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Minivans and

MINI Fans

IT WAS A WARM SUMMER morning in to the seemingly undeniable
that the inaugural event for the then practicality of a minivan.
one week-old MINI Club of South
Florida kicked off. Although still half That is, until one fateful business
an hour before the festivities were road trip. Elizabeth and her children
set to officially begin, more than found themselves presented with
two dozen MINIs of all models and the larger Countryman model as
vintage had lined the parking lot of their rental car. One drive was all
the South Florida Society for Arts it took for Elizabeth to realize she
and Culture—with more on the way. could not only have her cake—but
carry all of it and then some in a
In all, more than 150 MINI fun-to-drive package too.
enthusiasts and their guests
gathered to enjoy a private showing It wasn’t just the unexpected
of 2003’s hit remake of The Italian roominess of the interior; nor
Job, followed by a scaled-down the responsive handling or
reenactment of the infamous gold surprisingly torque-y acceleration
bar heist for any MINI driver willing that had Elizabeth smitten. The
to test their mettle. MINI combined all of these things
into a total package that checked
For Elizabeth Dashiell, the newly- all the boxes for her and her
minted president of the MINI Club family’s lifestyle.
of South Florida, the event was the
realization of an idea sparked by Her new MINI also came with
the purchase of her own bright red another unforeseen benefit; the
MINI Countryman—affectionately inherent camaraderie among fellow
known by her and her daughters MINI owners. After so many waves,
as Ladybug. thumbs up, and exits from the
grocery store only to find another
Elizabeth has been fascinated by MINI purposefully parked right next
machines and how they worked her to hers, Elizabeth began to dream
entire life. She learned to drive on about harnessing this loose sense
the back roads of Jupiter, and by 16 of community into a true shared
she and her friends were working on experience. After gauging some
and testing out their cars. feedback from some of her fellow
owners, the original idea for the
She always loved small, quick MINI Club of South Florida was
vehicles; and ever since she was first born. The only problem: How could
introduced to the modern MINI she quickly spread the word to the
during a trip to Europe with her thousands of MINI enthusiasts
father, the stylish little runabouts throughout Miami-Dade, Broward,
had stayed in the back of her and Palm Beach counties?
mind. However, with the birth of
her second child, she finally gave Enter Braman MINI of Palm Beach.

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