A Mini history

Can you imagine a car that was in the motoring field for over 50 years , adding upto to several innovations , fan clubs and a one off International Car of the Century Award . Yes ! you got it right , Its the Mini . So now ,  lets go to where it all began .

It was 1957 , A post war England . An economic downfall for Britain had resulted in soaring fuel prices , this situation made people wondering the mere existence of gas guzzling cars. At this point Sir Leonard Lord of the Morris ordered his top engineer Issigonis to create a small , fuel efficient and affordable car that was more capable to seat four adults and also store a minimum amount of grocery items , an ideal car for a British family of those days.

 The result was one engineering marvel , The Mini. The highly creative and innovative car was lauded for two most important innovations that are still in use until this day , number 1 , the design was aimed to give maximum space for its occupants , this resulted in putting the wheels of the car at the corners , number 2 , the engine of the car was placed vertically or sideways. This made the car stand out of all other cars in the market.

By this point the car had fallen into the hands of the British motoring legend ,  John Cooper . Cooper who took advantage of the car's innovative design and go kart like stance , created a monstrous motor out of the humble family car . The Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced . The car's engine was replaced by a 997cc , 55hp engine that gave instant torque . Well if your wondering what 55 hp would contribute to a car's performance , you should remember that the car is a light weight family hatch. Given the design of cornered out wheels , small wheelbase and low ground clearance , the car always remained on four wheels at corners hence adding points to the handling and driving experience. In 1963 the first Mini Cooper S came into existence with a new 71hp engine , cheering the car all the more to its glory.



The nimble Mini was outracing and outlasting the other powerful and clumsy sedans of its days. Classic American and German sedans like the Camaro and 2001 would find it hard to get a good head start and envy the simple yet innovative Mini for its quick pace. Visits to the leaderboard became common for the racing Mini and it chalked up several international victories including three consecutive Monte Carlo Rally wins (1964-1967).


The Mini wasn't its own marque until 1969. By 1969 Mini had achieved a dream that every manufacturer dreamt of , a whopping 2 million cars were produced and sold , it wasn't anymore a people's car , it had become more of a fashion icon , from actors to singers and astronauts to racers , all those who could afford cars like the Rolls Royce had the Mini , due to its easy and nimble handling , hence creating a separate marque was very much necessary.

In 1969 Mini launched the Pickup , Clubman and Station wagon and all were incredibly durable. By 1977 Mini had sold out 4 million cars but was forced to give up its US Green Card due to the 1968 emissions act .

By now Minis were all over the place that Ice-cream vans to motorhomes were all Minis. Several people went on to make insane modifications to the Mini , there were Mini trucks , limos , dragsters ... you name it  , because it was so simple to work on the Mini .
This is one of the many reasons why the Mini is still highly popular , despite being out of production for nearly two decades.

The production of this iconic British classic was ended in 2000 after 41 long years as it could not avoid its age factor. Rover stopped building it and everything went arguably downhill from there for the only remanent BMC.

The Mini became as iconic as the Black taxis and the Red phone boxes. It featured in the Mr.Bean series and in the climax of movies like the Italian Job and Bourne Legacy . It endured tests of time like the Land Rover Defender and left behind a legacy that any supercar would envy. Its DNA still lives in every small car including the German one that crudely impersonates the Classic Mini.

 But the Classic Mini still remains in the hearts of the people as one charming ,  simple , agile and nimble car.