Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

We Took A Road Trip With 900 of Mini’s Jolliest Owners

“What is Mini feeding these people?” I thought to myself. I had just pulled into a parking lot in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to join hundreds of Mini owners for a breakfast/raffle/mingle and already ten impressively chipper individuals had introduced themselves before scurrying off to join the festivities.

This was my first introduction to Mini Takes The States (MTTS) 2016, a road rally that takes Mini owners (and often their dogs) across the U.S. in two weeks. The event has been scheduled every two years for the last ten, and it has grown from just 30 cars to over 700. I would be joining the herd for a stint from South Dakota to Utah – that much I knew. What I didn’t know was that I’d quickly be inducted into one of the most eclectic and friendly groups of people on the planet.

Recommended Videos

So how does MTTS work, why does it work, and who can participate?

The Details

Mini JCW Convertible
Image used with permission by copyright holder

From the outside looking in, it would appear that MTTS is simply a large-scale brand building opportunity. Round up a bunch of owners, steer them across the U.S., stopping from town to town like a traveling circus, and let the on-brand conversations commence. While that’s undoubtedly a brilliant side effect of the rally, it’s only part of a larger story. For one, the owners have just as much or more to gain from this exercise as Mini.

For a $75 registration fee, Mini provides meals, on-route events, parking, discounts, prizes, and even vehicle roadside maintenance for every car. That just leaves owners and their families with two week’s worth of hotel bills – and even those aren’t that pricey since Mini helps negotiate group rates. As long as you don’t run into trouble with any highway patrol officers, the whole trip is quite reasonable. To put it another way, Mini pays for a big chunk of your two-week vacation. Apparently, the event is so attractive, that one couple that had signed up for the rally chose to actually buy a Mini when they found out it was a requirement to participate. Sure, forfeiting the registration fee would have been easier, but who am I to judge?

Then there’s the charitable side to MTTS. Mini has partnered with Feeding America, an organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger. Owners are encouraged to create their own fundraising pages through Feeding America® and receive badges based on how much is raised. By the time we’d hit Wyoming, Mini’s troop had already earned enough to sponsor over 1,000,000 meals.

The Cars

Pickups, Land Rovers, and retired tanks: I saw each of these during my leg of MTTS, but not among the ranks of registered participants. Instead, there were all generations and models of Mini vehicles, decked out in every color combination imaginable. It may be difficult to believe, but besides the cars we journalists were driving, no two Minis were alike. What the average citizen may have seen as a form of transportation, this group of owners saw as a blank slate for personal expression.

My personal favorites included a first generation Clubman that had been converted into a pest control-mobile, a Countryman with a color-matching caravan, and a Star Wars-themed Cooper four-door. But beyond these standouts, there were graphics-wrapped Minis, race-ready Minis, and Minis that had converted their interiors into dog habitats. While some cars made my eyes hurt, all of them were extensions of their owners’ enthusiasm.

The People

Rallying over 4,000 miles can be an absolute blast or a total nightmare – and it all depends on the company. In the case of MTTS, I didn’t find an unfriendly soul in the bunch of owners who posed with one another in front of Mount Rushmore, danced together at a saloon in Sturgis, SD, and swapped stories while watching a rodeo near Cheyenne, WY. Instead, I felt awful for not being as overtly warm as each individual who approached me with a smile during every “rise and shine” event. In my defense, the M.O. of the general populous in the two places I’ve spent most of my life: Boston and LA, is to be skeptical and tough, lest you be labeled an oddball.

But these people had no agenda, except to welcome and befriend every Mini owner they met. When I asked why they participated in MTTS, some owners said it was a great way to see the country, but almost all of them said they did it for the friendships.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman developed a passion for cars early on thanks to a neighbor’s collection of rare and exotic vehicles. What…
Aston Martin unveils Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante
Q by Aston Martin Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante
aston martin unveils palm beach edition db12 volante  14

Aston Martin Palm Beach has joined forces with Q by Aston Martin to craft an extraordinary vehicle: the Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante. This stunning car beautifully merges the unparalleled artistry of British craftsmanship with captivating design elements inspired by Palm Beach's vibrant lifestyle. Each aspect of this limited-edition model is meticulously designed to celebrate the charm of its surroundings while amplifying the elegance of Aston Martin’s high-performance 670 horsepower open-top Super Tourer.

The highlight of the Palm Beach Edition DB12 Volante is its striking Frosted Glass Blue exterior paint, a color that pays homage to the rich and varied blues of the Atlantic Ocean. The innovative use of glass flakes within the topcoat creates a dazzling shimmer that evokes the warm rays of the South Florida sun, making it a real head-turner on the road.

Read more
The Ford Ranger Raptor may actually be the perfect “third car”
Don't buy one for the practicality, it's built for fun.
Ford Ranger Raptor 3/4 view in snowy woods

Pickup trucks like the Ford Ranger Raptor are traditionally practical vehicles designed to perform hard work and take a bit of a beating. But in recent years, they’ve gotten larger, more luxurious, and less industrial. This has led to utility vehicles tumbling into entirely new categories, with some being decked out like borderline limousines and others kitted out for street racing.

Over the winter, I took a Ford Ranger Raptor for a spin and made an interesting discovery while doing so. It wasn’t the vehicle’s prowess as a pickup truck that snagged me—in fact, I think there are far better options in that department—but the almost childlike sense of enjoyment I got from ripping around in this ridiculous beast. I decided I would actually have one given the chance, but as more of a toy than anything else. Allow me to explain.
What is a third car anyway?

Read more
F1 fashion: limited edition movie merch and Cadillac F1 team partners with Tommy Hilfiger
F1 teamware lets fans show support for real and fictional teams
F1 Movie merch sampler.

There were two announcements related to F1 teamware this week, both related to F1 teams that aren't in the 2025 season. Teamware is a big deal with Formula 1 racing fans who show their support by wearing team colors at Grand Prix races worldwide, where grandstands are packed with spectators sporting hats, shirts, and all manner of apparel in Ferrari red, Red Bull blue, and McLaren orange. Mixing media and reality, building on the trend, F1 recently started selling limited edition apparel with the APXGP logo of the fictional F1 team in F1 The Movie,  due to launch later this month.

In a related note, fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger announced on X a new apparel partnership with the upcoming 2026 Cadillac F1 team. Hilfiger has a long history of partnering with F1 teams.
Limited edition merch from F1 The Movie

Read more