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If racing your Mini down the strip is not exciting enough for you, you will be able to take a ride in the Monster dragon truck at Mini in the Park at Santa Pod on 11 August. The 12 feet tall, five ton ‘Red Dragon’ will be giving rides and crushing cars in the Live Action Arena from 9am. There will also be Mini traders, club displays, Minis for sale, concours, Win-A-Mini raffle, plus Mini Run-What-Ya-Brung drag racing. Tickets cost £15 on the day, or £10 in advance from www.minishow.co.uk. Saturday camping and party night, featuring a Queen tribute band, costs an additional £10 per person upon arrival or just £5 each in advance.

Specialist insurance broker Adrian Flux has commissioned 15 stunning pieces of original artwork to commemorate its 40th anniversary this summer. The pieces, ranging from unique portraits of motoring icons Sir Alec Issigonis, Soichiro Honda and Lewis Hamilton, to beautiful homages to the Maserati and Moto Guzzi marques, went on display at a special exhibition in London’s Shoreditch on Thursday 18 April. The artworks form part of a special print edition of Flux’s innovative multi-platformed Influx magazine, which explores car and bike culture.

See www.influx.co.uk.

Illustration by Paul Willoughby, commissioned exclusively for Influx.

The 18th annual Mini versus Beetle competition at York Raceway, on 31 March, was dry and sunny, attracting thousands of people to witness the annual challenge. It was neck and neck right until the end when the final Mini took the win to make it a 5-3 win for the Minis. Will the Beetles get tired of being beaten by the mighty Minis? Find out next year on 20 April (Easter Sunday). See www.yorkraceway.org.uk.

The 2013 IMM in Mugello, Italy, over the weekend of 17-19 May is nearly upon us and we can’t wait! Those wishing to do some sightseeing while they are there can now book their places online. Options are a bus tour to Siena on Friday 17 May, including wine tasting and lunch, for €78 per person, and a tour of Pisa in your Mini (maximum of 50 vehicles), including lunch, on Saturday 18 May for €60 per person. Advance orders are also being taken for copies of the official video of the IMM at the special price of €15 including delivery to your home.

See: www.imm2013.eu.

In this edition of Destinations with Bite, the MINI Paceman takes a chomp at the freshest city hotspots that the Big Apple has to offer.

The H4H Mini Cruise will be doing a parade lap round the famous Castle Combe race circuit on Saturday 27 July as part of a fun filled weekend. Also on show are the Stannage International Stunt Team, Paws for Thought dog display team, the STA Ferrett Racing Team, 2012 Mini Challenge JCW class Championship winning team, Sussex Road and Race Motorsport, the band Shred, craft stalls, trade stands, top Minis and Mini clubs, show ‘n’ shine, camping, and of course the Wooten Bassett Cruise. The whole weekend (26-28 July) costs just £15 per person, including camping, with every Pound raised going to Help for Heroes. See www.h4h-mini-cruise.co.uk.

Our newest NOT NORMALIST is Dutch jeweller Nhat-Vu Dang, who radically changed our perception of traditional finery. His collection Momentary Jewellery combines unorthodox materials with a sense...

The 2013 Mouth to Mouth Run, organised by Jurassic Coast Minis, will take place on 15 September, once more raising money for the RNLI. The run will start at Weymouth Pavilion car park. Minis will drive a round trip to Portland before heading down the Jurassic Coastline to Exmouth. Entry costs £8 with a pay-as-you-eat barbecue at Exmouth Lifeboat Station. See www.jurassiccoastminis.co.uk or search for Mouth 2 Mouth Run 2013 on Facebook.

We’re often asked about companies offering Mini hire for special occasions. Dave Moore has recently started a business specialising in chauffeur driven classic Mini hire. They operate within a 25-mile radius of Stoke on Trent, but may be willing to travel further for special occasions. See www.italianjobminihire.co.uk or call +44 (0)7960 389865.

