MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50

Winning type: the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50.

Limited MINI special edition evokes the birth of the brand and John Cooper’s Formula One title victory 50 years ago.

Munich. Both were revolutionary and triumphant: in the summer of 1959 Alec Issigonis presented his concept for a small car which, with its transverse-mounted front four-cylinder engine and space for four occupants plus luggage, was to become a byword for economy of space and driving fun. That same year, sports car constructor John Cooper won his first Formula One World Championship title with Jack Brabham at the wheel.



50 years on, the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 evokes both the start of the triumphal path of the classic Mini as well as victory in the F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship for John Cooper’s racing team. This MINI special edition was inspired by John Cooper’s son, Mike. His signature appears on the facia and on one of the bonnet stripes. It will have a limited production run of 250 units and was unveiled to the public at the 2009 MINI United Festival in Silverstone. The car is based on the MINI John Cooper Works and driven by a 155 kW/211 hp four-cylinder engine with Twin-Scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection. The production version of the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 features numerous exterior and interior details reflecting the racing pedigree of the brand.



The bodywork of the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 comes in a new colour for MINI, namely Connaught Green – harking back to the famous colour of British race cars of the 1950s and 60s era. It is combined with the roof and bonnet stripes in Pepper White. The green with the white bonnet stripes mirror the colour concept of the Cooper F1 cars. The specification of these colours was provided by Mike Cooper giving the car its authenticity. Mike was consulted throughout the development by the MINI Design department. Mike’s full name is “John” Michael Cooper and he signs himself John Cooper. His signature appears on one bonnet stripe and on a facia plaque. Further accentuating the competitive character of the special edition are the John Cooper Works aerodynamics package and John Cooper Works Cross Spoke CHALLENGE light-alloy wheels in Jet Black.




Designed for extreme sporting fun outside and in.

For more detailed product information please click here

Vines and The Dame Vera Lynn Trust

Vines come first in the race to raise money for The Dame Vera Lynn Trust

On Sunday 29 November Vines of Gatwick took part in a Go Karting endurance race for the Dame Vera Lynn Trust.  We sent our best racers to represent us in the race at TeamSport Karting in Crawley, which saw Ian Smith, Adrian Houslop and Dean Eaton compete against twelve other teams in a 2-½ hour race to take first place.

As further support we provided a MINI, which was put on display in the TeamSport foyer, for people to buy tickets guessing the number of balloons in the MINI.  The prize for the winner was the use of the MINI for a weekend.

TeamSport Crawley were celebrating adopting The Dame Vera Lynn Trust as their chosen charity of the year by running an adrenalin packed team racing event at their brand new indoor racing track. Local businesses around West Sussex were invited to enter a team of drivers in to the indoor go-karting event.
Last year, thanks to generous donations, The Dame Vera Lynn Trust, a charity based in West Sussex, managed to raise £450,000, a figure that is needed to provide the Trusts vital service, particularly as the Trust receives no statutory funding.

The Dame Vera Lynn Trust is a national charity based in Five Oaks, West Sussex. The Charity provides care, education and therapy for children and their families with cerebral palsy. The trust wants to change the lives of far more children and their families. Their ambition is to be able to supply ALL necessary help to families with young children affected by cerebral palsy, and to ensure everyone is made aware of the existence of their service.

Ian Smith, our Group Corporate Sales Director said: ‘’Vines Group is delighted to be associated with TeamSport Crawley and The Dame Vera Lynn Trust. It was a real eye opener to see the number of people supporting the charity and taking part in this karting event. The competition for a ‘MINI for the Weekend’ raised the profile of the event and added towards the overall total for the charity. We look forward to assisting the Dame Vera Lynn Trust in the future’’.

Altogether TeamSport helped the Trust to raise £2,300 at this first sponsored event.  General Manager Steve Gaskin said ‘It was great to see local businesses in West Sussex taking part in this event and donating lots of money to this local charity. TeamSport Crawley really wanted to raise money for children this year. We run a number of junior activities at our tracks and see a lot of children & families join in our activities. We want to help those disadvantaged children who may never be able to take part or visit a go-karting track like ours in whatever way we could. Hopefully we can help the Trust raise even more money with future karting events planned for the New Year’.

No previous racing experience is needed and you don’t even need a driving license to take part at TeamSport Crawley! For further information on future charity events held at TeamSport please call 08444 108 108.

For any enquiries or to find out more about how Vines Group can assist with BMW & MINI cars please contact Ian Smith or any member of the Vines Group Corporate team on 0845 673 2211.

Christmas Prize Draw

WE HAVE YOUR CHRISTMAS CHEER!

We are getting into the Christmas spirit and are offering the chance to win two festive gifts in our Christmas prize draw.

Up for grabs is a mixed case of red and white wine, and a festive draught beer and brewery tour at Hogs Back Brewery.

To Enter The Prize Draw Click Here 

Good Luck!