MiniWorld July 2019 95
and created our Su olk seats, which
we designed around the Mini Mk1
design of seat cover and panel, and
called them the Monte Carlo range and
so on.” In 1993 they developed trim
for Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet and
then Innocenti Minis in 1998. Newton
Commercial did develop trim for
New Mini but demand was not high.
The same thing also happened with
Freelander trim during the late 1990s.
The success of the Mini trim led
them to be involved with supporting
Paddy Hopkirk and Ron Crellin’s
return to the Monte Carlo Rally in
- “It was a great rally actually,”
remembers Vera, “because the Mini
was no longer competitive really but,
because of the names Hopkirk and
Crellin and because it was the little
Mini, everyone along the route was
waving and absolutely loving it.”
The company showcased their
products at a number of events. “We
did the big motor show in 1992 and we
were involved in rebuilds at the NEC
Classic Motor Shows. We did, I think,
seven or eight car rebuilds,” says Richard.
During the rebuilds they became friends
with Pat Ward of Rover Exhibitions. In
1994 Pat asked them to have a display
stand in between Rover and Land Rover
stands at the NEC Motor Show so that
a rival brand couldn’t fi ll it. “These two
huge companies had a budget of about
£80 million a year,” says Richard, “so for
four shows they built our stand for free
and all we had to do was turn up.” By this
time they had developed leather trim
for the MGF which was sold through
dealers as an alternative to cloth trim.
By the early 2000s they had installed a
modern computer system and business
was booming. Their son Jonny joined
them in 2004. “It was interesting as none
of us knew if it was going to work out »
A stand at the NEC
during the 1990s.Richard doing a
seat trimming
demo at a show.This cut-down Mini
helped to show off
their products.Rover invited Newton Commecial
to showcase their products at
the Motor Show at the NEC.