A convoy of Cowley classics made their way from Oxford to Longbridge in Birmingham on Saturday.

About 45 vehicles set off from the Mini plant to the Pride of Longbridge event to celebrate cars connected to the Midlands and Oxford factories.

John Bellinger, pictured, made the journey in a police-livery Rover SD1 from the Met’s historic vehicles collection.

The serving officer, who also has his own SD1, said: “It was a good way to celebrate the amount of vehicles produced at Longbridge. The police-livery SD1 is something a bit different for people to look at, and it was good to give it a run because it doesn’t get too much use.

“People were all over it, especially the kids who seemed to love playing with all the buttons and turning the lights on.”

The Pride of Longbridge events have been running since 2006, the first anniversary of the plant’s closure.