About Us | Retro Mini Hire

~ THE RETRO MINI HIRE STORY ~

Retro Mini Hire is a company born purely out of an authentic love and passion for all things Mini!.

It started the very 1st time that Bex sat down to watch that Great British Classic 'The Italian Job' as a young girl.

99 minutes of complete Mini Mayhem with Charlie Crocker and Co and Bex was hooked! This moment in Bex’s life went on to inspire the next 10 years of her career as a worldwide celebrated artist celebrating all things motorsport but in particular all thing ‘Italian Job’ and all things ‘Mini” where Bex has become a well recognised and established character at Mini Events all over the country.

Along the way Bex has worked with some of the Greatest Mini icons including Mini Monte Carlo Rally winner Paddy Hopkirk, and a healthy portion of the original 1969 Italian Job cast.

Despite all this Bex had one part of the dream missing...... owning a Classic Mini Cooper.

This all changed when Bex met Allan and spoke with such passion for all thing’s Mini. This love and passion for the Great British Classic inspired Allan to take his 1st test drive in a Classic Mini. From that turn of the key, the ignition of that iconic 1275cc petrol engine, the noise, the smell, the character, the burst of excitement and energy that burst into life on that very first run out was the birth of our shared desire!

The sheer elation that this tiny pocket rocket ignited inside of us both was just far too great to contain and the Retro Mini Hire dream was born!!.

In that moment we knew that we just had to get as many people as we could to experience that unforgettable experience that we had just had, We just HAD to get our own Classic Mini Cooper.

The search began, days and weeks of scouring the internet for the perfect Mini for us and reaching out to Bex’s contacts in the Mini community. And we found her….. ‘Matilda’. A 1275cc SportsPack Mini Cooper in Red, she was the perfect project.

Teamed with Lancaster Insurance, with whom Bex has a long standing acquaintance, we set about launching Retro Mini Hire in the entrance of the biggest Classic Motor Show in the UK at the Birmingham NEC. But 1st matilda had to be made ‘show ready’. She was given a new leather interior along with gearbox reconditioning, a custom roof rack and a VERY VERY rare ‘Italian Job’ light bar! as well as so much more.

The Retro Mini Hire team was established and we set about spreading our love and passion for the Classic Mini to the masses.

Since that 1st debut at the NEC we have returned on several occasions working closely with the team of the Classic Motor Show and Lancaster Insurance living our dream.

So what makes Retro Mini Hire special????

We are one of the only companies outside of London that will hand you the keys to not only a Classic Mini Cooper but to our absolute pride and joy, and wave you off on your very own Mini road trip. We have several tailor made, pre-planned routes, many of which making the most of the sheer beauty and idyllic driving roads of the Staffordshire Moorlands and The Peak District where the Mini really does excel.

But it doesn’t end there. Each trip is packed with attention to detail such as carefully prepared routes which are given to roadtrippers in both physical AND digital format with a picnic basket and hand picked places to stop along your route for site-seeing and great places to eat.

We have been fortunate enough to have spread our love and passion far and wide with people coming to experience Matilda from as far afield as Norway and Australia.

We have been lucky enough to help happy couples experience The Classic Mini Cooper on their wedding day, Couples reliving their youthful memories and general fun-seekers having the best time behind the wheel.

The charm of Matilda has also been utilised on a corporate level with businesses incorporating Matilda into their marketing campaigns including a TV appearance outside of Bolton Town Hall in a government advert for Polling Day!

Wherever in the world you are, whatever your occasion, get in touch and make a lifetime memory for yourself by joining the growing number ‘Smiles Per Mile’ club members ending their roadtrip declaring it ‘THE BEST DAY OF THEIR LIFE’ which continues to make all our efforts at Retro Mini Hire heart-warmingly worth it.

