Tues., May 23, 2007 – In our other features, we’ve mentioned how classic Minis sometimes turn up in unusual places. A gentleman called us one day after a friend told him about my hobby-turned-business. He had a Moke that he was willing to send to a new home. That one went to a new home in Michigan, but that’s not the story I’m looking to tell.

While there standing in his garage with his late-’50s Cadillacs, he told me of many Minis he’d owned over the years.

What I found interesting is how he found them.

It seems he is a telephone company service person (ie: the politically correct, gender neutral name for “lineman”), and, in the course of his duties, spends time working high up on telephone poles. Up there, he can view backyards of many homes, and in some, he spots classic Minis – sometimes in forlorn, haven’t-been-used-for-some-time condition.

After work, he’d pay a visit to the homes to inquire if they might consider sending them to a new home. A surprising number said yes, and some were even willing to give them away if he hauled them off….

Sheesh – some guys have all the luck…