A product of the 1956 Suez Crisis petrol rationing, there are few cars that reach iconic status, but despite its diminutive size, the 3-metre long Mini is one of them. Introduced onto the UK streets in 1959, the Mini truly was ground breaking in the fact over 80 percent of the car’s total size could be used for the transport of luggage and passengers. The space-saving transverse engine, front-wheel drive layout designed by Sir Alec Issigonis has been used in almost every other small car since, irrespective of manufacturer.
The basic car spawned five versions, the Clubman, the Traveller/Countryman estate, the Van, the Pick-Up, and the Jeep-like Mini Moke. Of course, the racing tuned Cooper and Cooper S variants are arguably the most famous, scoring three Monte Carlo Rally victories. In 1999, the Mini came second in a poll to find the most influential car of the 20th Century, and production halted a year later, when BMW sold the Rover Group, keeping the Mini brand for its new small car model line. A total of 5,387,862 Minis had been manufactured.
Did you know?
The Mini’s simple and cheap philosophy extended to the sliding windows in the doors. Why sliding windows? Storage pockets were fitted in the space where a winding window mechanism would have been. Rumour has it that Mini creator Issigonis is said to have sized these storage bins to take a bottle of his favourite Gordon’s Gin, or more probably, milk.
Tags: British Design Classics, Culture, Design