P&SMOC member celebrates his 65th birthday by opening a Mini garage… As one of the founder members of Portsmouth and Southampton Mini Owners club in 2000, Rex Patterson is no newcomer to the Mini scene. He has been into Minis as long as anyone can remember, and along with his son Gary, has been a [...]

Winning over expert travelers with novelty and flare, these 5 unmatchable hotels are destined to be revisited in your dreams and your scrapbooks long after check out.

It’s unique! The June issue of Mini Magazine is crammed with a great selection of very special Minis… – cars that not only have great stories behind them, but are true one-offs in every sense! We bring you the amazing tale of the Clubman Prototype unearthed after 40 years, the fascinating story behind Kevin Murray’s [...]

Warmer days are here again! Well, almost. Here's a hot mixtape to complete the Spring dethaw.  Image © makerbot via Flickr

Flying the flag as a new Mini club is launched in the Cotswolds… A new club was launched in January 2013 in readiness for this year’s shows. British Mini Union is based in the Cotswold area, near to Oxford. A lot of people are already recognising the distinctive club as ‘the one with the rather large [...]

Mini owners from all over the UK and beyond are packing their bags and planning their routes as the countdown to the Italian Job mini car rally starts. The Jobbers, as rally-goers are called, leave on their adventure on Sunday 5th May – a trip which takes them through France, Switzerland and Italy in a quest to raise money for Variety the Children’s Charity, attempting to put another Sunshine Coach on the road through sponsorship, advertising on the cars and individual fundraising efforts. The rally starts on Thursday 9th May.

This is the 24th annual event and the Italian Job has raised over £2m for children’s charities since it started. This year’s rally is even better than before as there is an extra-special opportunity to attend the International Mini Meeting (IMM) in Florence directly afterwards (16th-20th May www.imm2013.eu), the cost of which is included in the entrance fee for the rally.

 

The 36th Notts Classic Car, Bike & Mini Show takes place on Monday 6th May at Thoresby Park, near Ollerton in Nottinghamshire.

As well as 400 classics, there'll be club stands from Derby District, Cheshire Classics, Fearny’s Mini’s, Autobahn Stormers and Notts about Mini’s to name just a few. In addition to the 150 Club vehicles on display, a further 250+ Private individuals will be bringing their classic vehicles displaying on the lush lawns with high hopes of sunshine.

This year the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon is holding a BMC and Leyland Show on 7 July, rather than their traditional Mini Show. The new event will incorporate vehicles manufactured by the British Motor Corporation, British Leyland and Rover, including commercial and military vehicles.

The show is expected to attract up to 80 different marques made over a 100 year period including names such as Daimler, Alvis, Wolsley, Austin, Morris, Riley Standard, MG and Land Rover. There will still be a Mini concours and show ‘n’ shine competition with a £250 cash prize for the winner. The HMC will be accepting club entries from marque registers as opposed to local branches of owners clubs. Individuals are also welcome and there will be space for a small number of New Minis to attend. See www.bmcandleylandshow.co.uk for more information.

The fifth IMMM will be held in Luxembourg over the weekend of 23-25 August 2013. The weekend is based on Im Aal campsite, near the dam of the river Sure. Participants will be treated to a traditional barbecue, sightseeing tour, static show, Moke games and typical Luxembourgeois food on Saturday evening. Participation in the IM³ is free, with the camping fee payable to the campsite. More information on www.belgianminisontour.be.

With the UK economy still in recession, investors are showing renewed interest in buying classic cars as a low risk acquisition, with restored or rare Minis proving to be a quintessential choice. Here is a round up of Minis recently that went under the hammer… 1959 Morris Minor at Bonhmans Oxford Renowned auctioneers, Bonhams, offered [...]

Leicestershire race circuit faces uncertain future amid complaints… Mallory Park near Leicester is one of the shortest permanent race circuits in the UK, but Mighty Minis, Se7ens and Miglias have all raced around this historical track. Sadly the circuit management, local council and nearby residents are at loggerheads about noise levels. As a result, a [...]