It takes a big man to trade in a massive Benz for a Mini Cooper. Here, Gilles Mendel, the designer and CEO of J. Mendel, explains why he’s driving around town wearing a big smile. In his own words:

“I’m not so much of a big-car fan. But I’m very nostalgic and sentimental about things. My mother always had a little Mini Cooper in Paris. And, since I was young, I had one in Paris, too. It’s the perfect car to drive there. When my mother passed away a few years ago, I felt I needed something to put me in a Parisian mood. I thought it would be great to have a Mini Cooper in New York City. 

“At the time, I had a huge Mercedes-Benz 600, with a driver. I thought it was very chic. The car was a monster; it could seat 20 people. I treated myself in having this luxury. I’m a driver fanatic, not a car fanatic. But I went through like 7 or 8 drivers. One didn’t like to wash the car, one was a terrible driver. It was more trouble finding the right driver than running my company of 100 people. I realized dealing with the car and driver was such a waste of time, and not very useful. So I decided to get rid of them. And I thought, ‘What a thrill it would be to have a Mini.’

“I went on the Web and it drove me to fan sites. Finally, I located a website called MiniOasis.com that specialized in refinishing old Minis and putting in modern elements -- like a new engine -- to make them into these Mini Rolls-Royces. They had pictures of all the little victims, and one was really cute. It reminded me of the one I had in Paris. It was a 1972, all black exterior, with tan leather on the inside and beautiful oak wood. I had the president of my company, who is more operational than me, handle it. We hired a broker in New York City. The car was in Denmark, which is where they convert them.  It cost $16,000 including shipping, and 5 months later, it arrived at the Newark ports. It was so easy and inexpensive, I couldn’t believe it.

“Driving it feels super-luxurious. It’s really an antique with a new engine, and just the sound of the motor…. It’s really surreal driving it in New York. It has that sound and smell specific to the Mini. It transports me to Paris. I live on 68^th and Madison, and I drive every day to my studio. And, every time I drive, it attracts so much attention. I have more Rolls-Royces and Bentleys stopping and asking how to change their car for this funny little thing. It’s very cute. It really makes me smile. It makes everyone smile -- kids, construction guys, doormen -- they all smile. When I drove the Mercedes, I got more grimaces. With the Mini, you put on your signal, and everyone lets me go. It gives everyone a nice happy feeling.”

~As told to Karin Nelson

Get One:

MiniOasis.com is currently under construction and not accessible. However,

minis.co.uk is the leading specialist in Mini Cooper restoration.

For more info on J. Mendel, jmendel.com

Photos by Seth Wolfson - Seth Wolfson.com