A top BMW director visited a Cowley Mini car exhibition, chatting with owners and ex-workers.
Tanya Field organizes the Mini display. She said the director’s visit was a nice surprise. He chatted with car owners and ex-workers for an hour. He seemed genuinely interested in talking.
Tanya has been putting on the car shows for eleven years. It celebrates the Cowley Plant’s car history (112 years!). She does the Mini show during February half term. This year, nine Cowley-built cars were shown.
The plant opened way back in 1913. A 1963 Wolseley Hornet was on display this year. Also, you could see a Mini van and a Mini pick-up. A Mini convertible and a 2001 MINI Cooper were also there. They even had a new MINI Convertible in camouflage.
She also runs the Cowley Cars show every August there. Tanya is a big car fan and owns classic Minis and other Cowley-made cars. The shopping center manager asked her to host an event in 2014.
The center was originally built for Cowley workers. He wanted to mark 50 years since the center was built. She agreed to show off the cars. It went so well that she was asked back.
Tanya loves putting on the exhibition and Templars Square provides great support. She likes sharing local car history with kids. It is a great community event. Many retired Cowley workers still live nearby.
They often meet each other at the show. It ties the car plant into the local history. Tanya likes teaching kids about Minis and the factory. She thinks it’s vital for young people to know the history.
The Mini display ran until February 22nd. It was totally free to check out. Owners of the Minis answered questions people had. They were available each day from 8 AM to 6 PM.