Lester Steventon and Kelly Decker love the attention their nifty little '65 Morris Mini Cooper gets wherever it goes. Kelly drives her own Mini, but it is the modern version built by BMW.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Although it carries the British flag as a top decoration, the pocket-size Morris Cooper is a right-hand-drive Australian version of the more commonly seen English version known as the Austin Cooper.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Steventon chose the Union Jack for his roof decor, figuring the Australian flag might just confuse people about the heritage of his little right-hand-drive rocket.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The original 998cc 4-cylinder engine was ousted in favor of this more potent 1275cc powerplant, which produced an estimated 78 horsepower, a whopping gain of more than 40 percent. With some serious tuning, it is even stronger than that, and in a car that tips the scales under 1,400 pounds, that makes for rapid transit.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Reproductions of the classic 10-inch Mini Lite wheels carry 5.20-inch Pirelli tires at all four corners.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Steventon wanted a right-hand-drive version of a Mini and says maneuvering through American traffic isn't all that difficult, although other motorists sometimes are startled to see an apparently driverless car going down the street.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Reproduction period-correct British racing seats replaced the Toyota Celica GT buckets that were in the car when Steventon bought it.
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Unique Auto Trim replicated the charcoal upholstery with red piping for the back seat, which now carries a pair of low-mounted stereo speakers for on-road entertainment.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Designers placed the instrument cluster square in the middle of the dashboard, which simplified building both right-hand and left-hand-drive models of the original Mini, which was in production for more than 50 years.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Steventon replaced the original grille with this 7-bar version, complete with a fresh grille surround and "whiskers" below the park lights. A new set of stainless steel bumpers is on order.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The "boot" of the Mini is just as tidy as the interior, with plenty of room for a 10-inch spare tire and a new Optima battery.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bright vintage-style racing mirrors are mounted on both doors; note the body-colored exterior door hinges.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Mini carries an Australian license plate and the required Kansas tag, which touts the car's diminutive size. A badge on the rear decklid reads "Size Matters."
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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