Friday, May 23, 2008
1956. The Suez Crisis plunges Europe into a fuel crisis, petrol is rashioned and sales of new cars plummet.
Germany responds by creating the Gogomobile and three wheeled cars. President of the British Motor Corporation, Sir Leonard Lord is unimpressed and asks his chief designer, Alec Issigonis to create a “proper miniture car”.
To make it more challenging he also sets him strict design restrictions. It has to measure four feet across, four feet high and 10 feet long, provide for four passengers and their luggage and use only existing parts.
Issigonis and his team of eight engineers set to work and four months later Lord gives the go ahead for this new small econonic British car and the Morris Mini Minor is born.
The car used a conventional four-cylinder water-cooled engine but it was mounted transversely and drove the front wheels. This innovation allowed much increased passenger space in a small body. The result was nimble, economical and inexpensive. Almost all small cars built since the 1970s have followed this mechanical layout.
In 1959 the first model rolled off the assembly line for a mere 496 pounds ($1,200).
By 1964 sales were approaching 500,000 and the open top Mini-Moke was released to poor sales apart from the military and Australians who’s beach culture perfectly suited the open top style.
In 1969, The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine, turned the Mini into a star when 3 Mini Coopers were utilised as the perfect getaway cars.
Sales were helped along the likes of the Beatles and Peter Sellers publicly acknowledging their love of them but slowly fell off in the 70’s and 80’s until it seemed the little British Icon was headed for the scap heap.
Rover’s takeover in 1990 lead to a relaunch on the Mini Cooper and in 1999 it was voted the European car of the century by a panel of international journalist.
But the real second coming of the Mini and the Mini Cooper in particular came in 2001 when BMW took over ownership and created the Mini Cooper the world has fallen in love with again today.
The 2003 remake of The Italian Job, this time starring (Marky) Mark Wahlberg, became a massive advert for the new ultra hip Cooper and sales soared again.
Even Madonna featured it in the lyrics to the title song from her 2003 album American Life.
The Mini Cabrio launched in Australia in January 2005, and unlike the Mini Moke of the 60’s, is now primed as a much more luxurious and hip car.
And with an Italian Job 2 (well, 3 for the purists) in the works and sales continuing to soar, it seem the Mini still has a lot of mileage left in it yet.
Peter Shuttlewood is the author of webzine freshread which contains articles on Popular Culture with an Australian slant. freshread - the everyday in a fresh way.
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