The port city of Bristol will become the hotspot for fans of the classic Mini from 8 to 11 August. This year, the annual International Mini Meeting (IMM) will be dedicated to a celebration of the landmark 60th anniversary for the brand. At the festival site in the Easter Compton area, fans celebrating the anniversary are expected from all over the world.
Many of them will be travelling to the meet in a classic Mini or a modern MINI. MINI CLASSIC aims to set the mood for the event by staging the road trip#ROADtoIMM19. This will highlight the international nature of the IMM and its extension across different eras.
A classic Mini convertible and a MINI Cooper from the first generation of the model after the brand’s relaunch will travel from the Greek capital of Athens to the home of the small car, which has had such remarkable global appeal over the past six decades.
Once more, lovingly prepared one-off specials will take the road trip to the IMM. The two vehicles were specially styled for the long-distance trip across Europe by the street artist CHEBA, who lives in Bristol. The exterior of the road-trip runabouts will be decorated in a brightly coloured patchwork pattern from the front bumper to the tailgate, and from the wheel rims to the fabric roof of the classic Mini convertible. The two cars epitomise the classic and contemporary history of the brand.
They will be accompanied by a MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 (combined fuel consumption: 2.5 – 2.4 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 13.7 – 13.4 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions from fuel: 56 – 55 g/km). This car already proved its qualities as an endurance touring vehicle last year when it went on a road trip along the Panamericana highway running from Texas to Tierra del Fuego.
The start of the road trip in Athens on 25 July and the destination in the United Kingdom on 8 August 2019 are a tribute to the creator of the classic Mini, Alec Issigonis. The automobile designer had Greek, British and German roots and he succeeded in developing the ideal concept for creative use of space and agile driving fun.
This innovative small car was born 60 years ago and started its triumphal march on urban streets throughout the world. The MINI CLASSIC Team will pass through a total of ten European countries on the route through Sofia, Belgrade, Bratislava, Vienna, Prague, Dresden and Rotterdam to the final destination in Bristol.
Along the way, the cars will have stopovers at a large number of MINI Clubs and also meet up with fans from other brands. In Leipzig, for example, a meeting is being organised with fans of the Trabant cult car. This car defined the cityscape of East Germany for decades and meanwhile it too has achieved classic status.
The International Mini Meeting has been a popular meeting point for fans of the British marque for four decades. The central focus here is always on enthusiasm for the classic Mini and its unusual history since 1959. The modern MINI launched 18 years ago is also a fixture on the car park of the festival site. Every five years, the meeting of the international community is held in the British home of the classic Mini and the MINI. The apogee of this year’s festival is the big birthday party for the classic MINI being held on Sunday 11 August 2019.
Live music, party atmosphere, fun competitions and leisure activities for the entire family will feature in the programme of the IMM 2019. MINI CLASSIC will be represented in an event marquee in Bristol. The two road-trip vehicles will be on display alongside other exhibits. Visitors can also tank up on coffee and have T-shirts emblazoned with the event logo.
The latest impressions from the road trip to Bristol will be posted daily from 25 July 2019 onwards on the Instagram channel of MINI CLASSIC:
https://www.instagram.com/official_miniclassic/?hl=de
You can find further details about the IMM 2019 on the website of the event:
https://imm2019.co.uk/
