#92 – Araminta Reed. Classic car events.

Welcome to Classic Hard, the BMW Group Classic podcast. This is JP and my guest today has a passion for horse power and also for single horse power because she comes also from a world of horses and please, with no further ado, welcome with me, Araminta, Reed, better known as Mint Likes Cars. This car is the most honest car you've seen. It's been enjoying me ever since I've had it. The first time I heard that engine screaming, I thought I got to have one of those. It's the joy of driving. What's great about a BMW Classic is the community that surrounds it. When you listen to that, that's why we're here. Minty, hello, how are you? I'm very well. Thank you, JP. It's a true privilege to be here as we didn't do. I mean, it's the good thing you don't only speak to me. You speak to all our followers here on the classic podcast, but I take this privilege to say that we have a one to one, even though there's a great team behind this podcast listening and also overseeing that everything technically goes well. Minty, we met, I think, in Goodwood for the first time, if I remember correctly. We did. We did. And what were you doing at Goodwood, Minty? Do you know that was the, I think it was faster than the speed. It was the day that I set to the wonderful lady who introduced us here. I said to her, I want to work in cars and I don't know how to do that. And I met you and I said, I'll see you again. And you said, you said, okay. And I said, I promise you promise. And you said, yeah, okay. And you know, here we are now. Here we are. And it was amazing to follow your journey into this car world because you bring a fresh view on cars. And I really liked the way you present things. And also the different angle you put on cars because you started this thing. And this, of course, someone will say, okay, this is very like cliche. But you started to think with the PTS colors on your nail colors. I did it. It was a great success. And is it correct to say that your approach to cars is an enthusiastic and aesthetic one? I would definitely agree with that. Yes, I think, you know, coming into the car world, it is predominantly a man's world. And I think I, you know, having that conversation with peer when I met you, I didn't know where to start because there's so much. And I always think, you know, the more you know, the more you realize that you don't know. I've always looked at cars and thought they're beautiful, but I don't know anything about them. So it was a really nice way to learn. Yeah, I mean, that's the best approach learning. Yes. As we now know, it was not that you grew up as a super passionate car enthusiast, but that changed dramatically with a fantastic human being called Ed. Tell us more about Ed and how Ed changed your world. And Ed is not the famous horse from the TV show. So about, I'd say probably eight years ago, I met Ed and we met, we were neighbors, we're late at the time. I was, I think I've ever told this sort of story publicly, but I was on a dating app and I put my parameters to like two and a half kilometers, let's say, and he was the only one that popped up, so we matched. And we became great friends. But it soon transpired that there was more than just a friendship there. And he spent his entire life doing car things. It was car meets. He then started working in cars at an auction house. And so one of our friends became kind of in the car space as well. And as a result, I was sharing in his passion, showing an interest in his passion. And that's exactly what I did. So instead of sort of resenting going to the car meets, I started sort of going with him and tinkering on cars and that's sort of how it all began. I mean, this is a very nice way of spark. It's to have a spark of a fire of interest in cars. But what were your hobbies at that time? I grew up riding and horse riding. And I really love that. And I think that's certainly what Ed tells me when I say, "Can we get a horse?" And he says, "No, but we can buy another car." That car needs also attention, but not the same level of attention. And what we like, as the BMW Group Classic podcast, is that your first car was a mini one. Yes, it was. I had, and I don't actually know what the color was called, but it was a blue over almost yellow leather. And it was a great car. I really loved it. My father bought it for me. It was incredibly generous. And I think it cost something like two and a half thousand pounds. I mean, for the money, that kind of caliber of car. No, it wasn't anything particularly special. I'd think it probably had less than a hundred horsepower, but it was just a really great car. And that's the car that I learned to drive in. It was a manual. And I loved it. And I really, I sort of ran it as long as I could, and as long I ran it. Not into the ground, I wouldn't have said, but I got to the point where I, you know, my foot was flat on the floor pretty much everywhere. And I thought, I think I need a little bit more poke now. Yeah, of course. I mean, you grew up and you developed yourself as well, and your car should develop as well. And I think the mini one