The winner of the British Mini Club Premier Concours Final at Mini Fair 2024 sponsored by Autoglym is….. James Hunt with his beautiful MK1 Mini. Massive congratulations to James for his 3rd Premier win. He now gets to keep the coveted Premier Cup.
Also congratulations to Dave Rippard in 2nd place with his equally as stunning MK1 Mini. In 3rd Place was the excellent MINI GP3 owned by Barry Wilson. A tough choice for Premier judges Oliver Bryant and Steve Moore.
James and Dave’s Mini’s were both purchased badly in need of restoration and both owners did the majority of the work themselves and quite rightly deserve huge respect.
The stunning GP3 owned by Barry Wilson has to be one of the best in the scene. The attention to detail is incredible. When Barry purchased the GP3 he became the 2nd owner. It was not in the best condition and had been rarely cleaned. The paintwork is probably the best you will see, far better than factory and received so many compliments during the day.
Via Barry’s Instagram account he posted “The Finals saw the GP3 in a strong field of the country’s finest classic and modern Mini’s, to walk away with 3rd place was unbelievable and I’m absolutely over the moon”
A big thank you to every single entrant in the Premier Final, you all deserve to be on the red carpet. All entrants receive a medal in recognition of this. Also thank you to Autoglym for the continued sponsorship.
Roll on Himley Hall and the start of this year’s competition.
Premier Concours Final
1st Place James Hunt 157 AYP MK1 Mini
2nd David Rippard 518 LBH MK1 Mini
3rd Barry Wilson W2 BLW MINI GP
Pride Of Ownership was superb. It’s not only about the Mini but also the owners passion for them and why they mean so much to them. We are very much aware that every single person who owns, or has owned a Mini of any age, loves them and treats them like a member of the family, quite rightly too.
Our judges were sent out to find the stories out from the owners and you certainly shared some emotion. Like the Mini owned by Alex Groves, purchased when he was just 14 and owned for a similar number of years and looking superb. Luke Smith saying to his grandfather he would love to restore a Mini. His Grandfather said okay and found a Pick Up shell for £3000 and they rebuilt it together on the drive. Using a MPi engine they transformed the pick up to what it is today.
Being told transforming a Mini turned the owners life around from a rocky path. The engine bay pays homage to this by using a Lemonade can within. Or maybe using the Mini Cabriolet for regular tip runs and every day fun. Maybe starting to sort out a few bodywork issues and it turns into an unexpected full restoration.
Finding your very early Mini again after many years of it being away from the family and bringing back up to how you remember it so the whole family can enjoy it once more.
Studying for you A-Levels and deciding to rebuild a Mini Van you have found in Helston, Cornwall. Doing all the work including paint with a little help from two friends. In Sam’s own words it was built in the style of British Leyland. Finishing it 5am the Saturday before Mini Fair, then bringing it straight up from Cornwall to be part of a reveal on our club stand.
Our judges were quite emotional after speaking to the owners and struggled to decide on trophy winners. You are all winners in our eyes Every single Mini around the world is part of a story and that is why we enjoy bringing you Pride Of Ownership so much.
If you would like to see your Mini story in a future issue of Mini Driver, our club magazine then please contact us.
Thank you to everyone for taking part and to Autoglym for the continued sponsorship and support.
Pride Of Ownership Results
Classic Mini 1960’s
1st Jamie Garrett JEU 311
2nd Andy Tuck CBL 852B
Classic Mini 1970’s
1st Luke Smith RTW 702R
2nd Sam Buswell NJU 154P
Classic Mini 1980’s
1st Alex Groves C935 EMT
2nd Reece Yule F235 KDV
Classic Mini 1990’s
1st Adam Lancaster M11 CNV
2nd Alan Chambers G180 YLO
Modern MINI
1st Martin Carnforth K90 MTC
2nd Sid Mason SYD 488M
Modified Mini’s
1st Jason Morris WK17 XTW
2nd James McVey B735 JGY
Club Stands
Did you see the club stands on the balcony? They all put on some stunning displays to help celebrate 65 years of the Mini. Regional and local Clubs are the beating heart of the Mini scene and we love to help to bring everything together at our events especially Mini Fair. Thank you to you all for the time and effort you put into the displays
Best Club Stand
1st Mini Girls UK
2nd Italian Job Co-Operative
3rd 04 Cabrio Register
