When I bought the car, I said... "it's shiny, it's black, and it's evil"... so Vader was the first name to come to me. There was also something about the shape of the front of the car that reminded me of Darth Vader's helmet & face, so the name quickly became official. Only car geeks name their cars, and every car in my family had a name when I was growing up, so it was inevitable.
Minvader was purchased with a few mods already done, and I've done a little since then. This list will be updated on a regular basis... I hope!
What makes 'Vader different from every other Mini, starting at the front:
* Alta 4-light Rally Bar with 4 IPF lights
* M7Tuning carbon fiber front splitter
* K&N Typhoon Intake
* Shark Injector ECU upgrade
* XM radio
* JL Audio amp & 10" subwoofer
* Euro parcel shelf & glovebox organizer
* Darth Vader's face in metallic charcoal & metallic grey vinyl on the roof
* Mini Mania Ultrik adjustable rear anti-sway bar
* M7Tuning Sport Springs to take it a little bit lower
* Alta Adjustable Lower Control Arms to keep the rear end in line
* Blue Flame exhaust
* EBC Sport brake discs on all 4 corners
* Momo Corse RPM wheels - anthracite w/ machined lip 7"x17"
* Various TireRack tires @ 215/40/17
We've done a little bit of work together trying to become a better team, mainly me trying to learn how to keep him under control at the edge of control. We went to Downtown Mini's Track Day at the Gainesville Raceway , 50 Minis participating in a hybrid autocross/road course event, a great learning experience. Next was the Phil Wicks Ultimate Mini Driving Academy at Sebring ... this was the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel, an absolutely incredible experience to be driving full-speed on a track like this ! Since then we've done a few autocrosses with mixed results. We both really want to be on a road course, so it's hard to keep it between the cones at low speeds. Since road racing is way out of the budget, the occasional autocross and maybe a track day once or twice a year will be it for now.
He even has his own website... www.minvader.com - what else would it be? He also likes to hang out at www.daytonaminis.com .
I gotta thank my dad for getting me into this Mini addiction... and my mom for putting up with his!
For now at least, this Myspace profile is more about the Mini than me... but we'll see how all that goes!
(This is the video from Sebring, forgive the jitters and cutting out to brightly colored screens... there were technical problems with the recording gear.)(This video is from the SunshineMinis Track Day on July 29th 2006... thanks to Matthew for capturing my most embarrasing moment!)
Black Cars Look Better In The Shade!