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The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The most popular British-made car of all time, it has since been replaced by the New MINI which was launched in 2001. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s. This revolutionary and distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis (1906–1988)[2]. It was manufactured in the United Kingdom (Longbridge and Cowley), Australia, Belgium, Chile, Italy, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and Venezuela. The Mini appeared in four consecutive versions, the Mk I, Mk II, Clubman and Mk III. There were also a number of variations - including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper'S versions were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars - winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times.
Design and DevelopmentPrototype Mini and one of Issigonis's original concept sketchesDesigned as project ADO15 (Austin Drawing Office project number 15), the original prototype was affectionately named "The Orange Box" because of its colour. The ADO15 utilised a conventional BMC A-Series four-cylinder water-cooled engine[3], but departed from convention by having the engine mounted transversely, placing the engine-oil-lubricated four speed transmission in the sump, and by employing front wheel drive. The radiator was mounted at the left side of the car so the engine mounted fan could be retained, but with reversed pitch so it blew air into the natural low pressure area under the front wing. This location saved precious vehicle length but had the disadvantage of feeding the radiator with air that had been heated by passing over the engine. Almost all small front wheel drive cars developed since the 1970s have used a similar configuration. The suspension system, designed by Alex Moulton, used compact rubber cones instead of conventional springs - this led to a rather raw and bumpy ride, but this very rigidity, together with the wheels being pushed out to the corners of the car, gave the car its famous go-kart-like handling. It was initially planned to use an interconnected fluid system, similar to the one which Issigonis and Moulton were working on in the mid 1950s at Alvis, but the short development time of the car meant this would not be ready in time for the launch. The system intended for the Mini was further developed to become the hydrolastic system and was first used on the Austin 1100 (launched in 1962). Ten inch wheels were specified, so new tyres needed to be developed - with the initial contract going to Dunlop. The car was designed with sliding windows in the doors, thus allowing for storage pockets to be fitted in the space where a winding window mechanism would have been. The resulting storage bins in the doors were said to have been sized by Issigonis to take a bottle of his favourite Gordon's Gin. The boot lid was designed with the hinges at the bottom so the car could be driven with it open to increase luggage space. On early cars, the number plate was hinged so it dropped down to remain visible when the boot lid was open. To keep manual labour costs low, the car was designed with quirky welded seams that are visible on the outside of the car running down the A and C pillars and between the body and the floor pan. To further simplify construction, the car had external door and boot hinges. Maximised useful spaceAll of these novel and elegant technical innovations resulted in a car with minimum overall dimensions yet maximised space for passengers and luggage. The production model differed from the original prototype by the addition of front and rear subframes to the unibody to take the suspension loads and by the engine being mounted with the carburettor at the back, rather than at the front. This allowed an extra reduction gear to be placed between engine and transmission to reduce loads on the gearbox and prevent the rapid wear on the synchromesh which had happened on early prototypes. As a side benefit, mounting the carburettor at the rear helped to reduce carburettor icing, but did expose the distributor to water coming in through the grille. The engine size was reduced from 948 cc to 848 cc which reduced the top speed from an unprecedented 90 mph (145 km/h) to a more manageable (for the time) 72 mph (116 km/h) - a decision that was reversed in 1967. The Mk I Mini - 1959 to 19671965 Mk I Mini Traveller
The production version of the Mini was demonstrated to the press in April 1959 and by August, several thousand cars had been produced ready for the first sales[4]. The name Mini did not appear by itself immediately - the first models being marketed under two of BMC's brand names, Austin and Morris. The names Austin Seven (often written as SE7EN) and Morris Mini-Minor were used in the United Kingdom and (until 1962) the cars appeared as the Austin 850 and Morris 850 in North America and France, and in Denmark as the Austin Partner (until 1964) and Morris Mascot (until 1981). The name Mini was first used to name the car in 1961[5], somewhat to the surprise of the Sharps Commercials car company (Later known as Bond Cars Ltd) who had been using the name Minicar for their three-wheeled vehicles since 1949. However legal action was somehow averted [6] and BMC used the name Mini for the remainder of the life of the car. In 1964, the suspension in the higher-end models was replaced by another Moulton design, the hydrolastic system. The new suspension created a softer ride, but it also increased weight and production cost, and in the minds of many enthusiasts, spoiled the handling characteristics for which the Mini was so famous. In 1971 the original rubber suspension reappeared and was retained for the remaining life of the Mini. From October 1965 the option of an Automotive Products (AP) designed four speed automatic transmission became available. Although they were slow at the outset, sales were strong across most of the model lines in the 1960s. The basic Mini never made money for