Everything about this video feels a little too bonkers to be real, but so far we’ve no strong evidence it’s been faked, though I suppose it’s always possible, here in our era of New Math and silicon chips and fax machines. But, for the moment, let’s take it as a genuine dashcam video, recording a scene that took place a bit over a month ago, on the four-lane blacktop of I-75 around Dayton, Ohio, where an unusual little car (for the middle of America, that is) — an original, Issigonis-designed Mini — somehow pirouetted across three lanes of highway, spinning around multiple times like a drunk dreidel until control was finally wrested back. Incredibly, no cars made contact, and, aside from what is likely an absolutely obliterated pair of underpants, no one seems to have been hurt at all. Holy crap.
Here’s the video, complete with a soundtrack from what I think must be Joe Rogan playing in the background, and some surprisingly low-energy in-car reaction shots after the action, in case you needed that element to fully appreciate the experience:
Did I already say holy crap? Because holy crap. What happened here?
Is there something going on with how the wheels are turned there, as the Mini merges? It looks like the wheels are pointed to the right, which, as you seasoned highway-mergers know, is the wrong way to turn to merge to the left. It’s tricky to tell, but there’s not much else to go on. Wrong steering input, and an overcorrection?
The car itself is actually one that is known for good, nimble handling, and as a FWD, front-engined car, oversteer is not something I usually associate with the car, though it sort of looks like some extreme version of that may have happened here, as the Mini was merging onto the highway?
Truth is, I’m not clear at all why this happened. The road looks pretty dry, I don’t see any obvious ice, but I suppose it’s possible there was a patch of something slick on the end of that on-ramp? Or the owner had just finished buttering those tires?
The Mini looks to be a pretty late original Mini, if I had to guess a mid-to-late ’90s Mini Cooper, based on the big fender flares and slightly larger (but still quite small) wheels. Something like one of these, sans stripes and the extra lights:
They’re fantastic little cars, with long and rich racing and rallying pedigree, but that doesn’t mean they can’t end up spinning out of control like in that video. Amazingly, the little Mini manages to spin both clockwise and counterclockwise as it whips across the road.
I’m happy no one was hurt, and, I suppose perversely, happy it was all captured on a dashcam, because it is a remarkable, almost balletic, event to witness. If anyone has decent, or, hell, indecent theories about what could have caused this, I’m all ears. Or, I guess, eyes.
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I can’t believe someone got that recorded. That is my Mini and see it is real. My father and I were getting back on the highway after having breakfast. Yes, it had been drizzling. I was accelerating to merge on the highway and we hit a slick spot just as the VTEC kicked in. In an instant, the car snapped. There was no catching it, it happened too quickly. When I finally regained control, we just continued on.
The car is stock outside but it is a mid-engine rear wheel drive now. Around 300hp.
The tires are not ten years old as someone suggested. With a car that small and that powerful, you have to be aware of age and condition of both the tires and the brakes.
I’m glad it was caught on video, no one really believed it happened.
Okay, the names are slightly different, but are you MacGyver? Because that was some crazy save and sounds like a clever build!
How dare you come in here with such a claim and not link us to a build thread.
That car sounds mental, good work on keeping it under control in general, glad to see it not get pancaked during that incident.
You can’t just tease us without details on the build!
I’m guessing it must be a mid-mount J series swap?
So in summary you’re saying it was effectively:
“VTEC just kicked in Y … [ten seconds of absolute insanity] … Oh.”
I’ve had that happen in a 40hp Mini 1000, in my case it was an ice patch at night on an otherwise dry road. When you hit ice or oil in something with that short of a wheelbase it can snap around on you in an instant. Well held!
build photos or it never happened!
Two things. First I’m so jealous of your MINI. And second, I’ve been there when I hit a patch or frost on the highway between Anacortes and Burlington Washington in my buick. The police officer in the lane next to me was more than a little freaked out when he saw that I was looking out my windsield square at him through his driver’s side window. Once I got it stopped he pulled in behind me to make sure I was ok, and we had a nervous laugh before we went our seperate ways.
Glad nobody got hurt and no damage to your ride.
This might sound an odd thing to say but i *almost* wish i was riding with you.
