The Mini Story Page 2
NOT STAGNANT
Technically, the Mini was not stagnant after its launch and Issigonis was constantly introducing new ideas while maintaining the basic concept of compactness. In 1965, a 4-speed automatic transmission version from AP was available, a noteworthy option at that time.
Although not instantly evident, Mini enthusiasts will be able to tell one generation from the next by the cosmetic changes that were made from 1967 onwards. Of significance was the arrival of the Mini Clubman in 1970 which had a 998 cc engine (later 1098 cc) and also the Mini 1275 GT with a single carburettor engine and Cooper ‘S’ front disc brakes.
Twelve years after launch, in 1971, more than 318,000 Minis were produced worldwide to make it the best year ever (with 102,000 sold in Britain alone). The first million milestone was reached in 1965, the second million in 1969 and the third million in 1972. By February 1986, a cumulative total of five million Minis had been produced worldwide.
CONTINUED POPULARITY
Throughout the 1970s, the Mini’s popularity continued unabated and it was usually the best-selling British car. The two energy crises also helped sales along as people saw a need for a car which was frugal on fuel at a time when petrol supplies were restricted or going up in price.
However, the energy crises that rocked Europe had also spurred other manufacturers to develop ‘super-minis’ slightly bigger than the Mini and with a hatchback style. These rivals, like Ford’s Fiesta, began appearing from the mid-1970s and most copied the Mini’s transverse engine and FWD concept.
By then, BL had embarked on its own ‘super-mini’ development but this was not, as many had thought, a replacement for the Mini. It was a slightly bigger car to compete with the newcomers, while the continued popularity of the Mini inspired the company to keep it in production. The new car, known as the Austin Mini-Metro, was launched in 1980. It used many Mini ideas like the gearbox in the sump and FWD but offered a bigger body and an extra door behind.
While the Mini’s sales were not hard hit, they were nevertheless declining and a decision was made to shrink the range during the early 1980s. Eventually, only two models would remain in constant production – the Mini City and the more luxuriously-equipped Mini Mayfair, both with a 1-litre engine and either manual or automatic gearboxes.
When the Rover Group came into existence, the Mini was not dropped as the company felt there was enough demand to warrant continued production. In recent years, annual production has been around the 20,000-unit level, creditable for a car that was first launched in 1959.
SPECIAL EDITIONS
To keep interest high and provide some ‘freshening-up’ periodically, various special editions have been produced. These have usually appeared on occasions like the 20th and 25th anniversaries or carried English themes like the Mini Ritz, Mini Chelsea and Mini Piccadilly editions. Even Mary Quant, who introduced the mini-skirt to the world, was commissioned to create a Mini “Designer”. In 1990, nostalgia was at its peak when the Mini-Cooper was re-introduced, albeit with an initial limited run of only 1000 units. It was the first time a 1275 cc engine had been used in ten years.
And, of course, there were owners who had their Minis converted to Cabriolets. Demand was considered great enough that Rover developed a production version which went on sale in June 1993.
THE JAPANESE LOVED IT
Outside Britain, demand for the Mini is still amazingly good, especially in France, Italy and Japan. In 1991, about a third of Mini production was sent to Japan, more than the sales in Britain. In fact, considering that the Japanese had numerous more modern minicars to buy, it was the ultimate accolade to Issigonis that they wanted a Mini. One of the reasons for the Japanese love affair with the Mini is their love of nostalgia, particularly strong for the ‘Swinging ’60s’. The Mini seemed to provide some sort of link to that evocative era.
As emission control regulations grew more stringent, it was expected that the Mini would be forced into retirement. But the engineers were able to make the engine meet the emission standards by adding a catalytic converter with fuel-injection in the Cooper 1.3i.
However, the Mini was never expected to survive into the 21st century. Safety regulations that grew increasingly demanding made it virtually impossible for the Mini’s original design to pass without substantial modifications to incorporate airbags, door beams and a stronger structure. BMW, which then owned Rover, did not see such an investment as being worthwhile and besides, the changes would have been so extensive that much of the car’s character would have been lost.
By the 1980s, assembly in markets outside the UK ceased (Wearne’s sold the last unit in Malaysia sometime in 1982) but Rover continued to make it till the latter part of the 1990s. According to one of the Rover marketing directors of the early 1990s, “the Mini would continue to be supplied as long as people wanted it” and most years, there were at least 35,000 people around the world (mostly in Japan) wanting to own a new one.
Like a good civil servant, the Mini’s service over almost four decades will be remembered as “a job well done”, for it made car ownership possible for many millions of people around the world. As a senior executive in Rover noted in 1995: “Few products – or people – become real ‘legends in their own lifetimes, but the Mini has achieved such status while still being an entirely valid response to the motoring demands of the 1990s.”
-Chips Yap-
