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-

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.

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