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THE EIGHTH WONDER

THE EIGHTH WONDER

Photography Stuart Bird

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FUNDR AISING WITH FLAIR

Cars-and-coffee with purpose as classics meet for St Catherine's Hospice

Torque Moto Café near Horsham is a petrolhead venue that’s been growing in popularity recently, with a plethora of meets and events for the type of people who like to combine classic cars with decent coffee. And midOctober saw a particularly special one, with enthusiasts meeting to raise money for St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley. This was a memorial event for classic car enthusiast Roy Alan Webb, who passed away in late 2021, and was organised by his son Alan. Sights were set on raising £1,000, and this target was duly smashed with gusto; a superb selection of classic cars showed up, including some delightful Minis, and at time of writing the collected total was up to £1,670. The JustGiving page is still live and accepting donations, for those who wish to give https://bit.ly/3T0duKK

MINIS CROSS THE BLOCK AT HAMPSON’S

New auction venue reels in some eager punters New auction venue reels in some eager punters

■ Cheshire-based classic vehicle specialists Hampson Auctions tried out a new venue – Mavericks, Holywell – for their September Classics Sale, and with a 70%+ sale rate and over £600k cleared, it’s fair to say it was a success. There were a number of interesting Minis and MINIs in the mix, with particular highlights including a 1970 Austin Countryman that had been restored to concours standard – apparently seven years of work went into rejuvenating the MkII, with the hammer falling at £15,750. The yellow 2002 R53 Cooper S looked like a decent bet with its low mileage and full history, but didn’t find a buyer on the day; however, there was keen interest in the delightful Aqua-hued 1970 Cooper S – with an older resto in the nineties and its last keeper having it for 37 years, it was certainly a compelling proposition. The room clearly thought so, with the car selling for a robust £22,781.

MANNA FROM DEVON

Minis assemble in the south-west

Words and Photography James Webber ■ Established in August 2019, and recently moving to a new permanent venue, RE:FUEL has become the south-west’s premier car and social hub. Located just off the M5 at Cullompton the new venue is open 7 days a week and features an onsite café serving delicious breakfasts and warming coffees, huge seating area, and Apex racing simulators. Founded by Dan Regan and Josh Roles, the ethos is to have a similar vibe to the wellestablished Caffeine & Machine, with themed weekends, club visits, and every Sunday all marques allowed. Entry is free and parking is up to 250 cars. On October 15th, Mini Girls UK asked if they could hold a MINI meet, which also prompted South West Mini Squadron and local Mini owners to travel up for the day.

This was my first visit since the venue had fully opened and I caught up with Dan to find out how it was going: “Since opening we’ve had such support from all our followers and newbies,” he said, “everyone has said how much they like the venue and want to come as often as possible. It was great to hear from Mini Girls UK about holding a club day and we welcome any clubs interested in holding meets to get in touch. There were around 100 Minis in total which was a great turnout. Thanks so much to all who attended, it was fantastic to see the owners, classic and modern together, supporting and celebrating the much-loved marque. These sort of meets are exactly what we created RE: FUEL for.”

ELECTRIC MOKES R AISE MONEY FOR CHARIT Y

Monaco auction benefits Blue Marine Foundation, who work to protect the oceans

■ Two bespoke Electric Mokes raised £450,000 at auction at the recent Monaco Yacht Show, with all funds going to support the crucial efforts of the Blue Marine Foundation in restoring the world’s oceans back to health. On display was the first of the two special edition Mokes, conceived and directed by designer Steve Edge; it features a new Blue Marine paint job and a coral design used throughout the car, both of which pay tribute to the oceans the foundation is working so hard to protect and restore. Other bespoke features include custom painted wheels, a contrasting white grille, and a unique Bimini cover and weather-proof canopy. The interior sports handstitched Blue Marine upholstery, a oneoff Blue Marine dash, and reclaimed wooden entry strips that replicate boat decking. A second special edition Electric Moke will be designed and built to commission, with the two bespoke cars raising £225,000 apiece, all going to the charitable cause.

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