by Margaret Patrick

We had five “Women and the Marque” with their Minis displayed at Ellerslie along with other invited car clubs at the Intermarque Concours D’Elegance on 11th February.
 
We thought we had planned for everything, except we didn’t pack waders. “Great weather for ducks” as the saying goes. The heavens opened and it rained all day. At one part of the morning we were clustered under our club tent on an island of dry land with a water moat surrounding us. Due to some clever drainage work by Lesley Robinson and Co the water was redirected, and we reclaimed space for ourselves and the many spectators who sheltered from the elements during the heavy downpours.
 
You never ask a woman her age but when it comes to her Mini, it is a different story. Great conversations were struck up about our cars. Lesley Robinson had her 1978 Mini Rover Cooper Sports Pack Rebuild and her 2015 John Cooper Works BMW Mini Cooper.  Margaret Patrick had her 1991 John Cooper Works S, along with Jo Wooding with her 1993 Rover Mini Cooper, and Shirley Grant with her 1995 Mini Estate. We had our car specs printed out on our new club spec sheets and displayed them in our newly revamped display stands.

Thanks KP for the great painting of the stands. I want to thank Kevin Taylor for bringing the club tent, and Murray, KP, Graham Wing and Warrick Robinson for helping erect the tent in somewhat blustery conditions.

Mark Lewis entered his 1966 Austin Cooper S in the Survivors Class and his display was really impressive, providing a photographic history of the car’s racing heritage when it lived in the South Island.
 
The rain didn’t put us off, so these MCCoA die-hards stuck it out to the end. We did go home like drowned rats but with a spring in our tails.
  
PS:Due to our team’s ingenuity we didn’t need the tractor to remove our cars from the grounds.
PPS: It was great to see an all girls camo dressed team clean up the club display with their Land Rovers this year. 

By Tony Maulder

Auckland Council are having a series of free movies in the parks around Auckland. On Saturday the 3rd of March it was Pork Pie’s (2017) turn at Rosedale Park Albany. As I work nearby I organised a bit of a Mini show, as there were many Minis from the Southland Mini Club in the film.

This turned out to be a mission and a half with all the Health & Safety regulations now days. I got permission to park a display car by the screen to promote our club, so on the night I set up my BMW MINI and some blurb about the club.

At 7pm, before the movie started, I had arranged to meet club members and their cars nearby to convoy into the movie. The site manager was so impressed with the four Minis that turned up, she wanted them all by the big blow up screen also.

After being led to their places by the site manager, with strict H&S procedures, and after phoning her manager to get them on site, the Minis were swamped with interested movie fans. Yeh! The four car loads of club members, their families and bean bags, camp chairs, rugs and all, set up near the screen and tucked into chips, hot chocolate, and popcorn.

An enjoyable evening was had by the Mini group and movie fans, even after a small shower at the start and a bit of a windy time, with the screen blowing about a bit.

Thanks to those who came along and helped promote our Minis. We were thanked by the organisers for adding a bit more to the movie night.

by Jo Wooding

​Jo and her green Rover Mini are regulars at club events, but Jo's recently bought a new MINI as well.

Jo, tell us about your new MINI?

My new MINI is a 2005 MINI ONE R52 in British Racing Green, like my Rover Mini. She is Auto–tiptronic with manual and sports mode (But I don't like using these modes). 

I decided to purchase a BMW MINI in October 2017 because I needed to downsize. I saw a blue one on Trade Me and test drove it.  I wasn’t sold on the colour and told the sales guy that I wasn’t interested and then jokingly said “Now if it was green” he turned around and said “how ironic a green one came in last night, do you want to see that?” OMG I test drove it and fell in love, had to have it, so I bought it.

Was it tricky to get used to driving this MINI after the classic?

It was very very different. The auto took some learning to take off without bunny hopping, and then going very fast once bunny hopping stopped, these were my challenges.  I overcame them to now be a master at driving her as she is my every day car. Thank goodness  the indicators are on the left just as my classic beauty, nothing catches me out now and it's very easy to swap over. 

