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Mini celebrates 60 amazing years of this iconic car, from its revolutionary introduction to the popularity of its new-generation models.
The first two-door Mini, introduced in 1959 and built until 2000, revolutionized automotive design with its innovative front-wheel-drive layout that made the car appear bigger on the inside than the outside. In 1999, the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T.
Designed for British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Sir Alec Issigonis and manufactured in England, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Chile, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia, the Mini was as successful in competition as it was on the street, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through 1967.
Originally built by BMC, the Mini’s later parent company, Rover, was acquired by BMW in 1994. In 2000, BMW sold most of the Rover Group but retained the Mini brand. The last and 5,387,862nd original Mini rolled off the production line in October 2000. In July 2001, BMW launched production of the new-generation of Mini which was soon joined by Countryman, Clubman, convertible, Cooper Works, and numerous special editions.
Nearly 20 years later, the new Minis remain as popular as the original from 1959.
From the Publisher
Trying to write an overview of both the Mini and the MINI was never going to be easy. What I hope I’ve achieved is an explanation of the why, the how, and the what of the two cars, as well as the way the why informs the how.
Cars for the People
Long, long before any speck of the Mini was even detectable in the mid-1950s, the quest for a convincing “people’s car” had propelled the motor car forward. Because, at first, it was little more than a volatile plaything for the ultrawealthy—a toy for Sunday-afternoon outings and, once engineers had learned how to harness power and roadholding, a mechanical racehorse to provide thrills for drivers and a spectacle for the crowds.
The Bond Minicar
The Bond Minicar was an interesting concept in ultraminimalism from Britain, benefitting from its classification as a motorbike-related tricycle to enjoy very low rates of road tax.
The Ford Model T
The Ford Model T was perfectly conceived for America’s rough roads, with high ground clearance and rugged construction. Its design, together with Henry Ford’s super-efficient mass-manufacture techniques that drove down prices, led to multimillion unit sales.
The Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV, sometimes called the Tin Snail, was launched in 1948 to offer the poorest in French society basic rural or urban transport. The 2CV’s technical secrets are revealed in this cutaway drawing showing the front-wheel drive, longtravel torsion bar suspension, and an air-cooled twin-cylinder engine.
One of the earliest sketches from 1995, by Frank Stephenson, showing broadly the shape of the new Mini.
The state-of-the-art safety structure of the all-new Mini was a huge leap over the original car’s.
Finally, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in autumn 1997, a mockup of the near-final MINI Cooper was unveiled. Surprisingly, this one did actually work, it is said, as underneath the profile that would soon become familiar globally there were the underpinnings of a humble Fiat Punto. It was, however, to be a very long wait—almost four years— before customers could get their hands on one of the first production cars . . . driven, BMW must have hoped, half crazy by the anticipation.
Publisher : Motorbooks; 1st edition (April 30, 2019)
Language : English
Hardcover : 176 pages
ISBN-10 : 0760363994
ISBN-13 : 978-0760363997
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 9 x 0.75 x 10.25 inches
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