is actually a cool example of how a brand could be revived after disappearing or like on the edge of disappearing. So what was the interesting thing for you? Was it the drive of the mini, the practicality? I mean, the agility, even though it hasn't much horsepower, but even a mini one felt like a bit like a go-kart. I think that's what people compare it to the most. I think for me, we looked at a lot of different cars. And I've never liked to be the same as other people. I think, you know, the same partially goes for my tasting cars now. But I say partially for a good reason. But I think, you know, it's a really good car to ensure it's a fantastic car as a first-time driver. But I also think the build quality without sort of getting too nitty gritty is sort of into it. I'd say the build quality is fantastic. And I will never forget my father saying, I feel like it was safe in this car because when you shut the door, it's a proper metal like clunk, you know, and I think really that was it. Whereas I feel like with, you know, similar cars, similar price point, you don't have that feeling of complete safety. I think they're incredibly well built. You know, the interior was leather. It was a nice place to be. I was one of the first people at my school. I used to drive into school. I was one of the first people to get my license. So I wasn't allowed to take passengers for, I think, a month, which I would recommend. I would love to do to my future children, 'cause I think it teaches you to respect. Yes. But overall, it's just, it's a fantastic little car. But as I said, but the Mini, I think they did a quite a good job and I really enjoyed driving Mini-1, Mini Cooper, Cooper S. I'd driven them all and I really, really liked them. Before you started your career in cars, or you just jumped into the career of cars, you were modeling as well. I did. And everything is about the detail, right? Yes. Would you say that this job also changed your view on cars? Are you able to spot maybe things that others might oversee? I think, in a funny kind of way, yes. I, from an incredibly vain standpoint, one of the things that I pick up on in cars is passenger mirrors. And I was really, it's something that I always look for, especially in classic cars, because I think then, back then, sort of 60s, 70s, things were so much more considered. So I do tend to notice the little bits I can pin in forina cars and they have the astray, the beautiful astrays. I can't, for the life of me, remember which car it's in, but in the glove compartment, there's, it comes down and there's a mirror that pops up. So actually, a lady or a gentleman can sit there and have a look and do their makeup. And they think things like that are so much more considered. And actually, if you talk about, like, driving pleasure, the bit that is so cool about cars is all of it. I mean, there's a famous BMW, the Garmish, which was designed by the Grand Master of Design, Gandini. And he had exactly that. You opened the glove compartment and the whole big, like, - Yeah. - Mirror came up. But actually, you see this also in the Ferrari Tessarossa. I think it had it as well. - I think that's what it was, I think it was Tessarossa. - That sounds like a Ferrari Tessar, because the Garmish is very difficult to see, because there's only one in the world, which is at BMW. So it's good. I think it might be a Tessarossa. And yeah, I think it's the details that really make cars. I mean, it could be the always upright, roach, roach, logo, or the center caps of the Rotros phantoms and other models. This alone, I like it. So yeah, we'd like to have it standing in the upright, so we'd really go the extra mile. And all these cars. of details is what I really like. We should speak about your Instagram handle, which is or your social media handle, which is mint likes cars, and I think it's both wonderfully simple, and it's just the truth. When was the point where you really realized that this wasn't a face and it should actually become something to build a life around? I don't think that was a point that I decided. The first time I made a video, a walk around video, was apps at Joe McCarrie's dealership in West London. So Joe McCarrie, famous for our dealer from the UK, legendary guy. He just broke all records at the moment because he let his great-dane drive in next to 500 TR. Sorry, so it was amazing. Sorry, but just for reference, that's Joe McCarrie. And I sort of thought this is interesting. So I started making a few more videos at Car Meets and sort of going with Ed to Car Meets and going to things like Monika Historic, and it's impossible not to fall in love with cars, and an event like that, same with Revival. So I'd say there was no real defining moment where I thought this is a thing. Yeah. We spoke about Goodwood, and for those two people who listen, that don't know Goodwood. So Goodwood is a place in England, is run by the Duke of Richmond. It was an airbase, then became racetrack, if I'm not mistaken. I've always got that wrong. And there are three fantastic events happening every year. It's the Goodwood members meeting. It is