April 14, 2004 – Nearly 5.5 million classic Minis were built between 1959 and late 2000, when production ended.

Unfortunately, the ravages of rust have taken many of them.

Here’s a pic from a Mini I looked at tonight. Just pushing on the floor with one finger caused this cascade of rust chunks, and rust dust…

That reminds me. When you see an ad that says “Rust Free,” sometimes you’ll find that what they really mean is “Free Rust” – meaning there’s lots of rust, they just won’t be CHARGING you for it!

I once asked a person selling a Mini exactly how much rust it had, and his reply was, “Well, it’s not hanging!”