BMW celebrates 25th birthday of Mini at Oxford plant

The milestone marks a quarter-century since the first of the BMW-era models rolled off the line at Cowley on April 26, 2001.

On Sunday, the plant hosted a Drive It Day event to mark the anniversary and raise funds for the NSPCC’s Childline service.

The plant also celebrated 50 years of the Rover SD1, 40 years of the Rover 800 and 25 years of the modern Mini, all which have been built at Cowley.

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A 1997 Mini Rover (left) and A 1984 Mini Austin (right) (Image: Zac Holmes)

Tanya Fields, organiser of the Drive It Day said: “The general Drive It Day also went extremely well with 10 Rover SD1s coming back to the plant for their 50th anniversary.

“One of them made considerable effort, coming from the Netherlands.”

Since 2001 nearly 4.7 million Minis have been built in Oxford under BMW ownership.

The Cowley plant contributed to the days festivities by creating aerial footage with modern Mini’s (Image: Matt Richardson)

Organisers said around 70 modern Minis built in 2001 returned to the plant, including 27 with the Y*** OBL number plates, the first batch of the car used for press and marketing purposes.

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The event drew in more than 1,000 visitors, where drivers could drive a vintage car for free.

“We were visited by around 200 classic cars over the day and lots of former workers took the opportunity to come back, along with the local community,” a spokesperson said.

Markus Gruneisl, BMW Group’s chief executive for UK manufacturing, said: “This 25-year milestone is a proud moment for Mini and for everyone involved in its production here in the UK.”