The Mini Story

The original Mini was undoubtedly an icon of the British motor industry, a much loved ‘small wonder’. Totally classless in image, it was bought by everyone from royalty to the housewife; even Mr. Bean and the guys who did ‘The Italian Job’ chose the little car. Although the Mini was officially launched on August 26th 1959, its story actually goes back to 1956. In the wake of the Suez crisis, there was petrol rationing in England and this popularised the “bubble-cars” from Germany for a while. Leonard Lord, then chairman of the British Motor Corporation (BMC), decided that a small car was needed ‘to drive those bubble cars off the road’ and gave instructions to commence development – immediately and quickly. The brief was simple: a car with seating for four that would be smaller than the A35 and Morris Minor, and use of an existing BMC engine.

The man who received the directive was Alec Issigonis who had come to England from Turkey. Issigonis’ father was a naturalised Briton of Greek descent and his mother came from a German family which, coincidentally, was related to Bernd Pichetsreider, the former chairman of BMW who had presided over the acquisition of the Rover Group in the mid-1990s.

Issigonis was an automotive engineer who had come from Alvis (and before that Rootes and Morris) in 1955. He was asked to concentrate on advanced concept design and was thus in a position to take a fresh look at small car design.

His aim was to design the smallest possible car which could still accommodate four adults and luggage. Issigonis was obsessed with getting maximum usable space out of the minimum (hence the origin of the ‘Mini’ name) dimensions. The ‘box’ was set at 3.04 metres (about 10 ft long), 1.21 metres (4 feet) high and wide, of which 80% would be used by passengers and luggage. This meant that only about 610 mm was left for the powertrain. To get it all in, he had to resort to using 10-inch wheels and all-independent suspension.

But the real masterstroke came from turning the engine ‘east-west’ and driving the front wheels via a gearbox and a final drive built into the sump. Issigonis was familiar with front-wheel drive and admired Citroen and DKW cars which had such a drivetrain. Because the gearbox was under the engine, it needed a specially-designed clutch on the outboard side, while the differential gear for the final drive went at the back. Equal-length driveshafts were used. The engine selected was a version of BMC’s well-proven and successful A-series, first used in the Austin A30 in 1951. It started out as 948 cc but was reduced to 848 cc for the Mini.

PURE FUNCTION
The styling was pure function, and even the welding seams were put on the outside for ease of manufacture (Minis built in the 1990s also had the same external welding seams). It was 3.04 metres, as planned, and although boot capacity was limited, the idea was that owners could leave the boot door open flat and tie additional luggage on it!

One of the features which many people recall were the door bins which it had been possible to incorporate because Issigonis insisted on having sliding windows; this made it unnecessary to allow space for a winding mechanism, thus maximising interior width. Later on, of course, the bins disappeared as winding windows were used.

The project was first known as ‘XC 9003′ but later changed to ‘ADO 15′. Its design period was incredibly short even by today’s standards – just six months in 1957. Two running prototypes were available in October and by July 1958, Lord was invited to take a test-drive around the factory. The chairman was satisfied after a 5-minute spin and told Issigonis he wanted it in production within 12 months. Issigonis met the deadline and the first cars left the assembly lines at Longbridge and Cowley in May 1959 for the launch in August.

AUSTIN AND MORRIS VERSIONS
Both Austin and Morris versions were available, identical except for badges and grilles. For additional differentiation, colour ranges were separate for the Austin Se7en (as the Austin version was known) and for the Morris Mini-Minor. Standard and deluxe equipment levels were available, the latter having chrome-plated trim, opening rear quarter windows and ashtrays at the back. In 1959, the standard model cost £497 while the Deluxe model was £537.

The early Minis were full of idiosyncrasies, some practical while others were, well, not so practical. The gearlever was a long, thin stalk coming straight out of the final drive housing. There was a separate starter button on the floor and the battery was in the boot. There was no dashboard but a full-width parcel shelf was installed with the speedometer and fuel gauge set in the centre (Issigonis felt it would overcome the problem of separate arrangements for left-hand drive variants).

Then there were also the English penchant for picnics which led Issigonis to ensure that there would be enough space under the rear seat for a wicker basket. This idea was, however, not popular even though BMC offered accessory baskets.

Because the old Austin Seven and Morris Minor names were not so well known in many countries, the export models were known as Austin 850 or Morris 850. None went to the USA where BMC sold MG and Austin-Healey sportscars. Small cars like the Mini just weren’t wanted in the American market that loved their cars big, the VW Beetle being an exception.

