British Mini Fair

TARDIS-themed club displays compete with Moke prototype for Mini fans’ attention

ADalek invasion – albeit of the inflatable, nonthreatening variety – took over what was one of the British Mini Club’s busiest ever season-starters, last weekend.

Clubs from across the country embraced the one-day event’s Doctor

Who theme, with the Midlands Mini Club, Birmingham Mini Owners’ Club and Cooper Sport 500 Register among the entrants to display hand-built TARDIS models, pretend Daleks and even a Clubman Estate decorated as K9 in this year’s upstairs club area.

Away from the TV nostalgia there were more than 100 Minis on show inside the hall, plus at least 150 more in the visitor display areas outside, and plenty of classic-generation cars for sale. Highlights included a prototype Mini Moke making its debut appearance at the show, the 1968 Mini recently restored on

Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars and the car used by Top Gear in its India Special episode. The tradition of event organiser the British Mini Club giving away a car continued too, with Henry Gunn from Kinver, Staffordshire, winning a 1986 City E.

Among the Mini owners to give this year’s event the thumbs-up was Pete Thomas, who displayed his 1995 Sprite in the pride of ownership area.

‘It’s the busiest British Mini Fair that I’ve seen in a long time,’ he says. ‘As events go, this one’s really well set up.

‘Everyone is really friendly, and there are plenty of people happy to share advice with you if you have any Mini-related questions at all. It’s also completely indoors and nice and dry, which at this time of year is definitely a good thing!’

Paul Moran’s 1978 Mini pickup has come a long way from how he originally discovered it – abandoned on a dairy farm with an oak tree growing through its load bay! Paul and Francesca Billington, from Shrewsbury, brought along their 1970 Clubman. They...

Pete Thomas, from Wolverhampton, displayed his 1995 Mini Sprite in the show’s pride of ownership display. He’s owned the car for eight years and, Minilite-style alloy wheels apart, has kept it looking completely standard.

Ian Sims, Bill Bell and Trevor Ripley of the 1959 Register showed off this prototype version of the Mini Moke. It’s one of only six made and has different panels and seats compared to 1964’s production version.

This 1995 Mini Sidewalk had to compete with a lovingly decorated TARDIS to win over fans on the Midlands Mini Club’s stand.