Unlike any car that I will write about in this series of posts, I have actually taken a ride in a Mini. And not a new, updated version. I have ridden in a Mini Mark V and a Mark VI. From personal experience, I can say that these are brilliant little cars. Yes, the ride can be a bit bumpy due to the stiff suspension. And yes, when taking corners at speed you go up on two wheels, but none of this matters. This car is a masterpiece that will be forever remembered as something that the British actually got right. This car will be forever copied, but it will never be matched. The Mini is in a class of its own.
The Mini was developed in a time of fuel rationing in the UK. Auto-makers were looking for a small, economy car that could beat the rising cost of fuel. The original team (from the British Motor Company) that designed the Mini sought to do the impossible. Make a small car that could accommodate four passengers and all of their luggage. Oh, and the car can only be 10 feet long! Six feet of the car's length was marked off for the passengers. That leaves 4 feet for storage space, an engine, four wheels and tires, a gearbox, cooling system, radiator etc... The designers had to be incredibly creative when putting the Mini together. The engine was mounted transversely (meaning that the crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the long axis of the vehicle). To accommodate the engine placement, the Mini became a front-wheel drive car. These designers made history and set a standard when they built the Mini. To this day, most front-wheel drive cars have a transverse engine! The radiator was mounted on the left side of the car. The Mini also had sliding windows, that allowed for additional storage space in the doors. The boot lid hinge was on the bottom, so that the car could be driven with the boot open.
To make a long story short, the designers created the Mini and released it to the press in April of 1959. The ad campaign was truly genius and I highly recommend looking it up after reading this! The Mini went on the sell incredibly well in the UK, US, and several other countries. It became a serious competitor to the Volkswagen Beetle.
Now, onto the more interesting stuff: the Mini's racing heritage! The original Mini had a 848 cc engine that kicked out 30 bhp. That is not very powerful at all. The Mini's low power combined with the fact that it is a front-wheel drive car made racing the Mini difficult. However, John Cooper (the Mini Cooper is named after him) saw the racing potential in this little car. The Mini Cooper was created and it generated 50 bhp. Another model was created and it was dubbed the "Mini Cooper S." This car had a bigger engine (1,071 cc, a decent motorcycle engine) and other models were built with even larger engines. The Mini Cooper S was now ready for competitive racing.
The Mini was certainly a "David among Goliaths." Initially, it didn't look like Mini had anything to offer motor-sport. What place does an economy car have in the world's biggest races? The Mini Cooper S earned serious credibility by winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967. In 1966, three Mini's actually took the top three places, but they were disqualified after it was ruled that the Mini's had illegal headlamps. The Mini continued to place well in Rally events and circuit races all over the world. It was noted that the Mini's success was due in part to its size and ability to take corners at great speed. The Mini performed well in all types of weather and on any terrain. It could be easily modified or equipped for the changes in weather.Along with a racing heritage, the Mini holds a firm place in popular culture as well. Anybody who enjoys a good car chase should watch the original Italian Job. No, Mark Wahlberg is not in the original film, but the original Mini is and it is amazing to see it drive down staircases. Similar stunt-work can be seen in the Bourne Identity. The Mini has definitely had its fair share of air time. In addition to all of the film success, the Mini has received the following awards:
"Car of the Century" (Autocar magazine 1995), "Number One Classic Car of All Time" (Classic & Sports Car 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 (taken from the Wikipedia article on the "Mini").
Well, with all of those awards, I would say that the Mini was a success. Sadly, some of the magic has worn off because Mini is now MINI and it is owned by BMW. Still, the car looks brilliant and you can't erase its excellent history.
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that I have ridden in an original BMC Mini before. It belonged to my grandmother. I have many fond memories of being driven around the English countryside; my brother and I being thrown around in the back, as the Mini would take corners and go up on two wheels. I can definitely picture this car kitted out with racing stripes and Rally tires, hurtling around bends and turns in the road. I can see a smile on the driver's face as he contemplates the fact that he is in the world's smallest racing car. I can picture all of this because I got a small taste of it on the country roads of England. But you see, therein lies the car's true genius. The Mini can take care of a family just as easily as it can hurtle around the world's greatest racing tracks. It can be your daily driver or the weekend track car. It can tackle anything that you throw its way. It is truly ironic that the "Car of the Century" is named Mini. But that is the British for you, the understatement of the century is also the car of the century.
Goodnight.
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