MINI United - the fans

Name: Roberto Bonini
Age: 37
Occupation: Office worker
From: Italy
Car: Mini Cooper
"It took me two days without sleep to get here. I had a new MINI but I changed it for this one, because I like the classic better. I’m the President of the Mini Life club in Italy, which has 2,000 other Minis in it. Eight cars have come here from the club."

Name: Brian and Tracey Smith
Age: 47, 43
Occupation: Gas Fitter, Teaching Assistant
From: Nottingham
Car: MINI Cooper S
"The new MINI is wonderful: it continues the spirit of the old one. The handling, the cornering, is totally different to anything else. We’ve been to the 30th, 40th and now the 50th birthdays - in a Mini every time."

Name: Mark Eaton
Age: 23
Occupation: Mechanical Engineer
From: Sheffield
Car: Smart Roadster
"I’m thinking about buying a MINI today, so we’ll see what happens. I quite fancy a Cooper S - a first-generation new MINI. I learned to drive in one, and I like them. I’m not really a fan of the old ones though."

Name: Joanne and Pheobe Moule
Age: 40, 12
From: Leeds
"The old Mini is a classic, but it’s not big enough for me. The new one is my baby now. I’ve had three little tiny ones before and now I’ve got the new one."

Name: Konstantin Krylov
Age: 45
Occupation: Driving school owner
From: Ukraine
Car: Mini Cooper
"I like the individualism, style and creativity of the MINI. It took us five days to get here - 3,000km. We have 12 cars here at MINI United from the Ukraine."

Name: Hannah Walter
Age: 17
Occupation: Sixth Form student
From: Reading
Car: Mini Rose
"The new MINIs aren’t Minis - they’re BMWs. Personally I’d never get one - I’d feel like I was betraying my car."

Name: Floriano Colasante
Age: 26
Occupation: Mobile phone salesman
From: Germany
Car: Mini Cooper S 
"I decided I didn’t want a Porsche or Mercedes, and with the MINI you can be more individual than with any other car. It’s my second MINI. I spend a lot of time on it. MINI is a way of life, not just a car. And because of the car I got my girlfriend too."

Name: Stathis Stathakis
Age: 29
Occupation: Part-owner, Design Perfection tuning
From: Greece
"It took four days to get here. This car took one year and has cost 60,000 euros so far. The MINI has great steering and is very pretty. This one has 240bhp at the moment, but we want to put a 2.0-litre turbo engine in it and get it up to 500bhp."

Name: Kurt Jorgensen
Age: 69
Occupation: Retired
From: Leatherhead, Surrey.
Car: Riley automatic
"It’s a front wheel drive and I like the road holding and the enjoyment. I used to rally in a Saab in Sweden and I would only go for a front-wheel drive car. That’s what appeals to me."

Name: Jenny Geere
Age: Over 50
Occupation: Part-Time Sales Assistant
From: Brighton
Car: 1993 Mini Convertible
"They’ve got their own character. They’re just fun, and they’re simple enough that even I can sort them out - the old ones anyway."

Name: Jane Hughes
Age: 52
From: Dudley, West Midlands
"I got my first brand new Mini in 1985. My very first one was in 1975 and I’ve had seven in total. It’s a big hobby - we’ve been to Poland, Denmark and Spain."

Name: Matt Taylor
Age: 21
Occupation: Student / runs Lincolnshire MINI Club.
From: Lincolnshire
"It’s the community that I like and I don’t think there’s another car you could have that with."