Minis just aren’t what they used to anymore. Ask any fan of the brand and you’ll reach this conclusion, but whatever the reason they invoke, things are exactly as they seem. Sure, the cars have grown in size and weight, while along with that came more powerful engines but you do get a lot for it.
When it comes to driving experience, things go the other way around. No matter how good the modern cars are, they will never live up to the experience delivered by a pre-BMW Mini. Those things were basically karts and that’s why it is eye-watering watching the video below.
In it, we get to see a classic Mini getting crushed by the US Customs and Border Protection. As it turns out, the car was imported illegally in the States and that’s why the crusher was needed.
According to Yahoo, the VIN number said it was a 1988 model but the engine was different and the steering wheel was on the wrong side. The car was actually a 2000 model that had its VIN changed to be imported easier, without being tested to see if it’s still safe to drive.
Operation Atlantic
As tragic as this might look, it was all part of the so-called ‘Operation Atlantic’, a joint-project between the US Customs and Border Protection and the British law enforcement agencies. Its aim is to keep unsafe cars like this one off the road.
At the moment, most of the work is covering finding and destroying illegally imported British cars (like Minis and Land Rovers). The video is here just to remind anyone thinking of doing such illegal acts of the consequences.
To us it looks like a complete waste but if it does the trick and keeps unsafe cars off the road, we’re all up for it. Oh, and it’s also a federal law.
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