2007 Show Report Wow what a day, the sun shone for the fourth year running on our National Mini Cooper Day at Beaulieu, and it was a scorcher! . The gates opened at 8.30 and we had a steady stream of mini coopers coming in to fill the concours and register parking areas. By 9.30 the other mini parking areas were filling up and it was an impressive sight, with 16 club stands and 4 MCR regional displays this year. We were lucky to have South Central Ambulance Trust coming along with their new, fully equipped, fast response MINI Cooper ‘S’ which caused a lot of interest in the register parking area, and was ideally placed next to two classic ‘police’ Mini Coopers. We not only had a fantastic array of trade stands, but the most ever this year, thanks to Keith and Gill Redwood. The show was officially opened at 10.30 by our resident commentator Graham Robson who once more did a sterling job. The concours judging got under way at 11.00. There were 49 beautifully restored cars this year all of which were of a very high standard, causing a big headache for the judges when trying to choose the best in each class. A large crowd gathered around the arena at midday to watch the cars of interest parade, which included a mini with a trailer that had a fully equipped BBQ and sunshade; South Central Ambulance’s fast response Cooper ’S’, which did a lap with their strobe lighting on; and a ‘96 British Heritage Works cooper which had been recently restored. Graham interviewed the owners about their prides of joy before they all did a lap of honour. During this parade we were joined by Michael Cooper, the President of the MCR, bringing along the very first New 2G Works MINI Cooper ‘S. This caused a big stir amongst the audience and we were lucky to have the car on show for the remainder of the day which created a lot of interest. Michael was interviewed by Peter Barker to find out what had been going on in his world since he sold the garage at East Preston and the ‘S’ Works name to BMW. The article will be appearing in MCR magazine shortly, so watch this space. During the lunch period Graham interviewed four of our honorary members; with us this year we had Stuart Turner, Bill Price, Mike Wood and Basil Wales. They chatted about their respective subjects in the 1960’s mini cooper world, and it was very interesting to listen to. In the afternoon Graham visited the works and competition car display and talked with the owner’s about their cars. Some of which were the original cars that had competed on the Monte Carlo rallies. The concours judging concluded mid afternoon with the concours organisers Sarah and John White walking around placing the 1st and 2nd place rosettes on the cars. The awards presentation got underway with Michael Cooper kindly presenting the concours trophies, sponsored by Miniworld magazine, along with the John White cup. At this point I must congratulate the Sussex region for winning the MCR club stands award, the third year in a row and Yeovil Mini Mania which one the best club award. We were glad to be joined by Lord Montagu who presented the Beaulieu cup this year, followed by Monty Watkins presenting Miniworld’s own trophies for best original and modified car of the day. Finally Peter Barrett officially presented the MCR 2006 awards for services rendered to the club. Please see results and photographs below. Graham brought the show to a close and wished everyone a safe journey home, looking forward to seeing everyone in 2008. Stephen Smith Show Organiser | 
