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THE MINI MAG. Volume 2 No.10 |  |
 October 2000Vol.2 Home Page | Index Page |
| Despite the fact that Mini is BMW's property in a legal sense, Rover found time to organise a media send-off for the last Mini ever produced. On 4th October 2000 at approximately 10:45pm, the final Mini, a red Cooper Sport, left the Longbridge track. The driver was Geoff Powell, Technical Support Manager, who has worked at Longbridge since 1960, gave a final wave as he and his passenger, Lulu, drove out. Seeing the last Mini disappear through the gates was a deeply emotional moment. Even some of the hardened hacks there could be seen taking a moment to stop and fight back a lump in the throat. MiniWorld Editor Monty Watkins and photographer Gerard Brown watched the car disappear from sight. It's a shame they couldn't have got the Mini public in there but troubled Rover, especially Press Officer and Mini fan Kevin Jones, takes massive credit for finding the time to collect the media and commemorate our hero of 41 years standing. Meanwhile, while the media witnessed the last ever Mini being driven from the production line with ageing pop star, Lulu, on the bonnet, members of the Redditch Mini Owners Club led a funeral-style procession past the entrance of the factory and laid a wreath at the gates. At the same time, thousands of other Mini fans around the world organised their own tributes and processions to the mark the end of the world's greatest car. Mini - 1959 to 2000. |