its makers because it sold at less than its production cost. This may have been necessary in order to compete with its rivals but it is rumoured[2] that this was actually due to an accounting error. Some profits came from the popular deluxe models and from optional accessories which included items such as seat belts, door mirrors and a radio that would be considered necessities on modern cars. The Mini etched its place into popular culture in the 1960s with well-publicised purchases by film and music stars. The Mk II Mini - 1967 to 1970From 1967 to 1970, Issigonis had been designing a replacement for the Mini in the form of an experimental model called the 9X[2]. It was shorter and more powerful than the Mini, but due to politicking inside British Leyland (which had now been formed by the merger of BMC and Standard Triumph) the car was not built. It was an intriguing "might-have-been"; the car was technologically advanced and many believe it would have been competitive up until the 1980s. Updated 998 cc and 1275 cc models were produced after the introduction of the Mk II body type in 1967. Production of the 998 cc variant ended in 1969, with over 55,000 cars sold[1]. The 1275 cc variant soldiered on, adopting the slightly modified Mk III body type in 1969–70, until January 1972. The Cooper company was quick to develop and sell a conversion kit for export models, which registered steady sales until 1975[7]. Customer demand led to the sliding windows being replaced with conventional winding windows from the Mk II onwards - although some Australian-manufactured Mk I Minis had adopted this feature several years earlier. A bewildering variety of Mini types were also made in Pamplona, Spain by the Authi company from 1968 onwards, mostly under the Morris name. The Mini was arguably the star of the 1969 film The Italian Job which featured a car chase in which gang of thieves drove three Minis down staircases, through storm drains, over buildings and finally into the back of a moving bus. This movie was remade in 2003 using the new MINI. Variants1968 Mk III Riley Elf The Mini CountrymanThe popularity of the original Mini spawned many models that targeted different markets:
The Mini Cooper and Cooper S - 1962 to 2000
Issigonis' friend John Cooper, owner of the Cooper Car Company, Formula 1 Champion and rally driver in 1959 and 1960, saw the potential of the little car, and after some experimentation and testing, the two men collaborated to create a nimble, economical, and inexpensive car. The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in 1962[2]. The original 848 cc engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was increased to 997 cc, boosting power from 34 bhp to 55 bhp (25 to 41 kW)[3]. The car featured a racing-tuned engine, double SU carburettors, close ratio gearbox and front disc brakes, uncommon at the time in a small car. 1,000 units of this iteration were commissioned by management, intended for, and designed to meet the homologation rules of Group 2 rally racing. The 997 cc engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998 cc unit in 1964. By the time production of the Cooper model ended in 1967, 12,274 of these popular cars had been sold to the public. A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in tandem and released in 1963. Featuring a 1071 cc engine and larger servo assisted disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper Ss were produced and sold until the model was updated in August 1964. Cooper also produced two models specifically for circuit racing, rated at 970 cc and a 1275 cc, both of which were also offered to the public. The smaller engine model was not well received and only 963 were built until the model was discontinued in 1965. Over 40,000 1275 cc Cooper S models were produced[7] before this too was discontinued in 1971. The Mini Cooper S earned acclaim with Monte Carlo Rally victories in 1964, 1965, and 1967[8]. Minis were initially placed first, second and third in the 1966 rally as well, but were disqualified after a controversial decision by the French judges. The disqualification related to the use of a variable resistance headlamp dimming circuit in place of a dual filament lamp. It should be noted that the Citroen DS that was eventually awarded first place had illegal white headlamps but escaped disqualification. The driver of the Citroen, Paul Toivonen, was reluctant to accept the trophy and vowed that he'd never race for Citroen again. BMC probably received more publicity from the disqualification than they would have gained from a victory[9]. In 1971, the Mini Cooper design was licensed in Italy by Innocenti and in 1973 to Spain by Authi (Automoviles de Turismo Hispano-Ingleses), which began to produce the Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 and the Authi Mini Cooper 1300, respectively. A new Mini Cooper named the RSP (Rover Special Products) was briefly relaunched in 1990 to 1991, with slightly lower performance than the 1960s Cooper. It proved so popular that the new Cooper-marked Mini went into full production in late 1991. From 1992, Coopers were fitted with a fuel-injected version of the 1275 cc engine, and in 1997 a multi-point fuel injected engine was introduced, along with a front mounted radiator and various safety improvements. The Mini Clubman - 1970 to 19801976 Mini Clubman EstateIn 1969, under the ownership of British Leyland, the Mini was given a facelift by stylist Roy Haynes who had previously worked for Ford. The restyled version was called the Mini Clubman, and sported a more square frontal look, similar to that of the much larger Austin Maxi. It was intended to replace the upmarket Riley and Wolseley versions. A new model, dubbed the 1275 GT, was slated as the replacement for the old Mini Cooper S. The Clubman Estate took over where the Countryman and Traveller left off. British Leyland continued to produce the classic 1960s designs, which turned out to be a good thing as the Clubman styling was widely disliked and eventually abandoned