Almost
Now it makes total sense. Short-wheelbase MR car on wet roads with that kind of power:weight? One mistake and you’re going for a ride. Especially if it had been a while before it rained before the drizzling. By the time you notice it coming around, it’s too late to do anything but put both feet in and hope.
Watched something similar take place between DC and Baltimore one morning. I think someone PITed themself changing lanes in front of a truck and they did a very nice left-right-left wipe across all lanes, a couple car lengths in front of my bike. I was too busy panic-braking while watching my 6 to remark on the proceedings.
Okay, I just watched the whole video. That reaction in the cabin was HILARIOUS! (Wide eyes, suspiciously watching the Mini as they passed it.) I highly doubt that was faked. That was just people accustomed to driving American freeways on a regular basis. Your job is to avoid the obstacle and then keep moving so no one slams into your rear end as if you’re crossing a bridge behind a self-driving Tesla!
I also appreciate how the Mini driver went over to the right to exit at the very next exit. I’m thinking he/she did some serious calming-down before resuming that commute!
Most likely a Honda D swapped Mini. I had one with the original 998cc (1000) 38hp unit, thing was the most fun car I’ve ever had.
Is it possible that wide, summer tires on a very cold day were a contributing factor?
IDK, but maybe a rear/mid engine conversion is in play? https://www.superfastminis.com/store/p_900169/the-midi-kit
I’m impressed they got it straight in the center of a lane. Well done.
I know thing for sure, that Mini driver isn’t from Ohio: They moved out of the left lane.
Since it’s a Mini I’m assuming the driver is English and his interior dashcam is full of, “Poor form ole chap! I say, I appear to have committed a bit of a Freeway Fauxpas. Sorry lads, I’ll get her sorted in a spot. Carry on.”
The more I examine that car, the more I’m confident I know this guy. That’s the onramp to I-75 South at SR73. If I’m right, there is very little stock about that Mini.
I know the mini and it’s owner. You are very correct that it’s not stock. Its RWD.
If that person wants to talk about what happened we’d love to hear!
Smaller cars are always getting overlooked in traffic. I’m sure this Mini driver has simply developed this method of entering the freeway as a way to get noticed.
By Midwestern interstate standards that was not a “low energy reaction” but much closer to a full on freakout. If you can’t internally panic for your life at the same time you’re continuing a discussion of the best chips to crumble atop tuna fish casserole, you’re not getting your Midwesterner card application approved.
That’s what sold me on it being a real video, that they weren’t overdoing it like some ticktocker.
I agree with your comments on the reaction. I saw a similar thing happen in front of me on the Stevenson Expressway in Chicago. People after the car stopped spinning everyone just went in there way like nothing happened.
All those Russian dashcams during that comet a few years back had a very similar vibe.
To me it’s instantly obvious. The air coming off the Jeep upset the flying Mini on wet pavement. I’m guessing the short wide Mags didn’t help much either. I’m sure the video is legit.
Reminds me of a Stirling Moss story.
Always heard that he could take a Mini, set it to spin-cycle, and come out of the spin while facing the direction he had been going and with no appreciable loss of speed.
Easy answer- summer tires + cold weather = no grip.
I know exactly what happened. That Mini is somebody’s baby; a pampered toy with all the extras that will fit…. including fat tires. Everybody here knows about light cars on fat tires and aquaplaning, but when tires get really old they get terrible in the damp.
I know this from personal experience here . You see the problem is that that Mini, like my 71 Alfa is lucky if it gets driven 1,000 miles a year. So you end up with 10-year-old tires with less than 10,000 miles on them and they look perfect… And they ARE except for the zero traction in the wet thing. I spun my car in an intersection on a damp day turning left on a signal. Easy as creaming your, well just never you mind, but it was easy.
Bottom line: Bet you anything those tires are 10 years old on that Mini.
The road looks like it had rained earlier in the day, but the highly traveled lanes of the highway were reasonably dry while the less-traveled on-ramp looked a bit wet. Mini driver looks to have over-estimated his (99.999% chance this is a guy) ability to accelerate past the CUV in the right lane of the highway and panicked when he wasn’t fully ahead of it, steering back to the right suddenly, and then over-correcting and losing control.
Jackass friend in the passenger seat yanked the handbrake? That’s all I got…
Phew, that’s some bad driving!
