Targa alumnus Christina Kroner was profiled in the Wheels section of the Toronto Star newspaper on June 20, 2026 about her passion for MINIs. Christina co-drove in three Targa Newfoundland rallies and was the navigator with driver John Hume Sr. when the pair won the Grand Touring title in 2017 in John’s 2013 MINI GT.
By Tracy Hanes, Special to the Star
Why I Love My Car is a series in Wheels that features people sharing their love for their vehicle. Owners reflect on how they came to own their car and tell us about the role it plays in their life and why they have such a strong connection to it.
When Christina Kroner gazed upon a Mini Cooper at age 11, it was love at first sight. She was delighted by its happy face, and cut out photos of Minis to create a collage. She dreamed of owning one.
Now Kroner, a Toronto realtor, is a full-fledged “Miniac” and owns two of the cars.
“I wanted a Mini as my first car, but my mom didn’t think it was the best choice, as, if I crashed it, she knew I would be heartbroken. I bought an Acura. I had it for eight months before I traded it in for a Mini in 2006. I’ve owned six Minis since.
I’ve built a community. I’ve built a brand. I’ve made best friends. And I’ve travelled internationally — thanks to my Minis.
When I was a university student in Waterloo, I approached a Mini dealership because I felt something was lacking in the showroom. They created a part-time role for me, Mini Ambassador. My job was interacting with people in the showroom, sharing the brand and community. I next worked as an ambassador at Mini Durham until 2011, when I became a full-time real estate agent (www.christinakroner.com).
My most memorable Mini is my 2013 Mini S Convertible, Pinky, named for the character Pinky Tuscadero on the Happy Days TV show. (Kroner’s Instagram page, Instagram, features Pinky prominently.) I bought her lightly used in 2013 and she was black. That year, I drove her on a solo two-month road trip across North America to raise funds for the Children’s Wish Foundation. I had the car wrapped bright pink. The wrap served a couple of purposes: it fulfilled my dream to drive a pink convertible, and it attracted attention, as I had the fundraising website on the bumper.
I drove from Toronto to Vancouver, down the west coast to Los Angeles, then to Boston and through Atlantic Canada. I drove just under 28,000 km. Highlights were driving with the top down on the Pacific Coast Highway and meeting people. That’s what I love about this car — people smile. They wave. They want to take pictures with it.
I also have a 2019 Mini Countryman John Cooper Works. It has more creature comforts, such as Apple Car Play. I use it as a daily driver. The pink car is very special to me and I want to reduce the opportunities that someone could hit it. The Countryman has a few battle scars. Both cars have four-cylinder, turbocharged engines. The wheels are on the corners, giving go-kart type handling and a connection to the road. They are designed for you to have fun and you sure do.
I joined the southern Ontario Mini Cooper club in 2006. The area was vast, and I felt we needed a club dedicated to Toronto drivers. In 2013, I founded the Toronto Mini Club Facebook. We do cruises. We go to car shows and a coffee shop owner who drives a Mini created branded mugs for us. We’ll hold drives, such as the TMC Erie Shore Ice Cream Run (this year, on May 25). People are on their porches with their phones taking photos of us as Mini after Mini, of every shape and size, passes.
We have track days at Mosport. Father’s Day is a good time to see vintage Minis on the track at the VARAC Vintage Grand Prix. (VARAC Vintage Grand Prix — Canadian Tire Motorsport — Official Site.)
I am also a member of R Club (a Toronto car club). It’s such a cool place and I host Toronto Mini Club members to come and watch Formula One races on screen at R Club.
I am a rally navigator and got to compete in Minis at the Targa Newfoundland Rally in 2015, 2016 and 2017. It was an absolute dream. I was a navigator at the Rallye Monte Carlo 2019 on the only Canadian team. The driver was from Prince Edward County and had a Porsche. If I couldn’t be in a Mini, I wanted to be in a Porsche. You don’t ask what seat in the rocket, you just say yes.
Minis attract everybody. You can’t say who is a typical Mini driver. For some, it’s their first car. Some people are retired and it’s their fun car, there are people who commute in them. I think it does tend to attract quirkier, fun, young-at-heart people.
You can customize them to represent your personality. I have created a community around my Minis. I’ve been a keynote speaker at real estate conferences, talking about how I accidentally built a personal brand around my passion for my Mini. If I’m not working, I’m usually at a Mini event.
I love to drive Pinky with the top down. You can see what’s happening on third and fourth floors of buildings. You might see a clock tower you didn’t before. You hear and smell things. You feel more integrated with your surroundings. It represents freedom, adventure and reinvention.
Pinky has the history, the passion, and she’s mine. I have made so many positive memories with her and she’s seen me through so many chapters of my life. Newer cars are more refined, but my Pinky will always be my preferred choice.
She’s in the pink driving her Mini S Convertible, Pinky
