Caleb Takes His Ideal MINI on MTTS 2014

The determination of Caleb Velez to find his perfect MINI, and then drive it on MINI TAKES THE STATES, began when he was just 12 years old.

Caleb, of Bellavista, Arkansas, decided that his chosen MINI must have a stick shift, be Liquid Yellow in color and have some very specific options. And three years later, he finally found his dream MINI  in Chicago, where he travelled to buy the car – a 2005 Liquid Yellow MINI Cooper S!

Caleb, now 16 years old, set about personalizing his MINI, adding a whole series of modifications such as lowered springs, a custom exhaust and lots of cosmetics, all paid for out of his own savings. He then achieved the second part of his dream this year when he signed up to drive his 2005 MINI Cooper S on MINI TAKES THE STATES 2014.

With his grandmother, Gail, sitting alongside him in the passenger seat as navigator, he joined the coast-to-coast rally in Grand Junction, Colorado, to drive seven legs of the rally to Chicago, Illinois.

“My Mum had a MINI and my great aunt has had three MINIs and I always thought it was a really cool car and I just had to have one for myself,” he said “But it had to be the right MINI for me and I was so pleased when I finally tracked one down in Chicago.”

When Caleb arrives in Chicago, he plans to take his modified and improved MINI back to show it to the dealer who he bought it from, and his first taste of MTTS this year has given him another target to aim for. “I now want to go all the way on MINI TAKES THE STATES in two years’ time,” he added.