Seen a Miata do similar “tricks” merging in in front of me once. Also on a cold winter day. Please be aware of your classic/sports car’s abilities. Thank you.
But nice save, and luckily the other cars braked for it.
I’ve gone from “fake!” to “cool!” to “Lets count the car lengths of open space BEHIND the Grand Cherokee this guy apparently needed to get in front of for….. reasons?” Glad he didn’t have to test the crash safety of a modified Mini, or ruin anyone’s vehicle/day. Please consider public safety before public fun, especially on public roads!
Wow, right around the corner from me, never seen that Mini out and about. Something wonky about the headlight reflections/lack of tire marks? Just checked the weather for that day and it was a bit rainy that morning. Shopped/Pixels/Seen quite a few etc., but hmmmmm. I would not be surprised by a reckless Mini driver (Minnie Driver?!) OR Ohioans tendency to brake for no reason getting video edited.
We must be neighbors. I know a guy that has a Mini that color. I’ll have to ask him if he’s purchased any new trousers lately.
Meh, second thoughts – who would waste the time to edit this THAT well. Digital cynic kicked in first, now just bummed I haven’t seen this hopped up Mini yet lol.
The dashcam says 74mph and the mini seemed to be going quicker. Kind of looks like the mini hit a bump or wavy patch of asphalt in the merge lane and the steering got loose.
Some older modified front wheel drive cars will get squirrely when you you are running near the limit and back off on the throttle. It is all the game of weight transfer and it’s hard to catch. More or less like a 100 mph handbrake turn.
The way the Mini was accelerating up the on ramp, I wonder if it has one of MiniTec’s V-6 conversions done? That would explain losing traction so quickly like that and I’ve seen one of the V-6 cars that was done that was in that color……it’s not a common color. It might not be the case, but man that thing was going up the onramp hard, and I know my 89 Min doesn’t do that……
I was wondering how in the hell a classic Mini had the oomph to try and cut ahead of that GC. A big power boost would explain it.
Or a VTEC conversion.
That guy looks like he hates his wife. How do those 2 not even have a slight conversation about that ludicrous display on the road?
Possibly a better question: why do they have a dashcam (with audio) recording the passenger cabin?
So they can replay their arguments later and determine who “won”?
(I know Uber/Lyft drivers will do this but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.)
What percentage of people do you think ever change from the default settings on their dashcam? It’s probably set to record both directiond when installed, so they record both.
Plus, never discount the joys of documenting your family members. I whacked the “permasave” button a couple weeks ago after our 5 year old hit us with “Can you watch the bumps? I’m trying to pick my nose!” I don’t know what I’ll use that for, but I have it for perpetuity.
That’s first date material right there.
I was thinking wedding reception….
To me that’s more shocking than the Mini’s shenanigans. My wife and I have seen cars wreck or spin out and such and when we review the dashcam all you hear is us screaming “Holy fuck!” “What the fuck?!?” “I don’t fucking know!” “Learn how to fucking drive!!!”
These two’s reaction is just not appropriately energetic for what’s happening around them.
Stoned AF.
I don’t know if he hates his wife, but how about the Insane Clown Posse tattoo on his right arm?!
I did this very same thing in my ’90 Corvette (in the early 90s) on I75 just south of Detroit.
Heavy trucks had buckled the pavement creating dual rivers down the highway in the rain and the limited slip dif in my Corvette played catch and release. I wasn’t going terribly fast, maybe 55, but should have slowed down further. Anyway, I wasn’t able to keep the car straight and did a 360 with cars in four lanes (or so) bearing down on me. No cameras at the time, so you’ll just have to take my word.
Someone just wanted to cream- sorry- fudge their shorts? An errant wad of shower spaghetti littering the on-ramp, freshly enslickened with cheap hotel conditioner? They just wanted to properly display the lighting strategy of a late-era Mini in a 360 degree view to as many people as possible?
The only part that I can’t get to fit is the creepy clown tattoo on the driver of the car with the dashcam. Maybe those two have seen some shit, which is why they had no real reaction.
I wonder how David reacted to this video…
Nice recovery but overall this is why I prefer to drive an Austin Allegro.
I love that that’s your takeaway.
Hey, it’s got to be someone’s takeaway and I don’t see a lot of other people lining up for the job.
The nicest thing I can say about an Allegro is that at least it’s not a Metro 😉