Here, the Observer finds out why owners are so devoted.

Laden with chrome



My first car was a second-hand Mini and ever since I have never, from choice, driven anything else.

For a while transporting children and a large dog forced me into a more sedate and cumbersome form of transport, much to my disgust.

But relief came when children became more independent and a small terrier replaced the much-mourned giant-sized canine.

I could have a Mini again - and this time it was going to be a Mini Cooper, brand-new!

Off I went to my local dealership and sat entranced at the computer screen while the sales manager showed me the huge range of new, but old-style, Minis.

No expense was going to be spared as far as I was concerned - this was my treat to me.

Eventually I made my choice, an absolute beauty laden with chrome and extra lights enough for a Christmas tree.

This was in the days when you picked up your new car just after midnight on August 1. The garage rang a few weeks beforehand to ask, as it was so stunning, if I would if they put it on display until pick up day.

I was happy to agree and for the next couple of weeks found every excuse to visit the dealership to gloat over my beautiful new motor.

One day a keen young salesman approached, unaware I was the proud new owner, and told me how much attention it had attracted.

"Sir Alec Guinness would be proud of that one, wouldn't he?" he asked.

I looked at him blankly for a few seconds before it dawned on me that although he'd clearly done a bit of homework on Minis, he had confused its famous designer Sir Alec Issigonis with the renowned thespian of a vaguely similar name.

Jo Rothery

Lifelong friend

Bob Sneller, 58, of Petworth, is the proud owner of a 1963 Mini 850 which he has known almost all its life and owned for the past 20 years.

The car rolled off the production line only four years after the Mini made its debut and Bob's father bought it when it was just a year old, keeping it for two years until he traded it in for a Sunbeam Rapier in 1966, when Bob was too young to drive.



It was then bought by a Harwoods' mechanic who ran it for many years, leaving it to his son when he passed away.

The son did not live locally but regularly came back to visit his mother in Petworth, so Bob saw the car frequently and told its new owner he would be interested in buying it if he ever considered selling.

In the late 1980s Bob finally bought the Mini for £300 and the car has been with him ever since and is still driven regularly. He took it on the London to Brighton Mini run in May this year.

"Minis are iconic - tremendous fun and an amazing design with so much space for a car only ten feet long," he says.

Little race car



Steve Elliott, 20, of Rose Green set up Chichester Mini Club last September and has owned his Mini for two-and-a-half years.

"It was my fourth car but my first Mini and when I saw it I knew straight away I wanted it and had to buy it, although it wasn't in amazing condition. It is a limited edition Mini Rio - unfortunately I didn't realise this until after I replaced the original interior.

"Being a motorsport engineering student at university, I decided I was going to turn it into my little race car.

"As a lot of owners will tell you they spend a lot of time and money on their Minis and mine was no exception. I have replaced most of the car and even gave it an engine transplant last summer as the gearbox went and it was easier to replace the engine.

"It has spent the equivalent of about a year of different spells off the road, but it is my Mini and I will always fix it when it goes wrong".

Silver gem



James Ware of the West Sussex Mini Owners Club owns a 1989 silver Mini Mayfair, in really good condition given its age.

The last owner was a 'little old lady' who kept it polished and in a dry warm garage, using it only once a month for shop runs.

"I was emailed about this Mini and it was what I'd been after for a long time, as I'd been looking around for a silver mini for a while after I had to part with my last one. I remember it seemed really surreal, a low mileage silver Mini in good condition, kept in a garage. It seemed like fate.

"Like most Mini owners I've taken to adding a few extras to customise it a little and there is still a lot I want to do. It's kind of a work in progress, but its on the road and makes me smile when I drive it."

Sparky's smile



Chris Ginnaw is the proud owner of two Minis and is using one of them as the work van for his business. Christened Sparky, the 1972 yellow van has recently been resprayed and sign-writing added.

"After taking redundancy last year, I have retrained as an electrician, working for myself and serving the Littlehampton to Chichester area, and thought it would be a good marketing ploy to use an old Mini van," said Chris.

"I want to stand out from all the 'white van men', but also want to make the business fun. So many people smile when they see an old Mini, so why not make it smile back at them? Sparky hopefully will be part of my liveihood and far more fun than driving around in a Transit!"

Chris also drives a 1989 Mini 30 limited edition in black with a 1380cc engine and loads of very technical things.

"The Mini 30 is just pure fun, totally different from driving a modern average 'normal' car."

Join the club

Chichester Mini Club



A drive to set up a Mini club in Chichester last September has picked up speed at a tremendous rate.

"I had been thinking for a while that there wasn't a mini club local enough to Chichester, so one day last September I decided to create a website, www.chiminiclub.webs.com," says founder member Steve Elliott.

"I made up little flyers to put on windscreens of Minis I saw about. By the end of October things started to pick up and we had about ten members. We had our first club meet in November and although only six cars made it this was a good start."

"From then on we have had a meet the last Sunday of the month at 7:30pm in the theatre car park; we then go for a drive around Chichester, maybe stop again for photos in the multi-storey car park. After this we go for a nice drive over Goodwood and back through West Dean to the Earl of March pub in Lavant.

"Coming up to Christmas we had nearly 30 members in Chichester Mini Club, come February there were about 40 of us" And Steve has just signed up the 65th member.

"We are now going to shows together and attended the London to Brighton Mini run together which was a lot of fun".


West Sussex Mini Owners Club

"The best part of driving a Mini is the genuine sense of community," says James Ware.

"You'll find people from all walks of life with little bits of helpful knowledge and ideas to exchange.

"As a club we go on runs to Mini events all over the south, mostly in convoy, and we have our own little local runs, too.

"Just motoring around you never get the sense of being on your own. Often you pass another Mini and you always get a wave or a quick flash of the lights."

Visit www.wsmoc.uk

Both clubs will be at the free Minis by the Sea event, on September 6, in Worthing, which helps raise money for charity.


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