Comps Dept reunion August 2017

[spoon.450]

Some footage from Diddy Dave

https://www.facebook.com/MiniSportLtd/v ... KmkTim5coE

Some lovely cars there.

[Supersonic]

I’ve two friends who went and say they had a fantastic day. To be honest that event should have been better supported. There are 8 or 9 Ex-Abingdon cars over here and only 2 were present namely ORX 707F and ORX 777F. In my honest opinion the secret way it was planned went down with many people like the proverbial lead balloon. I like many people don’t understand why it had to organised like a secret society

Alan

[Turbo88]

I’ve two friends who went and say they had a fantastic day. To be honest that event should have been better supported. There are 8 or 9 Ex-Abingdon cars over here and only 2 were present namely ORX 707F and ORX 777F. In my honest opinion the secret way it was planned went down with many people like the proverbial lead balloon. I like many people don’t understand why it had to organised like a secret society

Alan

It is funny the words secret society has been used. I remember my dad saying the MCR committee was a club within a club. Only now I understand

[mk1]

The thing about the way this event was organised does make those outside the loop feel like they were deliberately excluded, personally I don't believe this is the case, but, it is inevitable that such a prestigious gathering of Works cars & original Comps Dept alumni, will create a huge amount of interest.

This was simply a private gathering of those people with direct experience of these cars & the Comps Dept & as such only those people directly involved could / should have been invited.

That said. This does absolutely nothing to reduce the popularly held belief that "Works car Types" consider themselves to be altogether above the rest of the Hoi polloi.

[Miniholic]

I’ve two friends who went and say they had a fantastic day. To be honest that event should have been better supported. There are 8 or 9 Ex-Abingdon cars over here and only 2 were present namely ORX 707F and ORX 777F. In my honest opinion the secret way it was planned went down with many people like the proverbial lead balloon. I like many people don’t understand why it had to organised like a secret society

Alan

It is funny the words secret society has been used. I remember my dad saying the MCR committee was a club within a club. Only now I understand

It wasn't an MCR event.

[Supersonic]

Miniholic,

With all respect we know it was not officially a MCR event and was organised by John McIntosh. My friends had a brilliant weekend and say it was a superb event.

However, if you look at the cars and the people who attended, I cannot identify one car or person who is not connected to the MCR club and that includes my friends.

I’m absolutely in no doubt the MCR club endorsed this event 100%

This weekend our local competition car and motorcycle show takes place which is not run by the local car clubs but in real terms it is endorsed by all the local clubs and their members run this event, it happens all the time.

Alan

[hotblack]

I ran this event, Works Minis in Abingdon 2017, so let me put some things straight before this becomes yet another long-running toxic thread on this forum.

Minis have been a passion of mine for nearly 40 years, I’ve owned and restored many over that time and feel really lucky to own a Works car. Like most Classic Cooper owners, I’m in the MCR, it’s hardly a secret society! I’m not retired and have a (very) busy life so don’t go to shows all the time but I have consistently put my Works car on public view over the last 20 years. See the Jan 97 cover of MiniWorld to see the three Cooper Ss I had restored and sold to buy it. I’ve never considered myself above other Mini enthusiasts and have always been happy to engage with anyone genuinely interested in my car and frankly, I find the consistent slurs against the Works Mini owners on this forum petty, misinformed and downright insulting.

The idea for the event bubbled up at the excellent BMC Comps 60th Bill Price organised on the back of MG Live a couple years ago. The concept was a focussed event for those involved with the Works Minis including an overnight stay and the opportunity to drink beer. Bill thought that he could interest some of the BMC Veterans. I was a soldier and managed to secure the use of an Army barracks in Abingdon, that gave us a secure venue to put the cars in overnight but meant a great deal of work getting identity and car details in advance to gain access. The site, the security implications and my personal ability to organise it, meant that it wasn’t ever going to be open to the general public. That said, I went out of my way to involve people, if you don’t see a Works car or a replica in the photographs don’t make the false assumption that they weren’t asked. I asked all of those I contacted to suggest to me anyone else they felt should be involved, which is why the attendance list grew from the 30 I originally planned on to well over a 100. I didn’t turn down anyone who approached me.

The suspicious cynics are wrong, the event was not organised, supported or even sanctioned by the MCR, which is why all the bookings and even the £5m public liability license were in my name. I did ask but the MCR Committee felt that they couldn’t support an event that was not open to all of their members, I have no issue with that, it just cost me a few more grey hairs!