Which do you prefer driving?

I do prefer driving my Rover Mini Cooper as I love that ‘OLD SCHOOL’ feeling and hey, she's a classic, who doesn't love driving a classic?
She handles very well, corners are a breeze. Being an outgoing person I enjoy chatting to the people who talk to me when I'm parked up, and it's much more fun to drive her in a convoy or club event.

There is plenty of room in my MINI, but I wouldn’t say I could fit much more in it than my Mini Cooper. I can put the seats down giving extra boot room, I can fit my grandsons bike in, but cant fit him in his carseat at the same time! Which defeats the purpose.

We know you're mad for the Minis, but what other cars have you owned?

I could almost say my love of Minis was from two weeks old, as my Mum owned a cream 1964 Morris Mini and I came home from hospital in it.  It was our family car till I was 2 when she bought a Hillman Hunter as my brother came on the scene.  She bought a red Mini LE in 1984 and I learnt to drive in it.  My brother bought a brown Mini in his teens too and belonged to a Mini club back then.

My very first car was a white Vaxhaull Viva Saloon, I saved very hard for a year to buy her in 1988.  I loved my Viva, she drove like a dream, she was manual so very quick off the mark.  I used to race people at lights and only lost to V8s. 

I  owned a Chev Impala for a weekend- I swapped my Mitsi Mirage for the Impala, but my Dad took one look at the Impala and demanded I take it back. I don’t think I ever got over that. I've always loved Minis but my ultimate dream car is a toss between a Chevy Belair and 69 Mustang.

by Zac Gould

Up for an early start on a bright sunny day! Great stuff as this is my favourite show.  I drove straight past the meeting place at Placemakers - nothing a quick u turn can’t sort out (way too early for a handbrake turn).

After a quick hello everyone gathered around Pete’s grey 850 which no one had seen yet. We soon figured out there were more horses than an 850 under the hood. A beautiful MED imported 1275 engine with all the fruity bits, and the car was sitting on a set of Rose petal 10” wheels. Very Nice!

Soon it was time to follow the leader to enter the show, and somehow I was given the task of being the leader. Unfortunately Jim’s 8 port Cooper decided it was not playing ball and threw a valve seat into the combustion chamber, which could be heard from those behind. All hopefully repairable.

Once in the park we eventually found our spot and parked up. Steve brought the Mini Club tent (amazing what fits in a Porsche). Thanks Steve, hopefully he will have a running Mini soon. Robbie and his boys rolled in, in two Elf’s and the super charged Mini. We all checked out their newly finished and very cool race styled Elf.
 
While everyone lined the cars up in old school fashion Nic and Richard decided our parking skills were crap (I had to agree), so Captain Richard rearranged the cars which turned out great! Well done Richard! 

While moving his car Richard once again had his front spoiler fall off. Instantly one of Rupert’s occupants helped by moving it into the nearest wheelie bin. And yes the spoiler got bolted back on again. 

We ended up with a good range of Minis on display including a nice blue 1275GT and a very original light blue 1981 Leyland round nose, and Phil with his Mini on the promotional stand.

The paparazzi showed up to take photos of our rock stars (Jo & Richard), to feature on none other than the front page of the Eastern Courier.

We were visited by an English couple who owned a very rare Mini Cooper 1071 back in the UK. They had won best in show with the 1071 at Cooper day Beaulieu, and showed us a few photos. They were very happy to look at Graham’s stunning 1275 Cooper S :-)

They had an interesting story about how at one of the shows in UK someone had taken photos of their car, log books etc and had cloned their 1071 S, and they had a notice arrive in the mail saying they had sold their car, which of course they hadn’t. So they now have to go through the process to prove they still own it! Unreal ....

Oh did I forget to mention Richard also lost his petrol cap key! and had no petrol! Many hands make light work and off it came :-)

All in all a perfect day.