THE 60th anniversary of the Mini will be celebrated at Britain's most famous racetrack this summer.

Special races will take place at this year's Silverstone Classic to mark the significant milestone in the life of the Oxford-made car.

The event, on July 26-28, will feature Mini racers competing for The Mini Celebration Trophy.

In what is expected to be the world's biggest gathering of racing Minis ever, the cars will compete in qualifying on the Friday and then 20 minute showdowns on both Saturday and Sunday.

First launched in 1959, the ground-breaking Mini not only revolutionised small car design but also became a classless British style icon in the Swinging Sixties.

Nick Wigley, Silverstone Classic CEO, said: "Absolutely everybody who loves cars loves the Mini, so we are really thrilled to be celebrating this major milestone in its illustrious history with two fabulous races at the Classic, where the stars are always the cars. With so many evocative examples in existence, we are expecting to create what will be the world’s biggest-ever field of racing Minis… and, in doing so, make yet more history for both the magical Mini and the Classic.”