AN EYE FOR DETAIL

摘要

Fitting an after-market bodykit will be a test of patience; running a non-original engine provides a few new challenges and a major ICE install can be enough to scare even a qualified electrician. But, as Darren Ophide and his father Gary would find out, converting a steel Mini front end to VW Golf headlights makes all of these seem like child's play. If you want to know how to make your life very difficult, then read on. Of course, it wasn't supposed to be like that. Back in 2000, fourteen-year-old Darren quite fancied the idea of building a special Mini to be ready before he passed his driving test. And with his dad, Gary, running a Mini build-up and restoration company called Mini Max, it seemed like a pretty cunning plan. Get the old man to help out and end up with something pretty cool. Trouble was that while Darren would have been happy with a bodykit, big wheels and some decent sounds, dad had other ideas. Formed in 1999, Mini Max had quickly built up a reputation for high quality Mini conversions. The company decided on a variety of themes for these projects, such as Black Widow, Radical Red and Mystique, each offering a different specification and price for potential customers. It was a popular concept that soon brought in orders. But Gary found the builds extremely time-consuming and the financial rewards simply didn't add up when set against the time and work invested. Disenchanted with the Mini scene, in 2001 he closed down the company and moved onto new challenges, but not before he and Darren had begun the mother of all modified Mini projects.