Way Motor Works - Ways Story

Way Motor Works

By: MaeLynn Hill

There’s something special about the people who dedicate their entire lives to cars. Not the people chasing trends or social media clout — but the ones who grew up with grease under their fingernails, spent weekends at racetracks instead of malls, and built a life around pure passion for driving.

That’s exactly who Way is. And that’s exactly why Way Motor Works became more than just a shop. It became part of MINI culture itself.

Way’s story starts long before WMW existed. It was before race cars, before championships, before thousands of MINIs rolled through his shop doors. It started with family. His dad and uncle always had cars around and not just ordinary daily drivers either. There were Mercedes, British MGs, and all kinds of European cars constantly rotating through the driveway. His dad drove nearly 200 miles every day, so if one car wouldn’t start, he’d simply jump into another.

For most kids, that might’ve just been normal life. For Way, it became an obsession.

From the moment he could hold a wrench, he was helping work on cars. Reading every automotive magazine, he could get his hands on. Going to every car show possible. Falling in love with everything about the automotive world. By the time high school came around, he already knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.

Cars weren’t just a hobby anymore. They were the future.

Luckily, his high school partnered with a vocational career center, allowing him to spend half the day learning hands-on automotive repair. That experience ended up shaping everything that came after. Way won the state vocational auto tech contest and the Ford AAA troubleshooting competition, earning himself a full scholarship to any technical school in the country.

That opportunity took him to Chicago, where he enrolled in a program designed to feed students into BMW and Mercedes factory training. But while other students struggled, Way quickly realized how prepared he already was thanks to those vocational classes. Hungry to get into the industry faster, he doubled up on courses, graduated three months early, and finished at the top of his class.

Then came the moment that changed everything: driving a friend’s BMW M3.

That was it. Decision made.

He entered BMW STEP training in Florida — a notoriously intense program often compared to boot camp — just as rumors started swirling about BMW reviving MINI in the United States after acquiring Rover Group. For someone raised around British cars and inspired by, MINI felt personal from the very beginning.

So when dealerships began recruiting STEP graduates, Way made one thing crystal clear in his contract: he wanted to become the first MINI technician at the dealership.

And when MINI officially launched in the U.S. in 2001, everything clicked.

Way didn’t just work on MINIs — he lived them. Building original JCW cars, fixing them daily, then spending weekends autocrossing and taking his own MINI to track days. By 2003, he had become one of the top 20 MINI technicians in the country.

But what really makes this story special isn’t just the technical skill. It’s the community.

Because MINI people aren’t just “car people.” MINI owners are a completely different breed. They wave at each other on the road. They drive hundreds of miles for events. They turn strangers into lifelong friends over mountain roads and late-night parking lot conversations.

Way became deeply embedded in that culture, helping create MINICCI — the first MINI club in Indiana — before eventually leaving dealership life behind in 2004.

And almost immediately, customers followed him.

Two weeks after leaving the dealer world, Way Motor Works was born.

At first, it was humble. Working on MINIs out of his house. Traveling to track days. Hosting mod parties in parking lots. Installing parts for owners who simply wanted their cars to feel more exciting on the drive home.

But WMW quickly grew because people trusted Way.

Unlike dealerships, where upselling often becomes the priority, Way built WMW around helping people. Fixing cars honestly. Helping owners understand what they actually needed. Building cars that were not only reliable, but genuinely fun to drive.

That passion naturally evolved into racing.

When the US MINI Challenge launched, Way built a race car from a MINI that had previously been rolled at a track day. He funded the racing effort by wrenching on customer cars during race weekends, then drove the same car he worked out of onto the track.

And won.

Back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007 proved that WMW wasn’t just another repair shop — it was built by someone who truly understood these cars from every angle possible.

In 2008, Way relocated WMW to Atlanta, where the MINI scene was exploding. Starting in a shared shop space, the business rapidly outgrew every building it entered. Over time, WMW expanded into multiple units before eventually moving into its current 12,000-square-foot facility in 2020.

Photo by Adventures of a Car Girl

 Photo By Adventures of a Car Girl

Today, the shop has become a destination for MINI enthusiasts across the country. Complete with climate-controlled work areas, massive parts storage, and donor MINIs helping keep other cars alive, WMW represents something bigger than business. It represents dedication to keeping MINI culture thriving.

And after all these years, that passion still shows.

Whether it’s helping a customer keep their beloved MINI on the road, designing performance parts, racing, or simply enjoying the raw mechanical feel of a classic Mini on a back road, Way’s love for these cars has never faded.

Because for him, MINI was never simply transportation.

It became a way of life.