KARACHI: The Mini Mania 2026 is the first ever Mini Cooper Rally in Pakistan. Kicking off from Karachi in the early hours of Sunday, the Austin Mini cars first headed to Sukkur to get on the Motorway to then head for stopovers in Multan, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar to take to the mountains to peak at Murree and Nathia Gali with 22 cars.

The idea for an Austin Mini rally was on the mind of Mohsin Ikram, the president of the Vintage and Classic Car Club of Pakistan (VCCCP). It was in 2015 when he and friends were in Italy for their own classic car rally. They had stopped at a point from where they could see the Stelvio Pass. “We noticed 11 Austin Minis come down the hills from there. They also saw us with our classic cars and stopped to meet,” Mohsin told Dawn.

“It was only a few weeks ago that I started thinking about them again. I thought about doing something similar here as we have quite a few well-maintained Austin Minis here too. Why not?” He added.

Although the rally started in Karachi with six cars, the rest will be joining them from other cities as they progress on their journey.

Classic car rally roars away to add ‘new chapter’ in automotive history of Pakistan

Mohsin is leading the rally in his red 1969 Austin Mini with a black top. He has experience of many long drives, including four in his Mini, the longest one of which was a 38-hour drive, which is most probably also a world record because the longest drive reported internationally is 23 hours.

Shabbir Bijarani will be following Mohsin from Karachi in his green 1974 Mini. The others from Karachi include Mubarik Ahmed in his 1966 deep maroon Mini. There is also a yellow 1965 Mini Moke recreational convertible in the entourage, owned by Ali Malik, which looks different from the usual Austins that one is used to seeing.

“It’s a unique one brand rally of Minis, which has several variants such as the Austin Mini, Morris Mini and Mini Countryman, etc, which has added a new chapter to the classic car rallying in Pakistan,” said Imad Samad, president of the Vintage and Classic Rally Drivers Association of Pakistan (VCRDAP).

Others who will be joining them from other parts of the country in their “small wonders” include Murshid Shah, Moeed Rahman, Junaid Ahmed, Hamid Malyk, Dr Kamran Hussain, Dr Shahzad Leghari, Bilal Khan, Omar Hayat and Abbas Malik. One Mini from Karachi is also taking one of the two support teams of automotive mechanics in case anything goes wrong with any car along the way. The other team is accompanying them in a van with lots of tools and spare parts.

It is not wrong to call an Austin Mini a small wonder, as it looks like a very small car but is in fact designed to comfortably carry four big sized men along with their luggage.

“Don’t underestimate the power of a Mini,” said rally participant Shabbir Bijarani.

About it being cramped or too constricted for long drives was dispelled by another fact about a very tall friend of Mohsin Ikram’s who had dismantled his driving seat and fitted it in the boot of the car.

“He drives while seated in the boot area because his legs are very long,” he laughed. It also reminded everyone of the famous character Mr Bean, who also has a Mini which he drives while sitting on its roof.

Ali Malik, who owns the yellow Mini Moke convertible, said that he hoped that the Mini Mania rally would have a good and positive impact. “The rally is affiliated with the Federation Internationale des Vehicles Aciens [International Federation of Ancient Vehicles] or FIVA for short, which has millions of members in 120 countries. All will know about our rally in Pakistan, projecting a soft image of Pakistan. Another plus will be their getting to see our beautiful sights as we document our journey,” he added.

Mohsin also added that vintage car lovers here have trained brilliant teams of mechanics capable of doing wonders within limited resources and the Pakistan government should allow the import of over 50 years old vintage cars.

“Neighbouring India are doing it and re-exporting these cars while earning lots of foreign exchange,” he pointed out.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2026