MINI agreed to lend me a 2025 Cooper S so I could drive 3,100 miles to cover the action during Monterey Car Week. Follow the entire series by clicking here.
The top photo says it all. For most of the drive today, I found myself in the middle of nowhere in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. When I saw this huge convenience store in Lincoln, Nebraska at the end of the day, its sign that said “You are nowhere” summed up my day of driving and most of the places I drove through perfectly.
I started at 6 a.m. and basically spent the day on I-80 just making miles and occasionally stopping at rest areas. Later on, I went to a truck stop for lunch at an Arby’s. The staff were really nice and the food was great.
I was looking forward to getting to Omaha, Nebraska, where I was going to meet my best friend Trent Abbott at his garage and take a break. After 605 miles of boring, I made it.
I had not been to Trent’s new garage space, so I followed the GPS and then looked for his Lapis Blue Porsche Cayenne. I found it, parked next to it, and went in to see my buddy.
I have known Trent for about 20 years, having met him at the old Hagerty party at The Lodge at Pebble Beach. We started talking and literally became instant friends. We both love cars, scuba diving, all things James Bond, and have the same taste in music. In fact, a few years ago, he and I drove my old 944 to Monterey on a trip like this one. We both now work in the collector car hobby and have in many ways mentored each other along the way.
His garage and collection of cars is truly excellent and reflects the kinds of cars people in the Gen-X era are into. There are a ton of Porsche cars, as Trent has a Porsche issue, and then some odds and ends including British cars and three different International Scouts. We talked for awhile and I told him that of all his cars, the 1961 Scout is my favorite. The reason is that when I was in high school, a friend had one and I thought it just looked cool. It has an air of seriousness and utility mixed with a car that just looks fun to drive. He thought I should take it for a drive and I did.
If you have not driven one of these original Scouts, they are unlike any other 4X4 I have driven – more civilized than an early Jeep, but less sophisticated than a vintage Land Rover. I think of them as the template for the original Ford Bronco and if you look at the car, you are likely to see why. They are all torque and no power and are super fun behind the wheel.
After hanging out for about two hours, Trent and his friend Jeremy Tate cleaned the MINI’s windows and I headed to Lincoln. I actually just asked to use some glass cleaner, but they took over the job. I happily paid them with some of Ann’s homemade cookies, which they gladly accepted.
Tomorrow is the longest run of the week: a 900-plus-mile drive to Salt Lake City, Utah so stay tuned to see how that goes.
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