By Ryan Dougherty
Contributing Writer

Turkys’ Towing on Folly Road at the foot of the Ashley River bridge is not just a lot for towed cars. It now holds the country’s largest inventory of vintage Mini Coopers.

Taking advantage of Charleston’s large port, Turky’s owner, Werner Burky, conducts all logistics, from delivery to shipping, from New Zealand, and he handles sales throughout the country, all from behind his home computer. Burky, who suffered a stroke three years ago and has since made acquiring overseas cars his hobby, has the process down to a science.

“New Zealanders are a rugged type of people. They are of Scottish decent and very frugal. They don’t live extravagantly,” Burky said.

A majority of his customers in the United States are either “car nuts” or elderly drivers who are drawn to the cars’ ease of operation and maintenance. Allison Burky, Burky’s daughter, now manages the business on site in Charleston.

Ninety-nine percent of Burky’s customers buy through the Internet as search engines point Mini enthusiasts to Turky’s Web site, www.turkys.com.

Getting the cars imported from New Zealand is a five-stage process.

To facilitate the loading and shipping from New Zealand, Burky uses international freight company, JAS Forwarding.

Once the container arrives in Charleston, Burky enlists the help of Lura Williams, owner of Williams International Inc., who, as the customs house broker, handles the paperwork once the cargo arrives at the port.

The paperwork continues as Allison Burky transfers the ownership titles from New Zealand to South Carolina. Because the cars are 25 years old, they are classified as classic cars and are thus exempt from the government safety standards that ended the Mini’s presence in the United States in 1971. The first time Burky attempted to bring in the Minis in 1976 the task was daunting, but since then, it has become more routine as “practice makes perfect,” he said

Burky credits a large piece of his successful system to one of the last stages of the process in unloading the container at the port.

At the port, Burky’s small crew, led by Keith McKeithan, quickly and cheaply unload the newly arrived container, which can hold as many as seven vehicles in wooden crates inside, using a sledgehammer and forklift.

The majority of Burky’s buyers are from the Northeast, with about 25% of the cars staying in the Southeast.

Although the inventory has increased recently, Burky denies any hedging on the gas efficient cars. His daughter feels differently, guessing that her fathers interest has more to do with “some business move, rather than just a casual hobby.”

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