the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and it's the Goodwood Revival, and all three are quite irregular. And I mean, BMW has a very close collection to Goodwood. I mean, Mini literally built next to Oxford, then Rolls-Royce built in Goodwood, have a big manufacturing facility over there. Do you have with all the time you've been to Goodwood, because as we say, Revival and members meeting is a bit of a time travel and Festival of Speed is a die-hard. Let's go quick up the hill in front of the Goodwood house, and let's do donuts and have fun on with cars. No, don't, JP. No. No, you're not allowed to do donuts, they put the kinds up. I don't stop anybody. Okay. Yeah, I mean, okay. Your Grace, I'm sorry that I just maybe start something that. So no donuts, but lots of fun. Anyway, so all three events have a very different approach. And I mean, for Revival, BMW built a kind of an October Fest dip in doors with the Revival Fest, where you have, like, a very infood. They run their BMW motorcycles there. You have always exhibitions about Mini and all this kind of stuff, so all this time, do you have one specific favorite Goodwood moment besides the one that we met in all in, I mean, being very modest. I mean, it's hard to beat that. Yeah. I think, you know, for me, my taste in cars, I love anything vintage. So Revival for me is where it's like, it's my eighth wonder of the world. And I've had some unbelievably special moments there with all sorts of people, their all sorts of cars. We did the trap parade in Amaya's Monks last year or the year before. That was just incredible. But I think my most favorite part of Revival is Sunday evening when people are going home. If you're lucky and Goodwood somehow managed to do it, the sun starts to set. And it could have rained that whole weekend. And it always stops the rain stops. And there's always a beautiful sunset. And then by that moment, Sunday afternoon, I tend to not make videos and just go to the birthday gift hunt. And after that, you cross over and you go into the fun fair. And we'll just sit there and maybe go on the helicopter, but we'll just reflect on the last three days. And that's probably my favorite moment. It's a very nice that you say that because that's also for us. I mean, this is normally a fixed group of people from friends from Germany that go over and from the UK. And that's for us the same exact same thing. You sit there, you watch the last race with all the term oral around you and enjoy it with the drink and box of fries and sausage or something like this. So I agree. This is truly the magic. And you start processing what you have watched and what you have seen in the sense. You know, for you traveling is a big part of the of the job description because you cover events, you cover cars on events. What is the main reason for travel? Is it going to events and then cover cars or do you also go directly to see one specific car that you would like to talk about and film it and publish it? I think, you know, it's a combination of everything. I think often I'll attend an event. And I mean, some of the events that we've traveled for like the last day is one of the most beautiful places on earth. And then when that place is full of the most exquisite cars on the planet, that to me is like my, it's like in Ratatouille when he has the strawberry and the cheese in his brain starts exploding. Like that's me at the end of the day. And I think, you know, the same can be said for Public Beach Quail. I've just seen everything on social media about the Anantara Concours, which looked amazing. I go for the events. And then sometimes I'm not working with brands. Sometimes I'll work with auction houses. You mentioned the Concoursal de la Ganza where I rested. One of the most difficult words for non-Italian speakers or title of an event. I agree. It's wonderful. They keep it as a big, big secret which cars are going to be on display. So it's a bit of a black box. And you try to really reach out to everyone to understand who might have an idea which cars will be there. You just call collects. Are you going to be like this here and things like this? So as Mint likes cars, how do you approach this event? I mean, I'm exceptionally lucky that I have Ed as my videographer as well as my boyfriend. It's really wonderful. So I think it's, you know, we do it together. We turn up together and we'll go and talk to the owners, the collectors. And I always love it because any one of these events, people, everybody who is there is having a good time. They're happy because they, you know, they're doing something they love. So we'll go and talk to people about their cars and people always are so forthcoming with that information because they love it. They want to share. And then when something spikes my interest, I'll go and make a video about it. And sometimes it's about the event as a whole, but yeah, sometimes it's a very, very quick learning curve. A car I've never seen before. And I want to talk about it because I think it's an amazing story. Yeah. If the cars have not a connection to people, they own them, they drove them, they built