Rods & Classics: Fifty Years of the Mini
Story by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of BMW MINI
The year was 1956. The Suez Crisis meant that fuel rationing was once again put into place in the UK, and German Bubble Cars (the Messerschmidt KR175, KR200, and FMR Tg500, as well as the BMW Isetta 300) were beginning to be a popular choice of affordable transportation. Furious that the British did not have a car to combat this swing to miniature cars, BMC (British Motor Corporation) head Leonard Lord uttered the words, “God damn these bloody awful Bubble Cars. We must drive them off the road by designing a proper miniature car.” And thus, the framework was laid down to produce what would become one of the world’s most iconic and identifiable cars – the Mini.
The project was charged to Greek-British designer Alec Issigonis, a Greek native who moved to the UK after the Turks re-possessed his hometown after the Greco-Turkish war in 1922. Issigonis’ task was to design a car that would fit in a 10 x 4 x 4-foot box, with 80 percent of the floor plan designated for cargo and passenger space. A tall order indeed, that would require some modern thinking. Issigonis developed an engine compartment that was extremely efficient at doing more with less. He went with BMC’s 34-hp A-Series 850cc four-cylinder and mounted it transversely in the engine bay. The car’s gearbox was also built into the sump of the engine, allowing both to run on the same oil reserve, and keeping a compact package. The drivetrain would be FWD and the radiator would also be mounted transversely, taking air from the driver’s front wheelwell. The suspension was of an all-new design for space saving. Instead of springs, the Mini would use rubber cones fitted to the front and rear subframes. Not only did this system save space, but it also gave the car a firm sporty ride that would later make the car an ideal candidate for motorsports, but more on that later.
To make the most out of the interior space, the wheels were limited to 10-inches tall and pushed out to the corners as far as possible, allowing space to seat five adults. Anyone who has sat inside an original Mini will attest to the car’s amazing use of space, which just doesn’t seem possible in such a small car. In turn, the small boot fitted behind the rear seats was designed with a hatch that opened downward rather than up. This was done so that it could remain open during travel allowing owners to over pack. No space went unused. Storage hollows were added to the doors, thanks to sliding windows, and were said to be designed to fit a bottle of Gordon’s Gin. Storage could also be found in the front dash and under the rear bench with added cubbies on each side. Even the door and boot hinges were mounted externally. The car truly was a marvel in its time and proved that the British could compete with the Germans.
In 1959, BMC brought the car to market, being sold as both an Austin Mini Se7en, (Se7en paying homage to the Austin Seven that represented Britain’s Model T in the 20’s and 30’s) and the Morris Mini Minor. While initially the Mini’s sales were slow, by the end of the ‘60s, nearly 1.2 million units had been sold. This gave birth to several different variants of the car. The Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf built from ‘61 to ‘69 would be Mini shells with small trunks and Wolseley grilles added to the front. These would be considered the higher-end Minis. In the same period of time came the Traveler and Countryman, which were long-bodied Minis with dual rear doors. The Mini Van would be a commercial panel van sold from ‘60 to ‘82, along with the Mini Pick-up, which is exactly what you think a Mini Pick-up would look like.
One very unique version of the Mini was the Moke. This was a design project for the military to build a lightweight air-transportable jeep. The Moke had no roof or sides and used flat fenders so that the cars were stackable inside a large transport plane. The prototypes utilized a 4WD drivetrain using both front and rear-mounted engines, enabling it to climb 1-in-2 gradients. However, due to its low ground clearance and small wheels, it would be impractical for military duty, as the Land Rover would prove to be the ideal candidate. Nevertheless, BMC built just over 90,000 Mokes for civilian duties as the car made a great beach buggy and on-site complex transportation.
However, the most famous variants of the Mini are easily the Cooper and Cooper S. Formula 1 and Rally car builder John Cooper saw the Mini’s potential as a race car from the very beginning. The car’s small stature, light weight, unique suspension and wheel positioning made it ideal for competition. Cooper and Issigonis collaborated together to build the first Cooper in ‘61. This was a regular Mini with a 54-hp 997cc engine with twin SU carbs, front disc brakes and a close-ratio gearbox. One thousand units were produced to meet Group 2 rally homologation. And off to the races they went.
In 1963, an even higher-performance version was designated the Cooper S, with an 1100cc engine, and a 76-hp 1275cc unit in ‘64 helped such drivers as Irishman Paddy Hopkirk, and Finns Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen take victories in the ‘64, ‘65 and ‘67 Monte Carlo Rallies, with a win in the ‘66 event that would be disqualified after a controversial judging in the use of headlights. While the Cooper was the darling of the world’s rally stages, it was also a fixture in many saloon series as well. Many a race fan has seen either a Ford Galaxie or Lotus Ford Cortina being stalked by a flock of angry Minis, like bees chasing a bear from the hive. They were quite the little annoyance as drivers chose the Mini over just about any other car to race, rally or compete in several other forms of motorsport.
The impact the car had on the world meant that it would be recognized as the runner-up in the 1999 Global Car of the Century, while winning Autocar’s Car of the Century. It was so popular, the designer Alec Issigonis was knighted in 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to British heritage and industry. In all, 5.3 million original Minis were built from 1959 to 2000 by three different manufacturers. Despite four different re-stylings over this time, a 2000 model still had the exact same appearance as the original prototype. However, the story doesn’t stop there.
In 2000, BMW would take over commercial rights to the Mini name, and would introduce an all-new version of the Mini. British loyalists were skeptical that BMW would tarnish the character of the original car. The new car was released with a significant increase in stature, less efficient use of space and now featured a much more luxurious environment than Mini drivers were used to. However, despite this, BMW did infuse the car with the most important characteristic of all, its absolute fun-to-drive character. Like the original, you can’t help but grin every time you get behind the wheel, and also like the original, it is a FWD that drives like a RWD car. While the most fanatical of Mini loyalists still look down at the new MINI, the fact is that the 1959 design could not succeed in the modern world of 3-5 year design turnovers. In fact, the new MINI has already received a re-design. Now fifty years on, and the world is experiencing similar issues that brought about the birth of the Mini. The economy, the environment and the cost of fuel have seen the new MINI continue to be a success, and hey, it’s still built in Britain.
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