MINI is going to mark the 100 years of production at the world-famous Oxford plant with a transcontinental tour. A convoy of five MINIs will visit eight former classic Mini production locations across Europe, reflecting on the MINI’s British soul and European character.

This 10,500 kilometers (over 6,500 miles) tour will include Novo Mesto (Slovenia), the Italian city of Milan, the former production plant in Malta, the Portuguese town of Vendas Novas, Pamplona in Spain, Seneffe in Belgium, Amersfoort in Holland and the Irish capital Dublin. Back in the day the Oxford plant used to make CKD (Completely Knocked Down) vehicle sets, which were then assembled at the aforementioned locations.

The final destination on the tour will be Oxford – the home of the brand past and present – where 100 years of car production will be celebrated on 28 March.

Today, MINI makes five of its seven-model lineup in the UK, with the Countryman and the Paceman being built in Austria by the contractor Magna Steyr. In 2014, BMW is going to invest another 500 million GBP in the Oxford plant, turning MINI into one of the largest car makers in Britain.