Michael Lynch’s mini car makes massive impression

As senior Michael Lynch has grown up, he has developed a taste for smaller cars. Already known for his black 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, Michael also squeezes into the most diminutive of pint-sized automobiles, the Austin 1000, also known as the Mini.

The Mini Cooper produced today has a reputation of being one of the smallest cars on the market, but its predecessor, the Austin, is possibly small enough to be the Cooper’s hood ornament. Measuring in at 48 inches tall and exactly 10 feet in length, Michael’s blue 1973 Austin is so small it’s impossible to miss in the parking lot, even among the mountains of SUVs.

Michael said he has received many questions about its road legality. And although it is legally allowed on the road, that doesn’t mean the car stays on it for long. Usually, Michael said people will find his car parked at the local gas station due to its tiny tank, which tops off at six gallons.

Everything about the car is small, from trunk space to the engine. The car weighs less than 1,400 pounds (most cars today weight around 4,000), can only fit 2 people, and roars around town on a 1.3 liter engine that Michael estimates to have between 70 and 80 horsepower.

“I’ve never taken it past 70 miles per hour on the freeway,” Michael said. “It’s a four speed manual (most are five) and doesn’t have a tachometer, and I don’t want to rev the engine too hard.”

However, operating the Mini gives the driver a huge thrill.

“The Mini was one of the best handling cars of its age,” Michael said. “It is really fun to drive.“

An auto enthusiast from a young age, Michael said he has “always been into tinkering.” His first car, the Beetle, was a project he started in seventh grade, and he built most of it himself.

As for the Mini, Michael claims to “want to put in coils, better tires… and I’d like a supercharger somewhere down the line.”