VW weekend

[davidpidge]

I like minors because they're not trendy fashion items. They're reliable, well designed usable vehicles. Not a cool alternative to a Citrroen Saxo. If I see another VW beetle or camper lowered to the floor with a halfords steering wheel and porsche wheels i'm going to vomit.

(I wasnt having a dig at people who modify cars by the way!)

[irmscher]

Stepside you forgot to mention the Morris dancing

[les]

He 'forgot' to re-post what he had deleted too. Maybe he felt he went to far---shame I'd have liked to have read it!

[kingzdjc]

I like minors because they're not trendy fashion items.

I suppose not if you are of an older generation, and grew up with them, but at only 22, quite a few people have admired my Minor, and I think do have a retro-trendy image more so amongst younger people.
Your're not going to get someone admiring a ford fiesta for example.

They're certainly more trendy that the fiestas, corsas, etc that nearly everyone under 30 seems to drive. As I said, retro and vintage things, like clothing etc seem to be on trend.

That said, I didnt buy my minor to be trendy, but for the other things like you said, like reliability, simplicity, etc

Just been to the essex dubbers rallie absolutly brilliant real family atmosphere and some very creative things going on great Band, brilliant dj who played loads of ska ,rock and dance music,
So I thought i'de have look to see what the morris rallie had to offer , ABBA , hawks, and punch n judy ,
its no wonder all the cool kids want to drive VW's .

Agree with you there. It is ashame that the Morris Minor national doesnt have more of a young imput, considering we are going to be the future of the club and the direction it takes. Im afraid that the image the Minor has compared to the VW is that of an old one.
I wonder that when many of the older members have left or passed, what is left will be a club of old attitudes etc, and many people wanting a more modern club will purchase VWs.
I'm not saying the national should have solely DJ's, dance music, and hip hop, but ABBA and punch n judy is a little staide, especially for the up and coming younger members, and I think doesn't direct the club in the direction it needs in a more modern world.

[millerman]

Good post

[aupickup]

i am nearly 60

but i would like to see the national a bit more with it

keep it going you young ones, and that was a good series on the tele

[irmscher]

King you forgot the Morris dancing and the parrots and owls I am of the older brigade but like most modern music custom cars, tuned cars, drag racing ,etc .When you get to a certain age it doesnt mean you havent enjoyed yourself and still can The young minors have there own section and a facebook page and seem to be prospering trends change but morris dancing and parrots isnt for me but others may like it and its up to the individual .What is stopping the young ones organising there own music tent ???? entertainment etc isnt it allowed

[MarkyB]

Staid is being diplomatic, even the Womens Institute probably have more exciting events.
Fossilised, is how I'd put it.
If it wasn't for the auto jumble, the cars and the company I doubt anyone would attend.

[kingzdjc]

King you forgot the Morris dancing and the parrots and owls I am of the older brigade but like most modern music custom cars, tuned cars, drag racing ,etc .When you get to a certain age it doesnt mean you havent enjoyed yourself and still can The young minors have there own section and a facebook page and seem to be prospering trends change but morris dancing and parrots isnt for me but others may like it and its up to the individual .What is stopping the young ones organising there own music tent ???? entertainment etc isnt it allowed

Out of interest, who actually organises the National event???

Of course the younger members could organise something, so yes, maybe some of blame for lack of modernising is the fault of the young members, as their imput in this particular event doesnt seem to be there, ie entertainment wise. Or is it the fact that there are no younger members on the board organising these events???

I think all the events, not just the national need to reflect the times, and move forward. Mainly because if the club doesnt, and people move onto VWs etc, it could spell the end of the preservation of the Morris Minor, which would be sad to see. After all, the Minor is what the Beetle is for germany, a national treasure.

I mean, seriously, even ABBA is a tad tacky for even the older members surely. As for punch n judy, well, I presume this is for mainly the kids, but I was and still am terrified of them! What kids like this sort of kitsch sea side entertainment nowadays?

[irmscher]

Nobody wants to upset the apple cart comes to mind its down to younger members to voice there opinions instead of on that stupid facebook

[davidpidge]

I'm 25 but sadly haven't been able to attend a national in my 3 years of Minor ownership. One of the things I like about the owners club is the sense of tradition and (I mean this in a good way), the old-fashioned feel of it all. I hope my generation will still love Minors and not start chopping them up, selling off the plates and trying to patch them up for a quick profit.

Minors are about national trust visits and picnics in the country. I can go to 'run to the sun' in Cornwall to get my fix of old cars, dubstep and drinking.

Why dont the young members hold they're own national cruise in the Spring? They could have it their way then.

