He is the Mini man.

He's got Minis inside his house, outside his house, on his shirt, on his hat, and he says, 鈥渋n my heart.鈥�

Nadir Ibadullah fell in love with the Mini when he was 10 years old and several decades later he's still collecting the iconic automobile.

Now he's taking five of his 16 Minis to the Vancouver International Auto Show next week. He said his cars are always a hit with show-goers and he's looking forward to sharing part of his collection with car fans.

As much as Ibadullah loves Minis and everything about Minis, he said the best part of being a collector is something he never anticipated.

"My favourite part is just seeing people smile,鈥� he said. "That's the biggest thing I like about it."

When he lines his cars up in his Cloverdale neighbourhood, people stream out of their homes to come over and have a gander.

"Everyone is smiling. And it鈥檚 no different at the shows,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hat's the best part about being a Mini collector, creating smiles."

Ibadullah got seriously into collecting when he was growing up in Karachi, Pakistan, but when he emigrated to Canada in 2004, he left it all behind. Everything he has now he's built up since 2007. He struggled for three years after he arrived before he bought his first model car Mini in 2007, in what began phase two of his life as a collector.

"My collection back home is still there,鈥滻badullah noted. "My nephew's got it. I know their kids play with it. I was not comfortable telling them I was going to take my collection away, so I just gave it to them."

When Ibadullah takes his Minis to the Vancouver International Auto Show, he'll get his friends at the Vancouver Mini Club to help drive them down there.

"They're all Mini lovers. They know how to drive Minis. They own Minis or they used to drive Minis.鈥�

Last year, he took 14 Minis to the All-British Field Meet held at VanDusen Botanical Gardens. He's heading back again this year, but after coming away with wins in three categories in 2024, he鈥檚 going to enter fewer cars in the field meet this time around.

Of the 16 Minis he owns, 15 are in driving condition and he's rebuilding the 16th. He's got all the parts, he just needs to get everything assembled. Now he鈥檚 just waiting for his mechanic in Williams Lake to put it all together.

"I've done all the metal work. All the rust is gone. The paint job is done. My Mini mechanic moved to Williams Lake. So all the parts are there. Once he is ready, and has time, I will ship the shell there and we will assemble it up there."

As for the Vancouver show, Ibadullah's Minis were such a hit last year that organizers insisted he come back this year.

He always gets such a great response from people at the shows that he鈥檚 going to be asking attendees this year to share their thoughts on Minis and why they love the unique autos. For everyone who records a short video for him, Ibadullah will reward them with a 2026 calendar featuring his Minis.

"The mini is simple, nothing extraordinary," explained Ibadullah. "People love simple things and so people love Minis. The shape, the low wheel base, the tires. And the eye is not busy. When you look at the car, you get it all in one glance. If you see the sports car, there are so many things going on, spoilers and flares and all those things."

But, he said, the Mini is beautiful in its simplicity.

He takes his blue Mini, the one with the chrome engine, wherever he needs to go. It's his daily driving car. And it's his favourite one. He said whenever he has to get gas or to get groceries or anything, he has to budget an extra 15 minutes into his trip time鈥攋ust for talking to people who wander up and want to look at his Mini and hear the car鈥檚 story.

To see Ibadullah's Minis, you'll need to hit the Vancouver Convention Centre West from March 19-23 to take in the Vancouver International Auto Show. General admission tickets cost $19.50 from Wednesday to Thursday and $21.50 from Friday to Sunday. Visit  for more details.

In May, Ibadullah will take his Minis to the All-British Field Meet, which will be held at VanDusen Botanical Gardens on Saturday, May 17. There is no entry fee for that event.

To see more about Ibadullah's Minis check out his .