Latest news with #Shorty
The Drive
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
This 'Shorty' For Sale Sees the Original Mini and Laughs
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Today's Minis have gotten too big for their britches. Thankfully, a classic Mini touring about town maintains the small car balance. But should BMW-owned Mini build a laughably offensive modern-day behemoth, there exists the 'Shorty,' a truly miniature Mini that just so happens to be street legal. Based on a vintage Mini Cooper, the 'Shorty' is a highly modified version that sees the wheelbase significantly shortened and the roof chopped. According to Silodrome, the exact origins of this mini Mini are 'lost to history,' and there seems to be no set standard for the mods. How small the minimalist among Minis can get is genuinely based on preference. For example, there are two-seater classic Coopers galivanting around out there. At that point, they might even be tinier than go-karts. Because the only requirement is a classic Mini as the donor vehicle, the Shorty probably isn't as uncommon as one might think. As Silodrome notes, the OG cutie was built from 1959 to 2000, when BMW introduced its version that carried the same name but with modern design and engineering. More than 5.3 million original Minis were built over its four-decade lifespan. This conversion currently listed with Car & Classic happens to be a 1978 model. Car & Classic The Leyland Mini was converted into a Shorty about 12 years ago, but then apparently stored in a barn for the last decade. Its current owner obtained the lime-green Leyland sometime in the past year. The vehicle has had plenty of recent work, but mostly of the cosmetic variety. The vehicle's bumper, grille, and chrome trim are all new, and the interior is refreshed with new carpet and reupholstered seats. A new battery was installed, and the tires were replaced, likely from being an inactive barn resident for several years. Although this Leyland Shorty Mini sports a bold color, I think any possible polarization is a moot point when you consider the vehicle proportions will turn heads regardless. The vehicle is currently located in Northern Ireland and said to have just 50,000 miles on the odometer. The listing shows an asking price of £5,500 ($7,445), but the seller is also open to offers. This particular vehicle is 'driving very well,' said the seller, but may need its handbrake cable replaced. How this thing drives is a fascinating thought. After all, you're taking a vehicle that maxed at about 1,500 pounds to start, and then putting it on a crash diet. Shedding half the sheet metal (I'm guessing) might mean twice the fun (still guessing)? For that price, such a quirky little conversion might prove to be big, cheap fun. Beverly Braga has enjoyed an eventful career as a Swiss Army knife, having held roles as an after-school teacher, film critic, PR manager, transcriber, and video producer – to name a few. She is currently a communications consultant and freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous outlets covering automotive, entertainment, lifestyle, and food & beverage. Beverly grew up in Hawaii but roots for Washington, D.C., sports teams.
The Guardian
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
No other neighborhood compares: a weekend in Bushwick
A Dominican restaurant by the DeKalb L train subway stop offers a diner-style experience in Bushwick on a recent afternoon in Bushwick. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh Maria Aguialar sells tamales across from Maria Hernandez park. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh A handball/paddleball game in action at Maria Hernandez park. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh/The Guardian Danny Vargas, a local handball player, warms his ball in hot water at Maria Hernandez park. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh Shorty's 99 cent store is one of the many affordable discount shops in Bushwick. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh The Spot Barbershop, a Latino-run business on Wykoff Avenue. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh Gus Lopez, a motorcycle enthusiast and Bushwick native, shows off his bike on Jefferson Street. Alberto Camacho, a resident of Bushwick for more than 20 years, poses for a portrait in front of Shorty's 99 cent store, where he works. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh/The Guardian Grafitti art by the Bushwick Collective. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh/The Guardian 'Red', a local handball player, plays at Maria Hernandez park. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh Kids ride on a ramp at Maria Hernandez park. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh A man examines fruit at Green Valley produce market. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh A volleyball game at Maria Hernandez park. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh Jimmy Martinez with his mother, Margarita Martinez, of the Mexican deli grocer Jimmy De La Vencidad. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh/The Guardian A mural with a loft for sale sign. Photograph: Lanna Apisukh/The Guardian Partygoers wait in line for Carousel, on a recent night out in Bushwick. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Partygoers dance at Paragon in Brooklyn, New York, in the early morning hours. The beloved nightclub will close its doors in April, citing financial difficulties. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Christian Whelan, 22, poses at Bossa Nova Civic Club. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Partygoers dance at Paragon. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Jimi Lucid, musician, 31, at Bossa Nova Civic Club. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian People outside of Mood Ring in the early morning hours. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Partygoers dance at Trans-Pecos in Ridgewood, Queens, bordering Bushwick. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian London Dejarnette, 23, waiting for food from a food truck right outside Christopher's Palace, a bar next to Mood Ring. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Partygoers dance at Bossa Nova Civic Club. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Corinn Morgan, 22, poses at Bossa Nova Civic Club. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian The scene at Bossa Nova Civic Club. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Chiara Moraca, 22, poses for a photo in front of Paragon. Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian
Axios
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Trombone Shorty to perform in Super Bowl pregame
When the world tunes in to Super Bowl LIX this Sunday, the first thing they'll hear will be New Orleans. Why it matters: New Orleans natives Trombone Shorty, Jon Batiste and Ledisi, along with Lafayette's Lauren Daigle, anchor a pregame program that'll be seen by tens of millions of people. Zoom in: "It would be hard for any type of company or event to come to New Orleans … and not use the flavor," Trombone Shorty tells Axios New Orleans. "This is such a magical place, and the music is the heartbeat, so you have to have some type of flavor. The music is what keeps the city alive and the heartbeat going, so I think they've done a good job and I'm happy to be a part to represent the city." Yes, but: It didn't immediately seem like that would be the case. When the NFL announced that Compton native Kendrick Lamar would present the Super Bowl Halftime Show, some critics wondered why a New Orleans artist wasn't in the program. That quickly changed once pregame artists were announced. The latest: Shorty will team up with Daigle to perform "America the Beautiful" on Sunday. The pair got together in studio in recent days to talk about the arrangement, Shorty said. "It's gonna be a rhythm crossroads between rhythms in Lafayette and rhythms in New Orleans," he said. "We have that real Louisiana type of connection going on." What's next: Shorty's working on new music with the New Breed Brass Band. (Their latest collaboration was Grammy nominated.) Plus, the lifelong sober artist just invested in mocktail brand Mockly. "I've never been a drinker," Shorty says, so he's tried mocktails all over the world. When he tried Mockly's and learned it was a New Orleans-based brand, he wanted to get involved. "Anything that's based out of New Orleans, I want to be part of it in some type of way." Watch the official Apple Music interviews with all Super Bowl pregame and halftime performers Thursday starting at 10am on YouTube.