them, they restored them, they sold them, whatever the relation is, it would be just a wonderful object, but with no substance, I would say. I couldn't agree more. And especially the concourse, also has this wonderful thing of connecting these two elements. Why I love cars. And I hope that many others follow this routine besides driving and enjoying and having a good time with friends in a someday drive out or something like this. And this for me is the major picture why I love the concourse so much. I love that. But also driving there is fantastic. So for you, I try to understand. So there's a wonderful BMW 507, for example. So this V8 open car developed with the help of Max Hoffman, who was the importer in the US. And you see the Evers Pressley car, for example. So this car has been owned by Evers Pressley. This this automatically tick boxes for you to say, I would love to talk about that car. I mean, yes, usually it's, it's something that is more interesting than the car itself. Yeah, I went to a collector in Japan. When I was actually, I was there with Mini. I can't remember his name exactly. I'll butcher the pronunciation. So I'll leave it out. But he collects everything Mini. And there is a huge appetite for Mini in Japan. I couldn't believe how popular they were. And there was this Mini Cooper upstairs in his in his garage and his sort of imporium. And it was really truly exceptional. And I said, what is that? Because it wasn't quite a Mini Cooper. He'd done some things to it. But it had a roll cage in it. And I said, can you, or we were speaking through an interpreter, I said, can you just tell me about this car? And he said, yes, it was owned by a lady. And it was a car that she had persuaded her family, her husband and her children would be a good idea. And her husband said, you can only have it. She was a surgeon. So, you know, very important that she makes it to and from work. You can only have it if you put a roll cage in it to make it safe. So to me, a car like that has an epic story. And I think that is a car that deserves to be shared. Because because it's so unique, it's so weird, but it's utterly cool and that's what I love. Again, absolutely. First, we touched two points, the safety point that I mentioned in the beginning with the mini classic. And I think if I'm not mistaken, the collector is called Kazoo Maruyama. Could it be? Yes, because Mini did a fantastic movie two years ago about him, about his collection in Japan. I mean, it's this 70 plus year old Japanese gentleman and I'm so happy that you met him and that you exactly choose the car, which is for me, I mean, there could be thousands of other important mini-coupers and minis, but you choose one that is very special and I like this story about it. And it shows exactly how content can work. So if you wanted to watch that video, just go to the mini site and look for Japanese collector and then you will find it on YouTube and it's amazing stuff and also look out for the video minteted about this, obviously. So we spoke about the concourse, so we spoke about that you've been to many, many events because it's part of the job. For someone like you who came cross-jumping into the car world, which events they should visit for the first time, for the first year they love cars. The first year they love cars, and I was start by saying I think there are some excellent car meets in London, so you're not ready to let say commit to a full day of cars, but you want to just have a little sample. So there's South Side Hustle on the first day of every month on Wimbledon Common, very eclectic mix of cars, there's also the Wimbledon market, so you can go grab a little coffee, it's lovely. Supercar's Europe, Tom Callahan, he also runs cars on the green, which is such a lovely thing, that's on Elbert Common in Fallon. That's sort of my local little meat, if you like. So the advice is start with the local cars and coffee style events, so you find them actually in every larger city, you find them all over the world. And you have an amazing one in Munich and marks. Yes, this is marks and cars, and then we have also wheels and vice-versed, so wheels and white sausage in the BMW group classic, so just google it and you will find out when it happens also very nice. It's actually a typical Bavarian easy-going cars and coffee event, which is very nice, hosted in the BMW group classic headquarters. So that's also something I would recommend. I like that way that you may be start easy before you go to a full weekend of events and stuff like this. I think it's a very nice advice. Minty, we have a little element in our podcast, it's called the pitstop, the classic hot pitstop, that means I will ask you a rapid fire of questions. Are you ready for the classic hot pitstop? I think so. Very good. Minty, mini one or classic mini Cooper. Classic mini Cooper. Horses or horse power? I have to say what was that? American Muscle Car European Grand Tourer. Grand Tourer. In line six or V12. Restore to perfection or original patina. Original patina. It has to be. Sunday drive or track day? Sunday drive to a track day? I love that. Gambo 3000 