Leabrooks man scoops big award for his mighty Mini Van
A rare original Mini Van has scooped the ‘Survivor’ Masters of the Marque Award at the Mini 65th Birthday Party event held at the Great British Car Journey classic car museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire.
Owner of the 1981 Leyland Mini Van, Kevin Frost, from Leabrooks near Alfreton, purchased it earlier this year, making it the van’s fifth owner in its 43-year history.
Over the years, Kevin’s Mini Van has undergone a full re-condition. Judges at Great British Car journey awarded the Kevin’s Mini Van the ‘Survivor’ Award due to its great condition, low mileage and rarity.
The Masters of the Marque awards, which are sponsored by Wera Tools UK and organised by the award-winning classic car museum, honour people like Kevin, who cherish their classic cars.
Once widespread, Mini vans were a popular choice as a light commercial from the moment they debuted in January 1960, at a price of £360. Mini Vans were even used by Royal Mail.
Kevin was one of hundreds of Mini owners that attended the Mini 65th Birthday Party event at Great British Car Journey. The celebration marked the anniversary of when the very first Mini rolled off the production line in Oxford in 1959.
Designed by Sir Alex Issigonis and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) from 1959 until 2000, around 5.3 million of the original two-door Minis were sold, making it by far the most popular British car of all time.
Today, there are just 2,993 original Minis left in the UK with an MOT and 10 of them live at Great British Car Journey, including three which visitors can take for a drive with the Drive Dad’s Car experience.
The packed event attracted more than 200 classic and modern Minis and their owners from all over the UK.
Richard Usher, founder of Great British Car Journey said: “At the museum it’s no secret we absolutely love the iconic Mini – it’s one of our hero cars and it was incredibly difficult to choose just a handful of winners. Kevin’s Mini Van was just outstanding.
“We were blown away by the turn out of Mini owners at the event. It’s lucky they’re so small; it meant we were able to pack everyone onto the site.”
Great British Car Journey’s themed classic car events and awards will be returning in 2025. For more details of the planned events, visit the calendar page on the Great British Car Journey website at: www.greatbritishcarjourney.com/events-calendar/