Mini Cooper Weekly

Mini Cooper Weekly has been developed by an owner of both a new and classic Mini Cooper Cars (see photo at left) who does not profess to know ‘everything Mini’, but enjoys sharing Mini stories, and the history, of one of the most important automobiles ever built.

To make this endeavor informative and entertaining we are soliciting your help to make comments, tell your stories, and share your Mini knowledge with the world. We look forward to your contributions and support.

The Mini Cooper Global Car of the 20th Century
Throughout 2009 there were hundreds of events, worldwide, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mini. Not to be confused with the current “new” MINI built and marketed by BMW, the Original Mini, now identified by many as the “Classic Mini“, was first produced in 1959 by the British Motor Corporation (BMC)

The classic Mini survived for more than 40 years with very few minor re-stylings, although there were a number of variants produced. The majority of those variants were basically the same as original Mini and were just produced with reconfigured front fenders and grill, or the addition of a more powerful engine.  For a time they were marketed under various marquees, but were always called a Mini even though their official marque may not have include the word. Eventually the BMC figured that if everyone is calling them Mini’s then they should too. The iconic little British car was built in ten countries world wide, but never in North America.

The Mini enjoyed a “cult like following” that began shortly after the subcompact “city car” (as it was classified) hit the streets of London and was immediately embraced by the press, rock stars, and the film industry. It also did not take long for racers on the international rally circuit to embrace the nimble Mini. They drove them to victory, time after time, by out-performing most of the best race cars in the world.

When production ceased, in 2000, 5.3 million Minis had been sold, making it, by far the most popular British car ever made. Thousands of these classics are still on the road, with many firmly established as collectors’ items.

The Classic Mini Cooper has won many major awards over the years, perhaps the most notable include:

“Car of the Century” (Autocar magazine 1995),

“Number One Classic Car of All Time” (Classic & Sports Car magazine 1996)

“European Car of the Century” in a worldwide Internet poll run by the prestigious Global Automotive Elections Foundation in 1999.

And, in that same poll, the Mini managed second place (behind the Model T Ford) for “Global Car of the Century”

On these pages we will explore the history of the Classic Mini, and its variants, from beginning to end, as we also explore the beginnings of the New MINI by BMW.

In addition, we will be publishing articles, with photos and videos, that will explore the many, many, aspects of owning, driving, modifying, collecting, repairing, and showing your Classic and New Mini’s…

And let’s not forget the Mini MOKE…

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Thank you, we hope you find our articles enjoyable and informative.

Best Regards,

Ken Stewart