History of the Classic Mini, Part 1 of 7- The Original Mini
Development of the Original Mini:
Original Mini Minor MK I
The original Mini was a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original Mini is considered an icon of the 1960s and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers.
The original Mini was in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America.
This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.
The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke—a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper “S” were added later as sportier versions that became successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through to 1967, although in 1966 the Mini was disqualified after the finish, along with six other British entrants, which included the first four cars to finish, under a questionable ruling that the cars had used an illegal combination of headlamps and spotlights.
Initially Mini’s were marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor, until Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969. The Original Mini was again marketed under the Austin name in the 1980s.
Mini’s in the US
Between 1960 and 1967, BMC exported approximately 10,000 left-hand drive BMC Original Minis to the United States. Sales were discontinued when stricter federal safety standards were imposed in 1968; the Mini’s wheelbase was too short to comply. The ‘A’-series engine, contrary to popular belief, was fully compliant with federal and state emissions standards, as shown by the Austin America which was sold in the United States until 1972. As this was a larger car, the minimum wheelbase legislation did not affect its saleability.
The New Mini
When production of the Original Classic Mini ceased in 2000, BMW (the new owner of the brand) announced the successor to the Mini. The brand name for the new car is MINI (written in capital letters), and it is commonly called the “BMW MINI” or the “New MINI”.
The new MINI is much larger than the original Mini. It is around 58 centimetres (23 in) longer, 50 centimetres (20 in) wider, 7 centimetres (2.8 in) higher, and weighs around 1,050 kg (2,315 lb) rather than the 650 kg (1,433 lb) of the Original Classic Mini. The New MINI is now classified as compact car rather than city car.
On 3 April 2007, the one millionth MINI rolled out of the Oxford Plant after six years of production, just one month longer than it took the original Classic Mini to reach the same total in March of 1965.
History of the Classic Mini will continue with part 2 of 7 : The Beginnings of The Classic Mini’s Design
Sources:
www.wikipedia.org
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