The Brisbane Motor Show 2001. 9 – 18 February 2001.
What great exposure it was for our club. If the interest shown at the Motor Show is anything to go by, the Old Mini will be around for a long time yet. Over the ten days of the show thousands of people stopped to talk about the Mini they used to have in their youth, the Mini that they still have and the Mini that they wished they still had. I am sure that their must have been more Cooper S’s than the official figures as every second person seemed to have owned one.
The stand consisted of 4 cars on display, Dick Owens original Morris 850, a 2000 edition Rover Cooper Sports from BMW Australia, Keith & Luke Sparke’s beautifully prepared race Cooper S and Ray Retchless’ Cooper S, splendid in its 13C Bathurst winning livery. A display of old Mini advertising brochures, club photos and a video of that famous Bathurst race and club runs and events added to the display.
It was amazing to see the people flock to watch the TV set every time the footage of the 1966 Bathurst Race came on. Some of the comments were priceless, especially from the kids. Such remarks as “did these little cars beat the Holdens and Fords Dad” and “those were the days when racing was racing”.
Thanks to all the volunteers who manned the stand throughout the ten days. For those who spent a long time at the stand had an added bonus as the “Harley Dancers” performed every 2 hours. Made some of the older male members take a closer look. At the bikes of course.
Over 150 membership form requests were handed out and if we get 30% returned the hard work was worth it. The main thing is though, a hell of a lot more people know of the Mini Owners Club.
One thing that was surprising was the views people had on the New Mini. During my stints on the stand I did not find one person who was interested in it. Most commented, “but it is not a Mini” or “it just won’t be the same”. It is a pity that BMW could not have arranged to have one at the show as they just happened to have a couple in Melbourne and one in Sydney at the time. They plan to have the Australian unveiling at the Melbourne show in March and also have one on display at the Grand Prix. I feel that they missed out on a great opportunity.
February 2001
