60 Minis gather at brand's 60th anniversary celebrations in Oxford

A convoy of cars left BMW's Oxford plant this morning to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary and the 10 millionth Mini rolling off the production line last month.

The landmark car led the way out of the Cowley factory alongside the first Mini built, known only as 621 AOK.

Drivers revved their engines and beeped their horns before heading to this weekend's International Mini Meeting in Bristol, crowning a memorable day for the plant's managing director, Peter Weber.

He said: "To see the 10 millionth Mini roll of the production line here at Oxford was a moment of great pride for the whole team, a number of whom have relatives who were here building the very first Minis in 1959.

"This is a wonderful chapter in the Mini story and proof of the passion that our customers have for this very special British car.”

The first Mini rolled off the production line in May 1959, with the Cowley plant now building one car every 67 seconds.

To celebrate the milestone year, the brand has been on the hunt for 60 owners of 60 Minis and each one has shared what their car means to them.

Owners came from Northern Ireland and Scotland to take part in the special birthday gathering, with some heading straight on to the International Mini Meeting.

But it was a stalwart of the Oxford plant who had the privilege of driving the ten millionth Mini, built on July 24.

Mick Fisher, 70, started working in Cowley in 1983 and is the site's longest-serving employee, but began building Minis at the Longbridge factory, Birmingham, in 1965.

The Witney resident said: “The Mini brand has come a long way since it launched, but one thing that hasn’t changed is its iconic appeal to drivers around the world.”

He added: "I really enjoy what I do. This place is almost like a family and doesn't feel like I'm coming to work. It's difficult to say what today means to me."

Tanya Field, from Headington, was also behind the wheel of one of the 60 cars and her link to the site goes back even further.

Ms Field's great-grandfather, the 7th Earl of Macclesfield, gave William Morris money to help set up the plant in 1914 and she is a longstanding Mini owner.

She said: "I'm really proud, the plant has done a fantastic job. All of us drivers have truly enjoyed it from the moment we got here. It shows what Mini's about."

Last month, the Mini Electric was launched in Cowley, with production set to begin in November before the car hits the streets in March.

The new model means Oxford will become the first plant in the BMW group to build fully-electric and combustion-engine-powered cars on the same production line.

But the possibility of a no-deal Brexit has created uncertainty for the plant's 4,500 employees, with BMW bosses warning it could force the company out of Oxford.