As the owner of a 1968 Riley Elf, I have to explain quite often to people who ask me "What kind of car is that?" When I tell them that it is a variant of the Mini, I have had the frequent response of "I didn't know they made Minis that long ago." I think that what causes some Mini owners to shake their heads at MINI owners is that same lack of knowledge about the Mini and its long history. I have been at events with classes for both old Minis and new MINIs, and have seen folks drive in and prop the hood open on their MINI to show off all of their silicon and billet doodads, then wander over to the Minis and ask "What kind of car is that?" I look at it as an opportunity to educate someone on the long history of change that has led up to the car that BMW has built on the foundation of 50 years of Austin, Morris, Leyland, Rover and BMC Minis (Riley and Wolseley too). When I drive my car, I'm always looking for other drivers who know what they are driving and recognize another unique vehicle with a thumbs up when you pull up beside them. Most of the MINIs I pull up next to are being driven by someone yakking on their cellphone who don't even look around when you try to get their attention. All that being said, if the owner of a new MINI has enough knowledge of their car to know that it's built in the UK (albeit by a German company) then by all means, they're welcome to join our British Car Club.