The event was non-profit making and couldn’t have happened without the help of our sponsors, Mini Sport, Rutherford Cancer Care, British Motor Heritage and Vintage Tyres, plus attendance fees from those that participated. As a result of the event, we managed to raise well over £1000, final figure still being worked out, which will go to a cancer support charity in Oxford.

For those that weren’t there a lot of photographs were taken, which are now making their way onto the internet, see http://www.robertclayson.co.uk/p69230884 for a great set and video footage was recorded by David Savidge of British Motor Heritage. David has a mammoth task ahead in editing it but he has already made some available at https://www.facebook.com/Motoringclassi ... 747011373/

John McIntosh

[5portsrock]

John ,
Many thanks for organising the event. Ive thoroughly enjoyed the photos and video clips ive seen. Some great cars on display.
Please take it that not everyone one the forum has an axe to grind about the works cars or people owning them.
I just love minis and apprecitte the work people put into whatever model.
Thanks again.

[spoon.450]

Seems like you did a fantastic job of organising the event John. Perhaps it could have been announced more publicly beforehand, inviting anyone meeting the criteria of ex works car owner, or anyone connected to the Comps Dept. ( grey area I know ) ???
Without covering old ground, when looking at these red and white cars wearing the famous registrations, the public want to know exactly what they are looking at....the real thing or a recreation. Nobody wants to feel that they are having the wool pulled over their eyes.
Credit due to you John for making this happen and getting so many interesting cars and people together.

[davidscothorn]

However, if you look at the cars and the people who attended, I cannot identify one car or person who is not connected to the MCR club and that includes my friends.

Me!
I just use this quote as an excuse to congratulate John and his band of helpers for organising a superb event and say Thanks for the chance to attend. As some will know, I have not been a member of the MCR, or had a Works Mini connection for over 20 years. I got to know about the event through the grapevine and was warmly welcomed, without exception.

Maybe because none exist, it is a shame that little seems to be celebrated about the pre-Cooper 850's. The anecdotes about these little cars are rapidly being lost. Amongst others, I have no doubt that Marcus Chambers and Brian Moylan would have thoroughly enjoyed being Veterans for the weekend.

[LMM76C]

The Army who owned the messing, lounge, lecture hall, catering, secure and guarded storeage facilities for the cars and the later use of the (still) service and maintained airfield runways were not prepared to allow pretty-well free access to those facilities to members of the public/vehicles in the present climate. It would be unwise to discuss the reasons why and the and close control of those people who were invited who were strictly vetted prior to the event. In short, a public event was a no goer right from the start for reasons best left unsaid........

"In the present climate" is the whole point. The venue has had plenty of more open access use for many years and has held MSA sanctioned rallies and sprints as well as non-competitive use, including Williams testing. There is nothing to be "best left unsaid". The current national threat status and that it is likely to remain at its current level for some time is, necessarily, far from being a national secret.
Quite apart from the points already made on other unrelated aspects, those of us who have held closer connections with national security than, I suspect, any others here have, might well question the judgement of the O/C in permitting this "at this time".

The other issue to be addressed is the alarming number of events being organised that fall into the "demonstration" category but involve fast driving. It is totally irresponsible to refer to any as "racing" or (in a recent visually scary case elsewhere) a "hill climb". We have just secured legislation that enables closing of public roads for motor sport. We need like a hole in the head even one minor injury accident anywhere from speed in a non-MSA event, leave alone worse (as closed the former RARDE Longmoor test track to formal motorsport for a long time).

[winabbey]

Please take it that not everyone one the forum has an axe to grind about the works cars or people owning them.

Well said.

[mk1]

To stop this "becoming yet another long-running toxic thread on this forum". I will once again lock a thread about Works cars & will now put up with the flack from those people who always accuse me of shutting down any discussion of these cars.

I tend to work on the principal that if I have both "sides" bitching at me I am probably doing OK. Once again, it appears I am doing splendidly!

One day people will be able to have a discussion about Red & White cars without it descending into a slanging match or people taking the hump about bugger all.

Sadly, it won't be today.

[mk1]

Links to WMIA 2017
Postby davidscothorn » 25 Aug 2017, 22:33

https://www.facebook.com/Motoringclassics (BMH Ltd blog)

https://stevemckelvie.wordpress.com/ (Works Minis At Abingdon – A Celebration Of Success, includes 850s)

http://blog.minisport.com/2017/08/works ... ngdon-2017 (supported-by-mini-sport)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWCFzHo27qA (by Rob Yalden)

http://www.robertclayson.co.uk/p69230884 (slideshow)

Official press release to follow