Our Testimonials

     Excellent  
     Based on 34 reviews 
    
 
 
   
 
 
        
    
 2024-04-19
 
 
  Amazing day driving all over the Peak District
Had our picnic which she provided by the river in Bakewell
Clotted cream to jam radio 10:1
Amazing!!?!!
Nothing was too much trouble for them
Thanks for an awesome
Road trip
  
 
       
    
 2024-04-09
 
 
  We hired the mini out for 3 days and what can I say except what a beautiful car, me and the mrs both fell in love with it. The car was perfect for our wedding. She is well maintained and looked after by the owners, who are also some of the most nicest people you will ever meet, you can tell it’s not just a car to them, but their pride and joy.  I really recommend to anyone  who is thinking of hiring the mini, you will not be disappointed( only when you give it back and wishing you kept her longer)
  
 
       
    
 2023-11-27
 
 
  Where to even start! We had the best time in Matilda in our road trip! We couldn’t have asked for better! Bex and Allan were so amazing right from the get go. From explaining everything about Matilda, showing us exactly how to drive her and what was what, right down to going through the whole route with us before we set off. They also sent us recommendations on places to visit and food etc, we really couldn’t have asked for more. This trip was a surprise birthday present for my husband and Bex helped to organise it all with me and he absolutely loved it. Not to mention how amazing the Christmas Hamper was aswell! We travelled up from south wales to experience the Derbyshire Dales in Matilda and it’s honestly the only way to do it! I’d highly recommend Retro Mini Hire, we had the best weekend! Couldn’t fault a thing!
  
 
       
    
 2023-10-24
 
 
  This was amazing! Bex was lovely, she made every effort to make sure we felt special and enjoyed the day, including a vegan picnic. Matilda is stunning and wonderful to drive. This was a birthday present and I couldn't recommend it enough. Thank you for such a wonderful day.
  
 
       
    
 2023-10-21
 
 
  Thank you so much Bex.
Matilda was the real star of our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding.
We followed them on the drive to the reception and it was great to see so many people waving and smiling at them. It truly made their day.
  
 
       
    
 2023-08-10
 
 
  Fantastic! Booked a one day road trip for husband’s 40th. Wonderful day and Bex went above and beyond to make it special, even letting us change dates at the last minute due to an injury. Genuine 5 star service, thanks!
  
 
       
    
 2023-07-23
 
 
  Many thanks for the use of your mini for our wedding day, I honestly didn’t expect the response it got from everyone and all the looks it got on the journey to the hotel!

Everyone loves the car and thinks it’s amazing, it’s a real credit to you and also it drives and sounds absolutely amazing!

All the younger kids that was at the wedding didn’t believe it was a real car, they all thought it was a toy car with it been so small compared to modern cars! They was all pretending to drive it and beeping the horn, thinking they was driving down to the Mac Donald’s drive through for a happy meal 😂

Everything from booking the car to the car been delivered was absolutely seamless and perfect, I cannot recommend Bex and the car enough for any occasion!

Thank you once again from the now Mr and Mrs Bonney 😊
  
 
       
    
 2023-07-04
 
 
  Nothing other than 5 stars! All of the reviews say similar things and I couldn't agree more. This isn't like booking something through an impersonal corporate gift buying site where you get a gift voucher to print off. The attention to detail from Bex is so refreshing to see, from the initial enquiry to collecting the car, the whole experience was first class!

The Mini itself is very well maintained and drives great. We covered just under 100 miles in the Peak District and didn't want to give it back.

A great gift, we would highly recommend this company and the experience of retro mini hire.

Look no further! Keep up the great work Bex, your energy you put in to your business makes all the difference and is clear to see.
  
 
       
    
 2023-07-04
 
 
  We booked the weekend Mini hire with Retro Mini Hire and what an absolute amazing experience from start to finish.

We had the most amazing, relaxed weekend driving around the Peak District. Stopping where we wanted to and taking in the sights.

Communication was great from beginning, at the time of booking, to the moment we returned the car.

Such friendly service.

The picnic hamper and retro mini playlist were also an added bonus too!
  
 
       
    
 2023-06-28
 
 
  What can I say. From the moment I booked this trip I have been impressed with the hard work done by Bex & Alan today bring the experience to us. We chose a trip in the peak District, unfortunately the weather wasn't our friend but that took nothing away from the day. Matilda is a great car, I struggled to get used to Her (my fault not the car!). It's a Mini Cooper of course & I'm no giant not am I mini. Matilda is well kept & a real pleasure to be trusted with somthing special to Bex & Alan. We loved the chance to see places we've never been & recommend the John Mellor museum en route, the retro sweet hamper went down well too. Anyway suffice to say I would jump at the chance to do it  again, just less pies in the weeks before the trip. Keep up the great work guys, hopefully see you in November, but We'll see your socials regularly. Ta Ta for now.