MINIs have been a part of Antonio Sapata’s whole life, leading him to build this R53 with unique custom touches as a tribute to his uncle.
Antonio Sapata’s love of MINIs started back when he was six years old, when he began hanging out at his Uncle Julio’s auto body business, DaSilvas Auto. There his uncle restored a varied selection of European cars including Fiats, MGs, Volkswagen Beetles and Classic Minis. “I fell in love with his 1965 Cooper S replica, which was custom painted violet blue with a white bonnet and a white roof. I learned to drive in that car and wanted to know everything there was to know about it,” Antonio explains with a smile.
To feed his Classic Mini appetite, Antonio started reading Leyland assembly books and anything he could get from his Uncle Julio: “I was intrigued about this little car that had such a history. Then, as I got older I awaited the unveiling of the New MINI in 2001 with interest.” Before the launch, Antonio had posters and magazines of the New MINI: “I still had a love for the Classic, but wanted a New MINI badly. As soon as an Electric Blue R53 Cooper S appeared on the cover of Motor Trend magazine, I knew that was my car!”
He drove old wrecks to get him through high school and until the price came down on BMW MINIs. Then in 2011, Antonio bought his first 2004 Indie Blue R53 Cooper S, with two-tone interior, navigation, white roof and bonnet stripes. Then, following an unfortunate event, sadly it had to go. But by the spring of 2012 he was able to buy his second R53 Cooper S - this one! “I bought this 2006 Hyper Blue Cooper S with a silver roof, as it was the car I wanted to build to match my uncle’s Classic MINI,” Antonio explains.
Modding begins
Denne historien er fra March - April 2017-utgaven av Modern MINI.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra March - April 2017-utgaven av Modern MINI.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Goes Round Comes Round
Thought lambo doors have had their day? Wrong – vince wong’s highly detailed build is here to show that eyecatching mods are timeless. And this build’s about far more than a set of fancy doors…
The Full Works
After cutting his teeth on a Mini Roadster, morgan gray managed to get his dream car – a fully loaded, Jen 3 John Cooper works, and he uses it properly, too…
How To…De-Chrome A Mini
De-chroming is a quick, easy, and very effective way to improve a modern mini’s looks and appearance. Here’s what’s involved…
Purple Haze
THE SPIRIT OF THE SIXTIES IS STRONG IN THIS BLACK EYE PURPLE R53 – AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, IT’S A THOROUGHLY MODERN BUILD, HIDING HILARIOUS PERFORMANCE BENEATH ITS SPANGLY DISCO PAINTWORK…
Driven: Mini Cooper S 60 Years Edition
MINI HAS A REPUTATION FOR MAKING SPECIAL BIRTHDAY EDITIONS, SO MARTYN HAS BEEN DRIVING THE LATEST TO FIND OUT IF THE COOPER S 60 YEARS EDITION IS A WORTHY CONTENDER…
Cruel Sport
UNFORTUNATE MISTAKES HAVE SHOWN ALEX JUST HOW FINE THE MARGINS ARE IN THE PRO CLASS, AND JUST HOW CRUEL MOTORSPORT CAN BE AT TIMES…
Purple Passion
Steve Davidson dreamed of owning a Cooper S since school and we reckon his BMW-wheeled R53 has been worth the wait.
Family Business
MINIs have been a part of Antonio Sapata’s whole life, leading him to build this R53 with unique custom touches as a tribute to his uncle.
Mini Variant Buyers Guide
The boom in second generation MINIs gave clues as to how BMW planned to develop the brand; here’s more about these MINI variants and why they’re still worth a look
Mini One D ClubMan
First came the Cooper, Cooper D, Cooper S and Cooper SD and ALL4 Clubmans. But we’ve just spent some time with the one that MINI told us wouldn’t be built – the entry-level One D.
