Meet Greg and Sherrie Savela. These road-trippers love MINIs. Not the short skirts, the lovable four-wheeled kind. Love them so much that they own three.
And they love them so much that they’ve just driven their 2019 Mini Cooper 2,900 miles from their home on Florida’s east coast to take part in a MINI rally in California with 700 like-minded MINI-istas.
That rally is the bi-annual ‘MINI Takes The States’ which this year celebrated its 20th anniversary with its 10th rally. Of course, the Savelas have attended every one, including the 2012 ‘biggie’ that ran 3,887 miles from New York to Los Angeles. Naturally, once they got there, they turned around and drove home.
“MINIs really do hold a special place in our hearts, so we enjoy being around like-minded enthusiasts,” says Greg. “We bought our first in 2006, which we still have. They’re so much fun to drive. Even across country.”
To find out what this MINI-fever was all about, I flew to Monterey, California to join this year’s rally that involved three days of driving, starting in Monterey, overnighting in Sonoma Valley, and ending up in Lake Tahoe.
If you’re a MINI owner, and your interest is piqued, the third stop on the tour, after Leg 2 from Buffalo to Lake Placid at the end of October, is here in Florida. Leg 3 kicks off in Fort Myers on November 13, overnights in Miami before ending up in Key West on the 15th. That’s going to be one heckuva party.
Our California weekend kicked off in Seaside, just north of Monterey, where we met-up with our new best MINI friends for the Rise & Rally caffeine top-up. Total number of MINIs of all varieties, parked in neat bumper-to-bumper rows? Close to 350.
Naturally, we had to drive a MINI, so our host, MINI USA PR chief Andrew Cutler, handed us the keys to a brand new Paul Smith Edition two-door Cooper S hardtop. Smith is the British fashion icon who’s been involved with the BMW-owned automaker since the days of the Beatles.
For 2026, he helped design this special version, adding his signature to the tailgate, and painting the mirrors, grille, and wheel hub covers in his favorite Nottingham Green. Sticker price for our designer ride? $38,300.
Paul Smith or no Paul Smith, the Cooper S was an absolute blast to drive along some of California’s finest snaking backroads. Go-kart-like handling, bags of power, and real comfort and refinement in this cute, Mini-me package.
The first leg of the drive took us up the fabled Pacific Coast Highway, past Half Moon Bay, across the Golden Gate and on to Sonoma where we ate, drank and bonded with other drivers.
Day two took us through wine country and Calistoga, through funky Drytown and Kirkwood, and not-so-fun Sacramento traffic, before the magic of Eldorado National Forest, Carson Pass and Lake Tahoe.
For most of the route we drove in convoy, with lots of waving and thumbs-ups from fellow MINI pilots. Pull over to gaze at the spectacular scenery, and invariably others would stop to chat and share their passion.
Cutler tells us that previous ‘MINI Takes The States’ rallies were long-distance, cross-country affairs – the first involved 14 days and 4,000 miles. For 2026, they switched the format to three individual weekend drives, covering California, New York and the Sunshine State.
“The big change is that this year we’ve attracted a much younger crowd, with 25 per cent of owners taking part being under the age of 50. And over half of the entrants are taking part for the first time,” he explains.
There was certainly a whole lot of youthful energy on display at the end-of-the-rally party at Palisades Tahoe, in Olympic Valley, home to the 1960 Winter Olympics. Here, after a barbecue dinner, the 1990s rockers Sugar Ray performed to a hopping crowd.
Interested in joining the Florida event, either for a day or the whole weekend? It costs $50 a person for a single day, or $150 per person for the weekend. Breakfast and dinner are included. Naturally you have to drive a MINI.
No doubt you’ll meet Greg and Sherrie Savela along the way.
For registration, or more information, go to minitakesthestates.com
