Auto Car | Austin/Morris Mini - the 60s | The Austin/Morris Mini was the car of the 60s. It was conceived as cheap transport for the masses, but was driven by the rich and famous and won the Monte Carlo Rally three times in the 60s.
The original Mini was the brainchild of Alec Issigonis. He already had the Morris Minor to his credit, when Leonard Lord, then Chairman of BMC, asked him to come up with an answer to the bubble car boom of late fifties. The revolutionary concept was to switch the engine position from North-South to East-West and provide power to the front, rather than the rear wheels. This meant the Mini, a tiny strange shaped car, was as roomy as much larger saloons.
The public took to the Mini slowly at first. Launched in 1959 at a price of £500, it was then the cheapest proper saloon car available. The unusual shape took some getting used to at the time, but when the public accepted it, the Mini was a success story; although an accounting error meant BMC did not make a profit on it.
The original Mini was the brainchild of Alec Issigonis. He already had the Morris Minor to his credit, when Leonard Lord, then Chairman of BMC, asked him to come up with an answer to the bubble car boom of late fifties. The revolutionary concept was to switch the engine position from North-South to East-West and provide power to the front, rather than the rear wheels. This meant the Mini, a tiny strange shaped car, was as roomy as much larger saloons.
The public took to the Mini slowly at first. Launched in 1959 at a price of £500, it was then the cheapest proper saloon car available. The unusual shape took some getting used to at the time, but when the public accepted it, the Mini was a success story; although an accounting error meant BMC did not make a profit on it.
The original Minis were very basic. There were no door handles inside, a simple cord served as a door pull, and there were no wind up windows. The Mini's speedo was mounted in the centre of the dashboard; a feature which has been retained on the new BMW Mini today. Nevertheless, it was possible to cram enormous amounts of luggage into the small car and publicity stunts of the 60s included a competition to cram as many people as possible into a Mini.
Another distinctive feature of the original Mini were the vast door pockets.
The original Mini's sporting pedigree meant young owners often modified standard production cars. The car in these pictures (right and above) has wide wheels and additional trim around the wheel arches. It was a few years old when these photographs were taken, so I would imagine a young owner has added a mild customisation.
The original Mini had a small engine, 850cc, and a maximum speed of 72mph, and reached 60mph from rest in 27 seconds, hardly sporty. Part of the original design, that was something of a happy accident, was the Mini's handling. John Cooper was able to see the potential of the Mini as a sports saloon. He developed it into the Mini Cooper, with a 998cc engine and twin carburettors. Later BMC launched the Mini Cooper S, the ultimate performance Mini. Early versions were built to satisfy homologation requirements for racing. Later the Mini Cooper S became a standard production car.
A Mini Cooper S, in the hands of Paddy Hopkirk, won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964. There were two more wins and a much disputed disqualification.
( www.retrowow.co.uk )
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