About seven years ago as I was working with Andy Williamson on his pristine Honda Civic Hatchback we ran into Jason Neumann from Mini Boy’s Paint and Design. For those of you familiar with HCI, Andy was our editor before I arrived. Andy and I have been long time friends and he was the first person to introduce me to Neumann and his work. Neumann was responsible for painting Andy’s HB with its signature silver and blue paint scheme. Fast forward seven years and once again we ran into Neumann and his latest creation, a 1963 Austin Mini Cooper. As we shook hands with Neuman several memories started flowing through my mind. I remember from back in the day that Neumann was known as Mini Boy to all his friends back home, and now I suddenly remember why. Neumann, AKA Mini Boy has owned a very impressive collection of Mini’s over the years and this House of Kolor Brandy Wine beast that you see before you is his baddest creation to date. Mini Boy is responsible for almost every modification that you see on the car. This guy is the real deal and does a little bit of everything. From fiberglass work, to TIG welding, to chopping the roof of his Mini, to painting, this guys does it all. Neumann told us that he has worked at Costco wholesale for over 10 years and working on custom body work and painting has been a side hobby of his. Can you guys just imagine what this guy could do if he did this full time? Neumann told us that he has been collecting and restoring Mini’s for the past 9 years and this latest creation is certainly one of his best.
Mini Boy’s Mini has been modified from top to bottom and inside and out. Neumann told us that this project has taking him close to five years to complete. The exterior of the Mini is rocking a wicked House of Kolor Brandy Wine paint job. Before the gold base and wine color could be applied, Neumann and his friend David Gault went to town on the body. The roof of the Mini has been chopped 4 inches, the whole car has been de-seamed, the taillights, door handles, and gas filler cap were shaved, and the trunk lid has been smoothed to perfection. The Mini is also rocking a set of suicide doors, hot rod flush LED taillights, a custom boot hinge, custom license plate mount, Toyota 4runner hood scoop, 2005 Mini electric sunroof, and handmade fiberglass front bumper. Talk about custom, the exterior of this car is all about custom and then some.
Neumann’s Mini is rolling around on a set of 13″ super light wheels that are matched up to a set of Pirelli tires. The Mini’s center of gravity is brought down via a set of aluminum ride height adjustments and factory cone suspension. The Mini is also equipped with a set of chromolly lower adjustable camber arms. Helping the Mini come to a halt are a set of big brake rotors, 4 piston calipers and stainless steel brake lines.
A custom TIG welded 10pt roll cage designed and built by Neumann is the centerpiece of the interior of the Mini. Working nicely around the custom roll cage is a handmade fiberglass dash, door panels and interior pieces. After all the test fitting and sanding was complete all the interior pieces were painted to match the exterior of the car. A custom set of embroidered suede Cobra racing seats keep Neumann and his passenger nice and cozy as they cruise around South Florida. Neumann tunes start through a Sony MD head-unit and exit out a set of MB Quart mids and highs. A Earthquake PH-D2 3000watt amplifier and a set of DBX-12DR 12″ subwoofers are used to shake the roof on the Mini.
Neumann’s Mini isn’t powered by some stock motor. Mini Boy wanted some extra power so he opted to install a 1.6liter VTEC motor out of a 1995 Civic SI. Not only was Neumann looking for some extra power out of his Mini, but he was also looking to score some extra points on the show floor. Swapping out the old motor for the new VTEC motor has done wonders for Neumann during competition. At the last HIN event of 2005, Neumann and his Mini took home Best of Show honors in the wild category. This was just another impressive win for Neumann and his crew. In 2005 alone Neumann’s Mini has taken home numerous Best of Show awards, Best of Show in the wild and mild classes, and 1st pace European sports wild and Best of Show Engine compartment at the NOPI Nationals.
Neumann wasn’t content with just installing the new VTEC motor, he wanted much more. He fabricated a custom chrome cold air intake system. Going with the new intake are a stainless steel header and full exhaust system. Before the motor was installed, Neumann had the intake and exhaust ports on the head ported and polished. A MSD ignition coil cap and Apex’I VTEC AFC were also installed for some extra performance gains. In the rear compartment of the Mini Neumann installed a aluminum spun fuel cell and tons of stainless steel fuel lines. A 50 shot of NOS was installed for when Neumann needs that extra boost on the road. A stage 3 clutch and Jun ultra light flywheel were installed to beef up the tranny on Neumann’s Mini.
Neumann’s Mini Cooper is truly a work of art and it just goes to show that no matter what type of car you own, you can truly stand out in our scene. Neumann has been building wicked rides for as long as we can remember and we are glad to see that he is still pushing the envelope with his latest project. Meeting Neumann seven years ago was an honor and seeing what he has been doing over the past couple years is truly remarkable.
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