In this episode of Spanners, we dive into the life and garage of Tom Sturdy, a passionate car enthusiast with a unique taste for the uncommon.
Tom’s pride and joy? A ’96 JDM-imported Rover Mini with a rare “Tartan” edition interior that stands out as much as its charmingly compact design.
Join us as we uncover the story behind this iconic little car—its origins, what drew Tom to it, and the quirks that make it special. From the Mini’s spirited history to its timeless appeal, Tom shares what fuels his connection to this classic ride.
But it doesn’t end there! We take the Mini out for a spin, diving deeper into Tom’s journey into car culture, his first automotive experiences, and what the car community means to him. As a bonus, Tom gives us a tour of his other cars, including a Scion xB with a colorful backstory and a dirt-filled destiny.
This is more than just a story about cars; it’s about the people who love them. Hit play and take a ride with us!
The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.
A transcript, summarized by AI and edited by a human staffer, is below.
[Image: YouTube/Michigan Automotive Relic Society]
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Transcript:
Meet Tom Sturdy & His Rover Mini
Tom:
Cup of tea? No, no — a cup of tea. Yeah, this is where the cars go when they’ve been naughty.
This is what I call my achievable dream car. I’d love to get a Ford GT40 in the garage, but I know that’s never going to happen. So this is the car I told myself one day I would have — my 1996 Rover Mini.
I’ve wanted a Mini since I was about 13. My buddy Corey showed me The Italian Job — the original — during my freshman year of high school, and ever since then I thought, “I really need to get one of those.”
A couple interesting things about this car: it’s a Japanese-market Mini, which means it’s equipped with air conditioning — not something you often get in a Mini. It also has fuel injection, so I don’t have to fiddle with carburetors. Honestly, I just put the key in, turn it over, and it starts up almost every time.
If you drop a sheet of paper in there, it’s probably not going to fall very far. But if you drop a screw, you’re going to have to pick the whole car up, shake it around, and find it again.
The checkerboard plaid you see inside is the tartan from the Tartan Edition. As far as the history behind the pattern goes, I don’t know — each clan has its own tartan, but I couldn’t tell you which one this is. The plaid seat coverings are part of the Tartan Edition. That’s what you got with the special edition.
I had been looking for Minis on and off for about a decade. I found this one through a guy in Arizona who had brought it over from Japan. It was listed on the Mini Mania forums. I reached out to him, we struck a deal, and I had it shipped over in 2021.
Tom’s Car History & Love for the Community
I’ve always been a fan of oddball and unique vehicles. One of the things I really value about the car community — and think is really cool — is that it’s such a good way to meet new people. You’ve got this shared framework or understanding. It might not be complete overlap, but you like the same type of thing I like, which is cars.
You might like lowriders, donks, Hondas, or old British cars, but we’re all kind of centered around the same idea. It’s a really natural way for communities to form.
Driving the Mini
My dad has always been a car guy — forever — so it was something I grew up with. It was in my DNA. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a police officer, and the reason was so I could drive fast.
It’s a cliché, but everyone says “slow car fast” for a reason. When you’re in something this small, the scale kind of magnifies everything. Sixty miles per hour feels like you’re doing 120.
If I get out on the road in my Focus, it’s like second gear and you’re already doing 60 mph — so what are you supposed to do with the other four gears? This only has four gears, and you use every single one of them.
Everyone says it’s like a go-kart for the road, and it really is. You know exactly where your wheels are and where you are in relation to traffic, the road, and the lines. It’s a very analog car, so you get a great sense of your space.
First Time Driving Stick
I used to work at an air museum, and we had this ancient tug that was a four-speed. We rented the museum out as an event space, so when we had events, we had to pull the airplanes out of the hangar.
Some planes you could push by hand if you had enough people, but others needed the tug. That was actually the first time I learned to drive stick — on an aircraft tug.
I have no idea what it’s saying, but I assume it’s something like, “Hey dummy, you forgot to put your toll pass in.”
Yeah, this is where the cars go when they’ve been naughty.
The Scion xB & Other Hidden Gems
I’ve got my daily driver, which is a Focus ST. My fun summer car is the Mini. I also have an ’89 F-150 that I just put a new engine and transmission in.
I literally just picked up a Honda Civic Del Sol last week, and I also have a little fun rally car — a Scion xB.
This is my Scion xB. I got it for free. It was the daily driver of Jason Torchinsky, a writer for The Autopian. They filmed a series called The Worst Food to Eat While Driving in this vehicle, then left the car in a Honda manufacturing parking lot for a year.
When I picked it up, it was full of rotten food. It smelled a little bit like a dumpster, and that’s the reason they were getting rid of it.
I told them I was going to turn it into a race car or rally car, and they said that was a good enough reason to give it to me. So I put a lift kit on it, added mud-terrain tires, and have participated in a few HooptieX races.
I actually won my class in this car this year — so this is an award-winning race car.
Love of Cars & MARS Testimony
These are depreciating assets. They’re things that are actively falling apart a little bit more every time you use them. They require constant maintenance, constant upkeep, and constant love.
Through that shared love of cars, you can form connections with people you might not interact with in any other scenario. That’s the most rewarding thing about car culture in general — and about this group called MARS — people trying to keep these objects that are actively trying to kill themselves alive a little longer.
It all works. It’s only got 100,000 miles on it, and it’s got a dedicated storage spot.
Outro
It’s cool that somebody else… No, just put the key in — oh, I don’t need to drive it.
Here, I’m going to show you the coolest thing.
Oh dude — that is peak terrible 2000s.
