Today, you see them on the road everywhere in the United States. But the car and name have been around a lot longer than they have been in the states.
The very first Mini was created in 1959 by Alec Issigonis, who, at the time was a very heavy smoker. Instead of including a radio in the vehicle, he utilized that space for a very large ashtray instead. The original Mini sold for £497 in 1959, that would have been around $1,800 at that time. Shortly after, in 1961, a sportier upgraded version of the mini was created. John Cooper, the inventor of the formula one car, a legend, also the person Mini is named after, just happens to be the creator of the sportier version of the Mini as well. Around this time, Mini had undergone multiple different names. When the Mini Cooper was first launched to the public, it was marketed as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-minor. It was renamed the Austin Mini in 1962. Finally, in 1969, Mini became its own marque.
The Mini Cooper became quite the influence early on in its production, it was also a very popular choice for motorsports, winning the Monte Carlo rally three times between 1964 and 1967. Even before the Monte Carlo rally, Mini was winning. In fact, 1962 was a huge year for Mini. In 1962, one specific woman chose the life of speed, shattering all gender rules of her time, leading Mini to their very first motorsports victory in the Netherlands Tulip rally. Her name was Pat Moss. Not only can we associate John Cooper to Mini, but we can also recognize how big Pat Moss’ victories were for Mini. Truly two icons in the Mini world and for motorsports. Visits to the winners circle became a regular event as Mini chalked up numerous international race wins over the years.
Now lets fast forward a little bit…
The day was the 26th in April of 2001, that’s when production of the new Mini began at BMW’s plant in Cowly, Oxforshire. Around this same time (ish) BMW had just purchased Rover and Land Rover. So who designed the new mini? This was a highly disputed messy subject. One thing being clear though is that both BMW and Rover/ Land Rover had a big role in Mini’s new design. Since 2001 there have been over 20 significant Mini derivatives. None that share many similarities with the classic mini though. Mini still continues to be a track beast and still continuous to be a very desirable car for many people. The Mini Cooper production line is all around made up of very fascinating vehicles. Although Mini has never won Euro of the Year, some still might consider Mini’s to be very sought after vehicles.
Yorumlar