On The Cover: Our cover story for this issue is Fifty Years of Mini. The MINI 50 logo was captured by publisher Barry Brazier at this year's MINI United festival in Silverstone, UK. And if you think it looks a little soft, you are right. This particular logo was painted on a wall at the famed racetrack by two spray can artists during the height of the festivities during the three day event celebrating MINI's 50th Anniversary year.
With such an auspicious event garnering the attention of both classic and new Mini fans the world over, MC2 thought it appropriate to devote the bulk of our pages to celebrate 50 years of the world's best loved automobile. Our Special Collector's Edition starts out with extensive coverage of this year's MINI United, then it's off to Minnesota for the classic celebration of Mini Meet East Meets West, followed up by MINIs On The Dragon, our special Mini 50 Photo Album, and finally, a historical perspective of the past 50 years of Mini.
MC2's publisher spent all three days of MINI United at 
Silverstone, where he met literally hundreds of Mini fans from the US, UK, and from all across Europe. There was lots going on throughout the three-day festival, from MINI games and the MINI Challenge race to visiting the various booths and attending the stage show, to connecting with club personnel and generally filling the time with all things Mini. The voice of MINI United this year was our own Graham Robson, who provided color commentary, announcements and other vocal trivia over the track's loud speaker system. Barry's coverage of this year's MINI United starts on page 22 and you can catch Graham's views on the event in his column on page 14.
Barely back from MINI United, our esteemed publisher decided that he would hit the road again 
and make tracks for Mini Meet East Meets West in Minnesota, where he could catch up on the classic enthusiast's take on 50 years of Mini. It was quite an event, too, with hundred's of classic Minis, a few odd ball customs and even a couple of new MINIs in attendance. You can read all about the event and the preceeding classic Mini race held in Brainerd, starting on page 32.
Although the big 50th Anniversary celebrations were limted to a few very specific events, just about every Mini meet this year will have some kind of anniversary party and as Marilyn Stemp found out, MINIs On The Dragon was no exception. Yes, the usual riding of the Dragon's Tail was in evidence, as was parts installing, general getting together and the swapping of tall tales. But, there was also cake. Hey, it wouldn't be an anniversary without cake and MOTD, like every other Mini group in the world, got into a celebratory mood during this special 50th year for the marque. Catch up with Marilyn's coverage starting on page 38.
Continuing with the anniversary mood, the MC2 staff put together a special Mini 50 Photo Album starting on page 45, showing some famous photos from Mini history, along with a few rare pictures and even some snaps of new MINIs, as well. Then, Graham Robson constructs a Mini 50 Time Line starting on page 52 that highlights the significant events in the history of the marque, from Alec Issignonis penning the design all the way up to upcoming release of the new SAV and roadster models.
Now even though this is a special anniversary edition of MC2, we still didn't forget "The Regular Stuff." Of course, we have all the usual columns by Mini Cindy, Graham Robson, Dr. Obnxs and Chuck Heleker, plus letters from our readers, the latest MINI News, and a few interesting features. On page 30, for example, Brian MacKey writes about Phil Wick's new home in Pahrump, NV at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch. Phil has been looking for a permanent home for his MINI Driving Academy and it looks like the world class facility at Spring Mountain, complete with clubhouse, pool and amenities, is the place.
Neil Chirico tells us how to fix a broken MINI seat-height adjuster on page 41, and also how to dress up your worn seats with custom, Wet Okole (www.wetokole.com) seat covers. Then, on page 49, Rob Marshall, documents how to install a classic Mini engine into a restored bodyshell, with step-by-step photos and erudite commentary. And MC2's Project Clubman gets cosmetic dressups of sunroof shades (www.zippeegear.com) and exclusive carbon-fiber door and fuel cap cover-ups (www.aestheticreations.net) on page 58. The next step will be a flag graphic for the roof, as well as some engine and suspension mods, so stay tuned!
Well, those are the high points of this latest issue, but addition to all the above, we also have club news and events reports, the Mini Calendar, our arty Last Word, the editor's column and a few words of grace from our publisher. However, if you aren't yet a subscriber, you won't be able to catch the details unless you click here.
Happy Motoring! ~ Peter D. DuPre, Editor-in-Chief
