Fans flock to see the Clubman

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Sept 14, 2007

A FAMOUS car name has returned with BMW starting production of the new Mini Clubman at its plant in Oxford.

At the same time, the new Clubman was shown off to the public for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Originally in production from 1969 to 1980, the Clubman will go on sale in the UK on November 11.

The arrival of the Clubman will help BMW to produce a record 200,000-plus Minis in 2007, with production eventually expected to reach 240,000 annually.

BMW's Oxford plant managing director Oliver Zipse said: "The new Mini Clubman is another milestone in the Mini success story. Our 6,800 highly-committed associates in the Mini production triangle plants in the UK (Oxford, Swindon and Hams Hall near Birmingham) have so far produced more than one million Minis since it was launched in 2001.

"With the launch of the Clubman, we are expecting new production and sales records for Mini."

Slightly bigger than the standard Mini, the Clubman comes in three versions, the pounds 14,235 Cooper, the pounds 15,400 Cooper D and the pounds 17,210 Cooper S.

The new car is inspired not only by the original Clubman but by the Morris Mini Traveller and the Austin Mini Countryman of the 1960s.

MINI Cooper diesel, Page 36

CAPTION(S):

BORN AGAIN - the MINI Clubman set to be a surefire winner