Minis go for the maxi look

Picture / Martin Sykes

Mini owners clubbed together for maximum impact in Auckland yesterday, with more than 20 taking a spin to the Auckland Museum, then heading north to Orewa.

An organiser of the event, Peter Jarratt, the Mini brand manager at BMW Group, is a confirmed Mini lover.

The 51-year-old gets to drive a company Mini these days but has owned four in the past, starting with an 850cc model when he was about 22. "I think I inherited that one from my mother."

He says the new Mini, launched in 2002, is more comfortable and safer than its classic predecessors. But at around 600kg, the older versions were more nimble than their modern, 1200kg cousin.