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MINI Specifications (2002-2004)

MINI S Specifications (2002-2004)

Classic Mini History (1959-2000)

Someone recently emailed me this history of the Mini. I am not sure where it came from but I assume it's public domain. All credit (with exception of spelling and punctuation corrections) is given to the author identified at the bottom of his article. This will be removed from our site at the request of the author.

On August 26, 1959 the first British Motor Corp. Mini was produced.  It was the most compact ergonomical car of it’s time.  It was designed for cheap basic transportation for the masses  during the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956 when Britain found it necessary to ration oil. The Mini  boasted front wheel drive, a 4 cylinder transverse engine, 25cm wheels, a gearbox mounted underneath the engine and a rubber cone suspension system all in a tiny package.  The Mini was designed by Alec Issigonis on the back of an envelope with the goal being to produce the most compact car possible.  Other design features were sliding windows, cable-pull door release and externally welded body seams.   

There were two main designs at first; the Austin Mini Seven and the Morris Minor.  Both were available in basic or deluxe trim.  After the public fell in love with this little car in the sixties, the name Mini became a household name all over the world.  With it's popularity, new variations were produced; the van, pick-up, estate, long-boot Riley Elf, Wolsley Hornet, Mini Moke and finally the Mini Cabriolet.

In 1961 the Mini-Cooper was launched by the famous Grand Prix winning designer John Cooper.  He modified the famous car to include a 997 cc engine producing 55 bhp up from the original which had an 848 cc engine which produced 34 bhp and added small disc brakes.  John developed a Cooper "S" model that had even better performance.  With a 1275 cc engine and a total of 76 bhp, this model's top speed was 160 km/h.

The Mini was a famous car in the sixties and still is today.  The car has undergone many modifications but the original design was still in use until the year 2000.  Recently it was voted the "European Car of the Century" and over 5,300,000 were produced.  The new MINI debut was in 2001.

Geoff Hamilton