The 50th anniversary of the Mini Cooper was the star attraction at the 2011 Mini Day at Brooklands, with a 25-car display from the Mini Cooper Register taking centre stage in front of the famous clubhouse (above). Everything from a Mk1 Cooper 'S' to the new four-wheel-drive Countryman was on display, but one of the highlights was Cliff Porter's 1970-registered Mk3 'S'.
Historically important examples were in abundance, including three ex-works Abingdon cars, and there were also loads of the second-generation Rover Coopers, many of them (such as Bryan Purves' built to Group N spec for the 1997 Monte Carlo Rally) taking to the Surrey venue's famous test hill.
Ken Hunter, who organised the display with Register vice chairman Robert Clayson, said: "It's great that they acknowledged the importance of this year's 50th birthday of the Mini Cooper by giving us such a prominent position and I'd like to thank our members, too, for enabling us to put on such a fine display of Coopers of all ages."
James Elliott is a former Editor of Classic & Sports Car