SLOW START
The Mini didn’t take the market by storm from Day One, contrary to what might have been imagined. The first year’s production amounted to less than 20,000 units, followed by more than 100,000 units in 1960. In 1962, the production volume exceeded 200,000 units and remained above this figure until 1977, an impressive time-span.

Lord’s original intention to ‘drive those bubble-cars’ out was never realised as they became virtually extinct on their own by 1960. So the Mini had really to carve its own niche in the marketplace.

Predictably, the Mini was greeted with some derision, even suspicion, because of its size and unconventional features. FWD was not yet widely accepted by British buyers but positive press reports helped draw attention to its many merits. The adoption of the car by the “Chelsea set” – the equivalent of the yuppies of later decades – also helped, along with owners like the British royal family members, the Beatles, King Hussein of Jordan, Steve McQueen, Peter Sellers, Cliff Richard, Niki Lauda, Paul Newman and even Enzo Ferrari (who had three that he said he thoroughly enjoyed), among many other famous personalities.

ENTER THE MINI-COOPERS
While the Mini was recognised as a practical car for the masses, it also gained additional fame when the Mini-Cooper was introduced in 1961. Fitted with a twin carburettor 997 cc tuned engine inspired by F1 Champion Constructor John Cooper and equipment such as front disc brakes, a remote control gearchange and extra instruments, the Mini-Cooper – with distinctive two-tone colour schemes – became the car to be seen in at posh places.

Although modified Minis had been used for racing and made a debut in rallying with the 1959 RAC Rally (a standard 848 cc model finished 6th in the 1960 event), it was the Mini-Cooper that brought the car into the motorsports world. The Mini-Cooper and its even more potent Mini-Cooper ‘S’ variant (with a 1071 cc engine) became cars to be reckoned with on the tracks. The Coopers formed the backbone of the BMC Competition’s Department with the first big success coming from Pat Moss’ win in the 1962 Tulip Rally.

THE MONTE CARLO WINS
The Monte Carlo Rally victories made a significant impact on public perception of the Mini, and the first one came in 1964 with a Cooper ‘S’ crewed by Paddy Hopkirk and Henry Liddon. That the win was no fluke was proven in 1965 and 1967 using the later 1275 cc Coopers. The BMC team had two of the original ‘Flying Finns’ – Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen – who were very skilled in driving on snow and icy roads, and they revelled in the advantage of having FWD in their Minis.

Officially, the Mini scored three Monte Carlo wins but actually there was one more in 1966. This win was, however, taken away when officials inspecting the car after the event considered the halogen bulbs in the headlamps ‘non-standard’ and had the winning Cooper disqualified.

There were many other notable rally victories and high placings for the Mini during the mid-1960s but more powerful and specialised machines by rivals began to out-class the little cars by 1967. The last full season for the works team was 1968.

To promote the Mini in racing, BMC produced a ‘homologation special’ with a 970 cc engine – after the standard engine size had gone past one litre – just so the car could compete in the under 1-litre class of saloon car racing. In fact, where saloon car racing is concerned, John Cooper declared that the Mini was really the first true saloon car to go racing.

In Malaysia too, Minis made their mark in local races and rallies during the 1970s. They were cheap to acquire and easy to modify, and racing drivers like William Mei, Chong Kim Fah, Simon Velu, and S. Subramanian started off in Minis. In rallies, ‘Croc’ Tang, Doc Chin and Tengku Mudzaffar showed that the Mini’s small size and light weight were advantageous in the estates.

VARIATIONS SPROUT
Although the Coopers were the best-known derivatives, there were other equally good variants introduced in the car’s first decade. These included a van version, an estate car (known as the Austin Se7en Countryman and Morris Mini Traveller), upmarket versions with Riley and Wolseley badges and even a pick-up.

One of the more unusual derivatives was the Mini-Moke which was introduced in 1964. Conceived as a light utility vehicle, it was intended for military use but lack of ground clearance and only two-wheel drive made it unacceptable.

It didn’t fare well in the UK market as it was taxed like a car, rather than a commercial vehicle, and cost more. The Mini-Moke had better luck in other countries and although production ceased in England in 1968, it carried on in Australia and then in Portugal in 1980. The production rights were held by Cagiva, the Italian motorcycle company.

The Mini was, in a sense, a ‘world car’ as it was developed with the international market in mind. Its simple construction made it ideal for overseas assembly operations in many European and Commonwealth countries, Malaysia included.

Innocenti, the Italian company which also made the Lambretta, was already making some BMC models under licence and added the Mini to their range. The Innocenti Mini, under De Tomaso, underwent modifications and looked rather different. De Tomaso even tried installing a Daihatsu engine and transmission in it but the project failed due to lack of commercial viability.

continued on page 2