KEY POINTS:
The Mini - the little car which starred in the New Zealand movie Goodbye Pork Pie - has its 50th birthday this year.
And the Whangarei Mini Owners Group will celebrate their favourite car's half- century with a fun run from Kaitaia to Invercargill, following the route the Blondini Gang take in the film.
Twenty Mini teams around the country have already signed up for the 2500km fun run from April 9 to 14.
Fifty teams are expected to participate, each pledged to raise at least $1000 for Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland.
Organisers are talking about asking for Goodbye Pork Pie to be screened on national television over Easter and several other promotions to aid fundraising are in the pipeline.
The concept for the Goodbye Pork Pie run came from Rod Harris, of Whangarei, who took part in a 1999 rally from London to Italy marking the Mini's 40th anniversary by following the tyre prints made by Minis in the 1969 film The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine.
With help from other Whangarei Mini Owners Group members, Mr Harris - a teacher taking time out driving tour buses - has arranged support for the Easter rally from the Mini New Zealand division of BMW, which now owns the marque.
The Mini made its debut as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor in 1959.
The first British Motor Corporation Mini was a very plain and simple car, lacking safety features and comfort. But it could carry four people, was frugal with petrol and was priced at about £650 in New Zealand.
The Mini was not popular at first and it wasn't until the Queen was seen behind the wheel of one that sales began to take off. Later, when the Beatles each bought one, the car became trendy, although it never got beyond cult status in the United States, where it was withdrawn from the market in 1967 because of low sales.
By the time the "classic" Mini ended its 41-year production run in 2000, a total of 5,387,862 had been built in 137 variations.
Veteran motoring writer Donn Anderson, of Auckland, whose book Mini Down Under is due for publication by Penguin in March, said about 67,000 cars were sold when Minis were assembled in New Zealand between 1960-82.
BMW now produces Mini hatchback, convertible and Clubman body variations with engines including a diesel option. Electric Minis are on trial in the US. -
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
