In the too-good-to-pass-up category: While visiting England, Auto123 recently headed to the National Mini Day event. Because who wouldn’t want to see more than 1,000 Minis at once? It was, to say the least, impressive to see so many cars of the same model gathered together in their country of origin.
The event this year marked the 40th anniversary of the Mini Cooper Register, a club of Mini fanatics counting over 2,200 members spread around the globe.
Minis of all ages
Lest you deduce that a large event devoted to one measly model might be uninteresting, deduce again. There was an impressive diversity of model variants in attendance, from Austin and Cooper Minis, convertibles, station wagons and 1275 GTs, to pickups, panel vans, police Minis and even a Mini Marcos.
We even spotted a Mini that was never officially manufactured. Dubbed the Mini Mini, it is, you can probably guess, even smaller than an original Mini. It has no side doors and its roof has been chopped. Talk about highly original.
Despite a high proportion of classic-model Minis, the modern and contemporary Mini was also proudly represented by various local clubs.
Among the countless Minis on site, our attention was particularly drawn to those that participated in the famous races and rallies of the 1960s. And these weren't replicas. They were authentic cars that took part in events like the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally and the 1964 Alpine Rally, among others. Within this exhibition, we were also thrilled to see cars #3 and #4, the engines of which were tuned by John Cooper Works.
As part of the event, visitors who came from as near as one town over and as far away as Austria and Canada to spend some serious Mini time also had the opportunity to stroll through the vendors' and merchants' booths, which offered parts, model cars and promotional items.
Beaulieu: a very nice place indeed
Once again this year, National Mini Day took place on the enchanting grounds of the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. Not only could participants walk through the aisles of Minis on display, but they also had the chance to visit this spectacular museum. It covers several worlds, including motor racing, cars from the silver and small screens and iconic British family cars through the decades.