or millimetre? Millimetre. English countryside or London city streets? English countryside. Rally stage or circuit racing? I've never seen a rally stage. I've never been rallying, so I have to say circuit. Good. Note it. Do you really note it? One car forever or a different car every week? A different car every week. Mini inspired by Goodwood or Rose Royce Dawn? Goodwood mini. Music on or off while driving? Off. Driving with passengers or driving alone? Passengers but not in the back seats. Very specific. Stick shift or pedals? Stick shift. Thank you very much. That was the classic hard pit stop with Minty. You cheated a little bit because you said do you do a Sunday drive to a track day? It does. Do you do for fun together with Ed and friends? Drive? We just go out and drive. We do. I think also especially as the weather gets better. We just want to go and drive. I love conversations and a car. I think it's so much easier sometimes to breach difficult topics when you're both just looking at the road. Not that there are many of those, but it's a great place to chat. I remember growing up. I'd always had the best conversations I could with my father when we were driving. We did a lot of that because it's just focused on the road and conversation just flows. Because you can't see your car escape on a certain point. It's very difficult to escape conversation in a car. It's not that easy. Then you said as long as it's not from the back seat, what do you mean by that? I like, if you're a passenger, obviously, as a front seat passenger, you have more, you're expecting where you're going. You can predict. Whereas I feel like in the back seats, it's just less enjoyable than you have to turn around and look at your passengers. Make sure they're not being thrown around too much. True. I mean, I have a very good solution for you. It's called BMW Z8 because there is no passengers in the back. So it's only two seats. So it's very easy. Yeah, you're not wrong. Or a three seat to defend a 90. Also possible. I agree. I have one. Yes. It's great. Actually, to be fair, the gear step is a little bit of a complicated one for the middle person, but usually it's okay. Yeah, I mean, it depends. It should be a good friend sitting there because the position of the hand schools are very, very direct private parts I have to say. It's not my favorite seat, to be honest. I think it gets too personal then. Yes, for sure. Yeah. And I think we definitely need to make sure that you go to a race stage because it really is such amazing. It's cool. I do lie a little bit. I did a festival speed last year. I did the rally stage with Travis Pastrano, which was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had in the car. But I feel like that was, that was baby rally stage. And I wanted to do big rally stage. Yeah. And then you said radio is rather often on while driving. Is it because of conversations? Or is it because of listening also to the sounds around shit stuff like that? I do a lot of driving. And sometimes, you know, I make my calls in the car. I love speaking to my friends in the car, my family. But yeah, it's it's classical music. Yeah. Or it's speaking to people or it's just listening to loud V10. Fair. Very cool. Minty, we come already to the end of our conversation because time flies so quickly. But I would not leave you without the question, what's next for you? TV show, book, racing life and restoration project. What does the next chapter of Mint like cars look like? It's a good question. I think, you know, I'm I'm booked pretty much now until September. I would say I'm a yes person. So any opportunity that crosses my path that I feel like could be a cool opportunity, I will say yes, because you never know where where it will take you. No, it's always the simple answer. Yes, is the one that might be difficult. And I think it's a wrong assumption. That's the other way around. Because yes, means also you need to deliver in a sense or you need to be obliged to do something or if you give a word or something like this. So it always helps us to go the new ways, a new path. And so I think, let's see what will come in the future. Araminta, thank you very, very much for joining the classic heart podcast today that meant a lot to us. And thank you for spending time with us because as we all know, time is the most pressure thing we have in life. So thank you very much. Araminta, read AKA Mint likes cars. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, Dupy. And to all who tuned in, thank you very much for do so. And if you like what you listen to, please do us a favor and hit the subscribe button on one of the podcasts provider you choose. Because that will help us to beat the algorithm. And you will never miss one of our upcoming editions of the classic heart podcast. And a big thank you to a great team behind this podcast. There's Federico von Königswald, our editor. We have Markus from Sanarius Studio, who makes sure that we sound right. And all through a young fundraiser who holds all the ends together minty and was a pleasure. Thank you. Well, the pleasure is all mine. Perfect. Bye-bye.