Minis gather in Italy in homage to screen classic

The Mini became a classic British car and is as popular today as it was in its heyday, in the 1960s

BOLOGNA, Italy -- Hundreds of Mini cars from all over Europe have converged in northern Italy in a recreation of the classic 1960s film The Italian Job.

Nearly 100 Minis from England, Scotland, Ireland and Holland were met by 200 Italian Minis, which escorted them into the city.

Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Bologna on Sunday to greet the convoy of cars.

Traffic police closed a major part of the city to regular traffic as the Minis headed for the main square, where they were on show to thousands of Italians.

By the time the British "Jobbers", as they are affectionately known, return home they will have raised more than £1 million for charity since the annual rally was first started 11 years ago.

The Mini was not just popular with the public and celebrities

The Mini, which is no longer being produced, is synonymous with both the '60s and Italy thanks to The Italian Job, which starred Michael Caine and Noel Coward.

During the film, which tells of a bullion robbery by a gang of British crooks in Turin, the thieves use three Minis, painted red, white and blue, to make their escape.

The car became a symbol of the swinging sixties with owners including the Beatles.

Juliet St George, from Brighton, East Sussex, who organises the event with her son Freddy to raise money for NCH Action for Children and the Society of Stars, said: "This is the best year ever. It is a great tribute to the Jobbers who raise so much money for charity, but they have been welcomed by so many of their Italian colleagues."

The British Minis had gathered in Kent earlier in the week for the 1,000-mile plus drive to Bologna, where they will be based for the next three days.

Each Mini team has guaranteed to raise at least £1,500 for the charities by the time they arrive home.

Darren Butcher, a 34-year-old builder from Brighton who was taking part in his third run and who will have raised more than £2,500, said: "It's the ultimate thing you can do in a Mini and a great tribute to a '60s film classic."

The classic Mini is no longer produced but a new version will be released by BMW next year

Earlier this month production of the classic Mini came to an end more than 40 years after it first arrived on Europe's forecourts.

An icon of the 20th century, the Mini became a victim of modern pollution laws and crash tests, and will be replaced with a new sporty version by its owners, BMW, in 2001.

Introduced in 1959, 137 different types of Mini took to the roads worldwide from Britain to Bahrain.

It was the first car with a front wheel drive, transverse engine mounted in the front and had a suspension formed not from steel springs, but from a rubber spring system.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

End of the line for the Mini
October 4, 2000
Mini reborn at Paris Motor Show
October 6, 2000
Record falls when maximum crowd squeezes into Mini
August 25, 1999

The Mini Car
Italian Job Charity Rally
The Italian Job (Film)

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