[badobsession]

Agree with you there. It is ashame that the Morris Minor national doesnt have more of a young imput, considering we are going to be the future of the club and the direction it takes. Im afraid that the image the Minor has compared to the VW is that of an old one.
I wonder that when many of the older members have left or passed, what is left will be a club of old attitudes etc, and many people wanting a more modern club will purchase VWs.
I'm not saying the national should have solely DJ's, dance music, and hip hop, but ABBA and punch n judy is a little staide, especially for the up and coming younger members, and I think doesn't direct the club in the direction it needs in a more modern world.

WELL SAID THAT MAN ..

[lowride stepside]

Well thats put the cat amongst the pigeons !
Morris dancers I love em, especialy big biker ones wiv pick axe handles ,
Standard purist cars are lovely especialy with a picnic hamper onboard , these things are still going strong in the vw scene coz once everybody has customized there car the cool thing to do is be standard,Ive just gone back to skinny rims coz most cars have big fat ones.
But my main point is the entertainment factor at this years national , I worked in an alternative club for a long time with ever evolving scenes punks, phsycobilly's, Goths ,scooter northern soul n Ska ,rave nights back 89 before all the big comercial clubs jumped on it . Now at the mo there's a big rock n roll and 40's revival happening with a hillbilly twist So why not book someone like Cara Emerald , amelda may or Kitty Daisy n Lewis or Sea Sick Steve (if yr not sure who these are check out on u tube )this could bring in other people that may not be into moggies,Its about focusing your product at the right people ,
the next wave
I won't be attending the nationals this year ABBA tribute bands just don't do it for me , and today I actualy thought about selling my truck and buying a bug, but seeing that many of you feel the same about the purist overlords who delete posts and keep the image our cars nerdy Ive decided to keep him .
What about thinking up some cool slogans like the Original Red Bull , or shall we just keep mmmm thats not original

[bpr81a]

the purist overlords who delete posts

Nobody has deleted any posts. If you can't find something that you think you've posted, you didn't post it.

[kingzdjc]

I'm 25 but sadly haven't been able to attend a national in my 3 years of Minor ownership. One of the things I like about the owners club is the sense of tradition and (I mean this in a good way), the old-fashioned feel of it all. I hope my generation will still love Minors and not start chopping them up, selling off the plates and trying to patch them up for a quick profit.

Minors are about national trust visits and picnics in the country. I can go to 'run to the sun' in Cornwall to get my fix of old cars, dubstep and drinking.

Unfortunatley many younger members will be at odds with your view, and its this kind of attitude (I respect your opinion however) that is staving off potential young members from purchasing a Minor. They would rather get the young cool VW beetle than the old Granny that is the Minor.

It is this very image that needs changing. You say Minors are about national trust visits and picnics, which is a very traditional English view, (nothing wrong with that), but you dont see the VW beetle scene saying that their VWs are all about the Bavarian alps, and the 'perfect' family setup of 2 adults, 2 children and their dog, for which the beetle was originally designed for (a typical German family at the time).
No, the VW scene has moved on with the times, which is why it has a bigger club, in which floods of young members, generation after generation want to join. Therefore, safe guarding the future of the club, and also safe guarding the future of the VW Beetle.

I have a Minor, because I want to see us Brits cherishing a car what the Beetle was to Germany. When I drive a Minor, I am driving the British equivilant to the Beetle, a car with a British identity, and one that should be up their rivalling its German sister, the Beetle. But with an old stigma, I fear the Minor has a long way to go.

I won't be attending the nationals this year ABBA tribute bands just don't do it for me , and today I actualy thought about selling my truck and buying a bug

No please dont sell the Minor. Dont give up on it, as one day, Im sure, when the younger members realise the club needs a new direction, the Minor will be there at the top, rivalling its German sister

In fact, how does one get himself on the commitee that plans these events, is their one?

So why not book someone like Cara Emerald , amelda may or Kitty Daisy n Lewis or Sea Sick Steve

Exactly! Singers like Cara Emerald, and Amelda May are retro type singers, something that surely would appeal to old and young alike. This 'retro, cool, British' image is exactly the one the Minor needs. Not the ageing, national trust image it has at the moment.

[davidpidge]

Another benefit of Minor ownership is its so cheap, (relatively). A rubbish beetle with an MOT will cost you at least £1500-£2000 and dont get me started on the prices people ask for splitty vans! Their values are totally disproportionate to the quality. I see a minor at least once a day on the road so i'm not worried about their popularity.

[LouiseM]

In fact, how does one get himself on the commitee that plans these events, is their one?

