Fifty years ago today, the first Mini rolled off the production line at Cowley, now called “Plant Oxford”. For the first time in half a century that very car is returning to its birthplace for a celebration.
It’s called “The Mini Minor”. It sports a lustrous paintjob - finished in Old English White – and a somewhat prescient registration number: 621 AOK. And now, it’s coming home to Plant Oxford to mark its birthday in style.

Plant Oxford built 602,817 Minis from 1959 to 1968, before production was moved to Longbridge. Since 2001, more than 1.4 million new MINIs have been built at the production facility. In total, more than six million classic and new MINIs have been sold since the car first went on sale in 1959.