in favor of the classic Mini shape. At the end of Clubman production, 275,583 saloons, 197,606 estates and 110,673 1275 GTs had been made[7]. The Mk III Mini - 1970 to 20001985 Mk III Mini Cooper 1996 Mk III Mini Cooper and a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz (which is almost twice the length of the Mini) - both were listed in Automobile Magazine 100 Coolest CarsThe Mk III Mini had a modified bodyshell with enough alterations to see the factory code change from ADO15 to ADO20 (which it shared with the Clubman). The most obvious changes were larger doors with concealed hinges. The suspension also reverted from Hydrolastic back to rubber as a cost saving measure. Some Mini enthusiasts and parts manufacturers list a further set of mark numbers from Mk IV up to as far as Mk VII but these represent changes to the Mk III that were comparatively small and there is no widespread agreement as to their precise definitions. In the late 1970s, Innocenti introduced the Innocenti 90 and 120, Bertone-designed hatchbacks based on the Mini platform. Bertone also created a Mini Cooper equivalent, christened the Innocenti De Tomaso, that sported a 1275 cc turbocharged engine. Reports of the Mini's imminent demise surfaced again in 1980 with the launch of the Austin Mini-Metro (badging with the word mini in all lowercase). In 1981 in New Zealand, the Mini starred in a road trip movie directed by Geoff Murphy called Goodbye Pork Pie. The Mini was beginning to fall out of favour in many export markets and South African, Australian, and New Zealand production all stopped around this time. Mini Cabriolet special editionThrough the 1980s, the British market enjoyed numerous "special editions" of the Mini, which shifted the car from a mass-market item into a fashionable icon. It was this image that perhaps helped the Mini become such an asset for BMW, which later bought the remnants of BMC as the Rover Group. It was even more popular in Japan, where it was seen as a retro-cool icon, and inspired many imitators. In 1994 under Bernd Pischetsrieder, a second cousin of Issigonis, BMW took control of the Rover Group, which included the Mini, fitting an airbag to comply with European legislation. By 2000, Rover was still suffering massive losses, and BMW decided to dispose of most of the company: MG and Rover went to Phoenix, a new British consortium; and Land Rover went to Ford. BMW kept the Mini brand name and now sells a completely new car under the MINI name, technically unrelated to the old car but retaining the classic transverse 4 cylinder, front wheel drive configuration and some stylistic elements. Production of the original Mini outlasted its two major competitors, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Citroën 2CV, and it's supposed replacement, the Austin Metro, at least in Europe. The final Mini rolled off the assembly line in October 2000. A total of 5.3 million cars had been manufactured[7]. Even after production ended, the Mini continued to be a cultural icon and shows up in movies such as The Bourne Identity (2002) as a beat-up but surprisingly capable vehicle for a car chase, or as in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) as a collectible fashion icon garaged alongside other classic sports cars. See also: List of movies in which Mini cars are featured. Unproduced prototypesA number of prototypes produced for vehicles based on the Mini but which never saw production are held and sometimes displayed at the British Heritage Motor Centre museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire. These included the Twini, a re-engineered four wheel drive Moke with two engines - one at the front, and another at the back; the Austin Ant, a second attempt to produce a four wheel drive vehicle, this time using a transfer case, which was cancelled when BMW acquired Land Rover, and a two-seater convertible MG edition of the Mini, cancelled due to it being perceived as competition for the MG Midget. AwardsThe Mini (and it's successor the BMW MINI) have won many awards over the years, perhaps the most notable include: "Car of the Century" (Autocar magazine 1995), "Number One Classic Car of All Time" (Classic and Sportscar magazine 1996) and "European Car of the Century" in a worldwide Internet poll run by the prestigious Global Automotive Elections Foundation in 1999. The Mini managed second place (behind the Model T Ford) for "Global Car of the Century" in that same poll. In the end, 5.3 Million Minis were sold making it by far the most popular British car ever made. Minis in the United StatesA typical meeting of the 'Mini Owners of Texas' club in Grapevine, TexasBetween 1960 and 1967, approximately 10,000 BMC Minis were imported to the US. Sales were discontinued when stricter federal emission standards were imposed; BMC felt that it would be too expensive to make the Mini's engine compliant. Ironically, similar legislation was later introduced in Europe, and the A-series engine, with minor modifications, proved perfectly capable of complying with it. Despite this, a small band of enthusiasts keep the legacy of the original car alive in the US, where cars more than 25 years old are generally exempt from emissions regulations. Minis that were originally sold in the US are becoming hard to find, so most of the restored Minis now running in the US have been imported - typically from Australia or New Zealand where the climate has limited the amount of rust formation and cars are available for relatively low prices. The new MINI
When production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000, BMW (the new owner of the name) announced the successor to the Mini - which is variously called the "BMW MINI" or the "New MINI". The word MINI is always written in capital letters when referring to the new car. The BMW MINI is US emissions compliant and has been sold in the United States since 2002 at a rate of around 30,000 vehicles per year (2004 figures). See also
External links
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