“People come up and ask to take pictures and share their memories of cars they used to drive,” he said. It looks big next to a Mini.”įor Gaffey, the best thing about his collection is that they’re attention-getters when he takes one out for a spin. “I bought it in Gig Harbor in December 2020,” he said. This explains his apple red 1970 VW Beetle. “To me, there are only two fine cars in the world – Minis and Bugs.

“I love to drive it, but getting in and out of it is tricky with a bad knee. “Some people refer to it as a kit car,” he said. Gaffey said that over 20 years, 400 to 500 were made in England. Less comfortable but more fun to drive is his racy red 1989 Mini GTM Coupe. Gaffey credits the comfort to the car’s hydrolastic suspension that replaced springs and shocks with fluid-filled displacer units interconnected between the front and rear of the vehicle. “It’s the most comfortable car I’ve ever been in,” he said. He has a copper-colored Austin Cooper S with dual gas tanks and a 1970 Austin America with a blue and white body and red trim. “I bought it on April 20, a momentous day! It was destined!” “They sat on my bid for half an hour,” Gaffey said. The shiny black beauty enticed him to bid on it. While the students quietly worked on their assignments, Gaffey checked a website and discovered a 1996 Mini Rover. His most recent purchase occurred in April while he was teaching an honors chemistry class at Rogers High School. “I need the money to accommodate my addiction.” “I’ve been teaching for 40 years,” he said.

His collection isn’t cheap, which is why he still works as a substitute teacher for Spokane Schools. The yellow and red Radical sports racer has a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine and reaches top speeds of between 150 and 160 mph. He’ll be racing another British car at Qlispé Raceway Park in late July. It’s part of the attraction and the addiction,” he said. I’m waiting on a visitation by angels with mechanical knowledge.” That’s not the case with his Ginetta G20 race car. “I raced this car for years and still do on occasion. His bright orange 1980 Tiga Sport Racer isn’t a Mini, but it was made in England. “I’m licensed for both novice and senior races,” he said. Two other Minis are not for family drives – they’re full-cage racing Minis. They made plenty of them, but none of them came over here.” Gaffey bought his 1979 Mini Clubman near the Garland District. “I drive them all the time – they get good gas mileage,” Gaffey said. They don’t just sit in his shop or garage. “It’s not so much a collection it’s more of an addiction,” he said. He’s long since parted ways with that car, but his obsession with Minis and British-manufactured vehicles has morphed into a collection of 18 cars – 14 made in Great Britain. “I was living on the lower South Hill and saw a mid-’50s model for sale in the Safeway parking lot.” It didn’t take long for him to acquire one. The petite autos were produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. “I loved the size, and they went like hell.” “I was there for the races, and I saw some of them in the paddock area,” Gaffey said.

Rich Gaffey saw British Minis for the first time in the late 1960s in Seattle.

Station wagon 1980