Mini Cooper owners owe it to themselves to make at least one pilgrimage to the birthplace of their Mini. And those who don't own one should also visit as well, although there is a risk of being converted on the spot.
The assembly lines were very impressive. The first portion of the tour takes you through the body assembly where legions of killer death robots--now used for good under the supervision of human masters--labor away and meticulously assemble and weld the pressed steel plates into the recognizable Mini shape. Each body is then tracked through the plant until it rolls off the line--I saw 2-doors and 4-doors mixed together and occasionally pulling parts from different racks (the label "F56" I instantly recognized).
Then off to the paint shop (which we don't get to see) and then to assembly where all the components are installed by humans and machines working together. The little robots running on magnetic lines carrying the cockpit was a sight. Imagine a rainbow of Minis moving down a conveyance, and that's what you have here. At the end of the line nearly 1000 Minis are spit out each day and sent by rail to the container ships to bring them around the world.
The tour guides were knowledgeable and friendly and made it a wonderful experience. There's also a little Mini museum and the obligatory Mini shop as well to round out the experience. read more