Do you know where this R53 is?
 

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All I know is that it was traded in to a used car dealer in Cumberland, RI in 2016...then sold to Central Mass Auto Auction...then it was bought by either US Auto Wholesale or Wholesale Auto USA...then it was returned back to Central Mass Auto Auction...i'm not sure where it went from there. I'll try to call CMAA on Monday to see if they can tell me anything.

Those wheels are almost making my brain hurt, but I can't look away! BMW 5-lug conversion, nice.

Hahah same here, I like and dislike it at the same time :)

Care to tell us the story behind the search?

Sounds like the search for the one that got away. I have one of those that I would like to get a second chance to own (13 S manual with navigation, no sunroof and in the right color)

Second guess is that you left your wallet in the car and need it back.

Haha...actually my kid is on the hunt for it, I'm just trying to help him out.

I found the car…unfortunately it’s about 3 1/2 hours away from my house.

EDIT: I was able to get a few pictures, and it seems 95% intact...someone took the upper aero grille and the scoop, but other than that it looks pretty good.

Looks like we are going to try and get it...stay tuned.

I have the car now!

A very good friend, myself, and my middle son spent pretty much the whole day yesterday (5am to 7:30pm) picking up this car! It’s pretty beat up. The radiator support is broke on the passenger side, the front bumper is hanging off on that side, someone swiped the hood and the original bumper. It needs a battery, starter, and belt just to see if it will run…it also needs alternator. I haven’t checked the supercharger yet. Brakes all around too and I’m guessing some suspension, we’ll see.


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Blank palette it is then. Well done and good luck, looking forward to the resurrection!:popcorn::thumbsup:

Just curious, why so much determination to get this specific MINI? Sorry to hear the vented hood is gone, I wasn't sure if those vents were legit or just peel & stick. Keep us posted on what it looks like underneath etc. :popcorn:

I agree. There must have been something about this particular Mini that possessed in such determination to get her.
I can certainly relate to having that much perseverance.
Looking forward to the resurrection of little "Christine".

Thanks for the comments guys, I appreciate it!

Let’s just say…it’s like part of the family.

This pic from when we just pulled up at my house…

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Thanks for the updates! What a journey that car has taken you on - almost 3 years! What was the impetus that made you want to track down and purchase that specific car?

I'd like to see the hub arrangement to fit those wheels. Does it have adapter spacers, or was it a full hub conversion?

Seriously a crazy experience. Congrats

Also, this!!!

Finally a day without rain!

After breakfast, and after changing my under sink water filter (cartridges are NLA)…my kid and I (with the help of a couple neighbors) moved the MINI from the street into the driveway and put it up on stands…

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…I borrowed wheel dollies from work, so that made it a little easier to move.
My kid has a budget so we tried a junkyard starter…it didn’t work unless I tapped on it with a hammer. I might get the original one rebuilt (if anyone around here even does that anymore) or maybe try a reman.

I see a straight through exhaust - rear batter box delete- , possibly stock R56 exhaust? Tell tell tell!

Yes, yes and yes...it has a stock exhaust manifold with the pre-cat removed, then straight pipe (no resonator) to a R56 muffler...and a dead Optima Red Top mounted on it's side.

I’m gonna level with you guys…the reason I jumped through all the hoops to get this particular MINI is because I’m the one that built it…with some help from a very good friend of mine Scott, who owns a metal/machine shop in CT, Nutmeg Tool.
I bought this car used with 8400 miles for my wife in 2005 for Valentines Day, we traded in her ‘97 Camry. She/we drove it around for a while then the mod bug didn’t just bite me, it pretty much ate me right up. I think the first mod was a set of Webspokes (originally came with 16” 5-Stars)…then a M7 16% pulley, a Dinan air box, JCW exhaust, a Helix short shifter, and M7 springs. I worked at a GM/Hyundai dealership at the time and had the painter in the body shop paint the headlight rings, gas cap, and side scuttles( with a black S) body color. I did a belt line blackout, black vinyl on the Cooper S boot letters, a big MINI logo on the rear sunroof, GP rear bumper trim, flow thru rear bumper grilles, and euro spec tail lights with the clear turn signal. Custom hood vents, M7 DFIC, pre-cat delete, R56 resonator, R56 muffler, battery box delete, Optima red top, electric water pump conversion. Front control arm bushings, rear trailing arm bushings, Ireland Engineering rear adjustable control arms, Bilstein PSS9s, M7 air plate diverter (gone now) cut down radiator support and my IMD mod. ScanGauge2, AutoMeter 2 5/8” boost, oil pressure, water temp gauges on the dash in a custom pod, Ian’s auto up. And yes, it is a 5x120 conversion. Modified stock MINI front hubs with stock E39 front hubs mounted to a modified stock MINI trailing arm.
I’m thinking the only way this car returned itself to me is because I never repositioned the rear wheel speed sensors to read the bigger diameter of the E39 hub/reluctor ring. I did bolt them back in so they weren’t just dangling, so everything looked normal. As you know, there were lights on in the dash because of this and of course won’t pass inspection so it can’t be registered. So unless you are me or Scott, you don’t know how to fix it unless you put everything back to stock.
The reason I traded it in was because my boys (I have 3) were getting bigger, and if I had to pick them up for my wife I couldn’t fit them all in this car and that’s an issue. As much as I hated getting rid of it, I wasn’t in a position to keep it and buy a bigger vehicle. But now I have it again, and my 2018 F150 super crew, and we lease my wife a 2021 CX-9 from my current job. So we’re good for now!

And I apologize for being somewhat misleading in the beginning of this thread.

No worries, I figured either you built it and wanted it for your now teen child , or a deceased friend built it amd you wanted it back to fix up to honor them

That’s a great story, and glad you were able to go full circle and get it back!

Thank you and yes…my middle son just turned 16 this year and has already laid claim to it. Which is fine with me as long as he is funding the project, I already did it once.

Thank you…my wife and I still can’t believe it’s in our driveway again. How often do you trade in a car, obviously have no clue where it goes or what happens to it, then 7 years later it sends you a piece of mail with the opportunity to get it back? It’s just crazy!

Agreed. That is an awesome story. I'm also pleased that with all your effort that you were able to be reunited with your Mini after all these years.
Congratulations and looking forward to reading part 2 of your story :thumbsup:

Excellent. My Wife’s R53 now lives in So Cal with our daughter ( also the middle kid ). Glad you got it back.

Thank you...it is a great story, and a crazy one! I appreciate the kind words!

Thank you...that's awesome, glad you were able to pass it down!

Now THAT makes perfect sense :lol:

We got the rebuilt starter and alternator back on Friday…rained all day yesterday…so we installed them today.
This is all I could get out of it…