Minimaster and some of our customers and friends had the chance to display their minis alongside the new mini in Carlisle city centre on July 7th, 2001.

Over 25 classic minis were on display, drawing crowds in to see us on a fine Saturday morning.

On display as special attractions included Eddie Bulga's custom mini pickup and Nigel Lamb's original 1959 Mini MkI. Many of minimaster's customers and friends also displayed their minis, attracting attention from the media and mini fans.

Preparations for many had started days before the event with careful cleaning and polishing. Our minis underwent a major tidy up, and all the others on display were even more immaculately prepared.

We took our S-Works, black RSP Cooper-S, green RSP, Mini40, and 1275GT. Also there were a green S-Pack Cooper and a blue Mini-35 recently completed by Minimaster's Mini Renovation team (and have since been sold).

We all met in Bits Park at 9am, where we were met by the new mini being shown at the launch.

For many, this was the first chance to look around it and "kick its tyres". and we were privileged to be some of the first to see it on its launch debut. First impressions were generally favourable, though many questioned it being called a mini.

At 9.20am, we all headed for the city centre, pausing at the entrance in a very long queue waiting for the bollards to be removed. This caused a small traffic jam, gridlocking the one-way system at the back of Bulloughs!

Even at this time, much interest in the new and classic minis was raised, along with a few laughs at having caused some amount of chaos with the Carlisle traffic.

The minis were all lined up to form a corridor for the new mini which created an amazing effect. Each of the minis on show was individually unique. Fortunately there was sufficient room between the cars so that people could wander around them - there seemed to be a lot of interest in every one of them.

Many visitors recounted tales of their "first mini", many of whom had passed their test in one. Others had various amusing experiences, and one person asked philosphically how many people here had been conceived in one!

We were all kept very busy with people asking questions and wanting to know more about the minis and minimaster.

Everyone though, seemed to be involved, and all enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, the gossip and getting to meet lots of different people - and of course having the chance to show off their mini.

There was an example of each of the types of minis that were once available: from custom mini pickups, to vans, to estates, to saloons, to convertibles, to new Coopers and to anniversary limited editions. We had a mini-30, a mini-35 and a mini-40. There were two S-Works: ours and one from Gretna. There was a MkI (1959), a Neon, a 1275GT, a rally sprint car, two RSPs and of course, the new mini!

After the event, we all returned to Lloyds BMW on Kingstown to a BBQ and to see the other minis in the showroom. There was also a presentation for the best turned out classic mini. The accolade went to Nick Cripps from Keswick with a white mini-30. His prize: a Mini Cuckoo clock!

Thanks to all our friends who attended and turned out with such nicely prepared minis. And thanks to Lloyd Motor Group, in particular Collin Dickson (Head of PR) and Gary Bingley (Dealer Principal for the New Mini) for involving us in the launch of the new mini.

And the feedback:
In general, everyone agreed that it was a nice car that looked well engineered and be definitely a contender in the hot hatch market. However, the general feeling was that it was a BMW and not a real mini, and some questioned whether it should inherit the badge and the heritage.

From our point of view, we think its a bit big to be a "mini", but we still think it will be a winner, and we can see that many of the design philosophies of the mini have been well incorporated (possibly even too well) and its flaws fixed (where's the rust going to come from?!?). But we feel that it will have to earn its own mark - so we hope it will be successful in its own right, and win for Great Britain in future motor sport events.

Good Points:

1. Stylish
2. Solidly built with a quality finish
3. Well engineered
4. Discs all round
5. Good access to engine
6. Pleasant and comfortable in the cockpit

Bad Points:

1. Small boot
2. Not much room in the rear
3. Inferior front seat adjusters
4. Interior a bit "plasticy"
5. Quite a big and bulky car