Story by Kara Schweiss // Photography by Sarah Lemke
In bow-hunting gear or with his full-sleeve tattoo visible, Les Beauchamp looks like he should be driving a giant pickup, not chuckling at the pickup drivers who poke fun at his MINI Cooper S’s compact size or call it a “toy.”
“I’m confident in my masculinity and my choice of a MINI, but I’ve been offered many times by guys with trucks to have them toss it in the back of their truck to take me where I’m going,” he said. “I laugh and I think, ‘Enjoy your truck and your gas bill at the same time…too bad for you.'”
He’s had his current MINI since 2017, and he’s been loyal to the brand since he purchased his first MINI in 2006 on a whim. It was only a few years after the 2003 remake of the movie “The Italian Job,” in which MINI Coopers were central to the plot, serving as nimble and speedy post-heist getaway cars. So, the MINI’s iconic hipness definitely played a part in influencing his first purchase, Beauchamp said.
“We were driving down the road, and my two children saw a MINI for sale on a corner and said, ‘Dad, you have got to buy that car,'” he recalled. “And I did!”
That first beloved MINI was yellow. In 2011, Beauchamp purchased a cream-colored MINI with a black top. He was so pleased with the service from the ONYX team that he returned six years later for his current vehicle, which his now-adult, “aesthetically gifted” son helped him select in graphite gray with darker pin-striping on the hood and each side.
“We chose it because it was classically cool,” Beauchamp said, adding that the look is nicely complemented by a black interior with red accents, including the stitching around the steering wheel.
Small Vehicle, Big Appeal
The small vehicle/powerful engine combination of the brand also appealed to Beauchamp, who’s known for his long association with Lifegate Church.
“You know, I’m an evangelist for Jesus, but I’m kind of an evangelist for MINI Cooper,” he said, adding that his practice of encouraging a test drive has brought some new followers into the fold. “I know if they get in my car and drive it, they may begin the MINI adventure…If you came by our church during service and looked at the parking lot, you would see several MINIs.”
Beauchamp touts the MINI’s practicality, and said the interior is surprisingly roomy.
“I purchased that yellow one from a guy who was 6-foot-3. And when I purchased it, I asked, ‘Are you selling it because of your height?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not,’…they were getting another car [as] a family car,” he said. “I am all of 5-foot-8. I feel like I can do jumping jacks in it.”
Beauchamp found the MINI to be just fine for hauling children around, he said.
“They’re both grown now, and we have grandchildren,” he said. “I have a dream, even, of being able to give one of my grandkids this car.”
Dreams of the Next MINI
He’s also already dreaming a bit about what his own next MINI could be, maybe even a top-end JCW (John Cooper Works) model with a turbocharged engine and luxury touches, including the latest infotainment technology. Beauchamp said he especially likes its practical features, which include a headlight spray-cleaning system. He said he also loves the classic MINIs he’s seen in London, but admitted that he doesn’t have the mechanical skills to maintain a showpiece vehicle.
“I’ve dreamt about owning one of them,” he said. “Yet, at the same time, I want to move fast and hard and not worry about hurting the car.”
He meticulously maintains his current MINI, though, meaning that he doesn’t take it hunting (although it could easily handle the weight of a 200-pound deer or 250-plus-pound elk). However, Beauchamp said, “If you came to my garage any fall after I’ve harvested a deer, I will let it age hanging in my garage, and my MINI will be right up against a hanging deer.”
Life Is Good
Like his custom license plate touts, life is good for Beauchamp, but his MINI is merely one factor.
“I think MINI Cooper people have unique stories,” he said. “People have said, ‘Life must be good because you have a MINI.’ I’ve had this license plate because my wife battled breast cancer and became very near death, and she’s alive by the grace of God. And so I want to declare to everyone: ‘Life’s good.’ And not just because I drive a MINI.”
“I’m an evangelist for Jesus, but I’m kind of an evangelist for MINI Cooper.”
— Les Beauchamp
