Lucas yellow fog lamps are a key feature

The old car shop Bless held a touring event on November 19, 2023. We interviewed a staff member of Bless and his car on the lawn of Asagiri Kogen, where they stopped for a lunch break. Here are their real voices.

Also owns a 2007 Cadillac Escalade

Mr. Keita Kato, 27 years old, who participated in a 1996 Rover ‘Mini’, is a Bless staff member, and he and Ms. Miyu Yamazaki took the lead throughout the entire trip.

“The president entrusted me with the planning of this tour. It was the first time for me to plan from scratch, so I researched the route, time, distance, and other details, and went on a preliminary inspection with a young mechanic. We prepared well, but I was always anxious. However, I received feedback from the participants that there were almost no traffic lights and that it was the most enjoyable and good tour with a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. I was very happy. Next year, I would like to plan it so that we can enjoy it in a different location.”

He said he has been a Rover Mini owner for nine years and used to occasionally use it to commute to school and part-time jobs when he was a student. Currently, he drives it to events and when he goes for a drive. The current mileage is 80,000 km, and he bought a 2007 Cadillac Escalade in February 2023, which he also drives.

When we asked him in detail why he chose the Rover Mini, he said that it was related to the fact that it was a car that Mr. Kato’s mother wanted to drive, but as a result, it was almost exclusively driven by him, and he researched the specifications he wanted to build up himself and tweaked it little by little.

“It’s been built to Mk-1 specifications. The key points are the Lucas yellow fog lights, Cobra bucket seats, and the fact that we’ve changed to a center meter. You’ve also fitted back fog lights. The part I am particular about is that I modified the area around the gauges myself in a crude way and changed from wood panels to leather.

I’m currently installing a tacho foot, but I’m hoping to add injectors and a high cam in the future and tune the engine little by little. I would also like to be able to participate in rallies and races, even though it is in the newer category. I hope to go to various events with my girlfriend and have fun with her at”