There is a team of volunteers who organise the National, lead by Andrew Stone (contact details in Minor Matters). Suggestions for the event are regularly sought from club members via the magazine, branch liaison meetings and on here but unfortunately requests for volunteers to assist during the planning stage or the actual event never get much of a response as very few people seem to want to give up their own time to help out. The 70's theme for this year's event was suggested by 2 members of the Mansfield branch (neither of whom could be described as 'old'!) to coincide with the decade that Minor production ceased. The Abba tribute band was chosen because it fits in with the theme of the rally. As for the Punch & Judy show, whilst not to everyone's taste it attracted large numbers of both adults and children during each showing at last year's rally so quite a lot of members seem to like it!

That said, I didnt buy my minor to be trendy, but for the other things like you said, like reliability, simplicity, etc

I think that’s why a lot of people of any age buy Minors, with affordability being a more important factor when choosing a car rather than the type of ‘scene’ that might go with it. Saying that though the Young Members Register have been doing a very good job of recruiting younger members to the Club and also organise their own events. As already stated, they will also have a large presence at the National and a slot in the main arena. The Custom & Modified Register will also have a large display, something which hasn’t happened for the last few years due to the lack of volunteers to organise it. So things are changing but it's dependant on input from volunteers. The entertainment at the National is never going to please everyone due to the wide age range of the membership - from teenagers to over 80's - but the 'retro' 70's theme is at least likely to have a more wide ranging appeal than some of the previous rally themes.

[lowride stepside]

In fact, how does one get himself on the commitee that plans these events, is their one?

There is a team of volunteers who organise the National, lead by Andrew Stone (contact details in Minor Matters). Suggestions for the event are regularly sought from club members via the magazine, branch liaison meetings and on here but unfortunately requests for volunteers to assist during the planning stage or the actual event never get much of a response as very few people seem to want to give up their own time to help out. The 70's theme for this year's event was suggested by 2 members of the Mansfield branch (neither of whom could be described as 'old'!) to coincide with the decade that Minor production ceased. The Abba tribute band was chosen because it fits in with the theme of the rally. As for the Punch & Judy show, whilst not to everyone's taste it attracted large numbers of both adults and children during each showing at last year's rally so quite a lot of members seem to like it!

That said, I didnt buy my minor to be trendy, but for the other things like you said, like reliability, simplicity, etc

I think that’s why a lot of people of any age buy Minors, with affordability being a more important factor when choosing a car rather than the type of ‘scene’ that might go with it. Saying that though the Young Members Register have been doing a very good job of recruiting younger members to the Club and also organise their own events. As already stated, they will also have a large presence at the National and a slot in the main arena. The Custom & Modified Register will also have a large display, something which hasn’t happened for the last few years due to the lack of volunteers to organise it. So things are changing but it's dependant on input from volunteers.

The entertainment at the National is never going to please everyone due to the wide age range of the membership - from teenagers to over 80's - but the 'retro' 70's theme is at least likely to have a more wide ranging appeal than some of the previous rally themes.[/quote]

[lowride stepside]

Book more bands , I saw a couple of kids in shroesbury buskin in the town It was a real hillbilly thing tho they called it blue grass they where brilliant you'd get them as a warm up for nothing what about talking to Chris Evans he loves cars and has had at least one mog .Hold the event at a track like the bug jam or the bulldog bash what about a hill climb or a circuit ,which I did suggest in my post that was deleted (I saw it on here )

[kingzdjc]

Book more bands , I saw a couple of kids in shroesbury buskin in the town It was a real hillbilly thing tho they called it blue grass they where brilliant you'd get them as a warm up for nothing what about talking to Chris Evans he loves cars and has had at least one mog .Hold the event at a track like the bug jam or the bulldog bash what about a hill climb or a circuit ,which I did suggest in my post that was deleted (I saw it on here )

Exactly. A lot of the entertainment, like the band you said buskin would do it for nothing, as they would be getting free publicity. Next years' event, I would really like to see the young members taking a more active role in suggestions and organising the nationall event, (myself included).

The 70's theme for this year's event was suggested by 2 members of the Mansfield branch (neither of whom could be described as 'old'!) to coincide with the decade that Minor production ceased.

All I can say is that if they are young and suggested ABBA and the tacky 70s era, then thank goodness they're not in my branch!
Really, the event should be about celebrating the Minor, and thats not done by celebrating the 70s, an era that saw the demise of many British brands. Technically, the Minor is a 40s car. Designed and built in the 40s, the car kept the same design during its production.

The entertainment at the National is never going to please everyone due to the wide age range of the membership - from teenagers to over 80's - but the 'retro' 70's theme is at least likely to have a more wide ranging appeal than some of the previous rally themes.

Personally, I despise the 70s. An ugly era in car design, architechture, fashion, music, just plain ugly and tacky era. My personal opinion.

To change the way these events are carried out, we really need to drum up support, and I believe it has started on this thread. COME ON GUYS!