Part of the Teen Car Guys new series include going over the history of cars that have been around for quite some time. mainly cars that have a confusing history, with many models, and often sold under two or more brands. So for my first car history lesson, I would like to explain the history of one of the most influential cars of all time, which sold under the same body style with little face lifts for over 50 years.
In this case, a very long time.When the Mini first came to British show-rooms in 1958 under the British Motor company which sold the Mini for nine years (1959-1968) after they enjoyed the success of the 60s they sold the brand to British Leyland, which sold the Mini under its brand for 18 years (1968-1986) After they sold under them, Mini went on to be distributed under the Rover Group, which sold the Mini name up until the 2000 model year.
While under these brands the Mini was sold under these names.
Austin 850Austin Partner
Austin MiniAustin
SevenLeyland
MiniMorris 850
Morris Mascot
Morris Mini
Riley Elf
Rover Mini
Wolseley 1000
Wolseley Hornet
The idea for the car came in 1955 when Leonard Lord wanted to make a proper small car, he wanted to "rid the streets of terrible bubble cars" and Lord did just that. He decided that the Mini should use an engine that was already in use for cost reasons They ended up using the BMC A-Series four-cylinder, water cooled engine. Which only produced *around* 34 bph, but the super light frame meant it quick on its feet. In fact, on the track, it was faster than most V8s of the day boasting up four times as much horsepower.
The design of this car was, without a doubt one of the most inspiring to other auto-makers at the time. The Mini dementions are 10×4×4 feet, quite small for a car, yet the car could hold four passengers comfrontly, and all of there gear rather easily, another draw-back of small cars of the time (and now) are the small roofs, but the Mini had to be designed to be easy to drive with a helmet on for rally races, so if you are 6.2ft its not a problem if you are considering about buying a classic Mini. With the engine placed sideways (like a boxer engine) it created maximum room for the driver and passenger legroom, and it also left more room for trunk space.
Mini Cooper S
In 1963, the Mini Cooper S was released with the "S" standing for a twisting road (not supercharger) The performance went from 34 to 55 bph. The car featured a racing-tuned engine, twin SU carburettors, a closer-ratio gearbox and front disc brakes, uncommon at the time in a small car. One thousand units of this version were commissioned by management,(source: Wikipedia.org/Mini)They also upgraded the engine size to 1071 cc. But during all of the power changes, the car stayed around the same weight which made it deadly on rally races. Due to these changes, The Mini Cooper S won the 1964, 1965, and 1967 Monte Carlo rally. The series was discontinued in 1971 after eight years of production.
Safty
Issigonis, was once asked about the crash worthiness of the Mini, and he said "I make my cars with such good brakes, such good steering, that if people get into a crash it´s their own fault" He also added " I dont design my cars to have accendents"
In July 1965 one of the strangest things done to make a car safer was done to the Mini. The gap between the door handle and the panel would be closed, which kept the door handle from damaging anything, or pushing the door into the passenger area. In the 1968, the Mini was pulled from the US due to the intense safety regulations, and emissions standards. Although it stayed in production in Canada until 1979
1974 might have been the biggest year for the Mini in safety terms, which featured a longer crumble zone, strengthened door stills, extra internal padding, and resesed door handles.
Mini Clubman
In 1969, Mini was given a face lift, the restyled version was called the Clubman, which was slightly longer than the Cooper, had featured a square look. Although they were better equipped and also featured better crash testing ratings, the aerodynamics where below that of the 1950s model, and most people could agree that it was not the best looking thing in the world (In there defense was that is was designed by an American that worked a Ford) with that it was discontinued in 1980.
Mini Moke
This was actually a utility vehicle for the British army. Although it could clime a 1:2 gradient it did not have enough ground clearance to be put in service. They did not use it in the Army, but it was a big hit with civilian markets, selling 50,000 units after the end of its four year life.
Mini Pick-up
While this is not your average pick-up, it enjoyed success in the UK while it was in production. It is one of the lightest trucks ever made, clocking in at just 1,500lbs. For cost reasons, the Pick up did not have a chrome grill, just a stamped vents for air-flow into the engine A engine and four wheels was about all that you got in this small package, put was popular do to its inexpensive price.
Mini van
A commercial van that shared the same platform as the Austin Mini Countryman. This van was designed for business use, so inexpensive was a key part in its success. With the same striped out look of the Pick-up, with out a chrome gill, or even sun visors. But even without the basic needs of a automobile, the public loved it. With a large back window for advertising, and cheap operation costs, it was a great choice for a company car at the time.
Although there are more models that came out under the Mini name, these were the most popular, and main reasons for the success of the Mini over the years. Selling over 1,581,887 in Britain alone. During the years, the Mini has won many awards, Including the
"Car of the Century" (Autocar magazine 1995)
"European Car of the Century" (worldwide poll 1999)
And Mini even ran up in 2nd place behind the Model T in the "Global Car of the Century"
The New Mini
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