1100 Special. It had a vinyl roof and 1098cc A-series engine, but wasn't equipped with the UK Special's centre console, alloy wheels or wheel arch extensions. Ivo remembers his own Special had line-of-sight clocks and gold side stripes.
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