August 19, 1999. Copyright, 1999, Graphic News. All rights reserved

MINI CELEBRATES 40TH BIRTHDAY
By Julie Mullins

LONDON, August 19, Graphic News:  IN 1956 motor engineer Alec Issigonis, chief engineer at BMC, was working on a new development of front wheel drive cars when the Suez crisis erupted. Petrol rationing soon followed and demand for small economical cars soared. Imports like the tiny two-cylinder Òbubble carÓ did not meet with the approval of BMCÕs Sir Leonard Lord, and early in 1957, he ordered Issigonis to do something about it.
The result was the launch in 1959 of the Mini.
Forty years and five and a half million Minis later, the car is still one of the most popular ever built and the most successful British car ever.
Although there was no particularly new technology in the design, its genius lay in the layout of the components. Issigonis designed a 10 foot (3m) long car which required only 2 foot (60cm) for the engine Ð this incredible feat of packaging achieved by mounting the engine crossways in the engine bay and effectively putting the gearbox in the sump.
Work on the Mini was carried out at a furious rate and, just six months after Issigonis got the go-ahead, the first two prototypes were running, both painted bright orange.
Lord was convinced, demanding that the car be in production within 12 months. ÒI shall sign the cheques,Ó he said, ÒYou get on with getting the thing to work.Ó
On August 26, 1959, the Mini was launched, costing £496. It received a somewhat sceptical reception from a conservative car buying public, and sales were very slow at first.
But the rebellious nature of the sixties soon ensured the MiniÕs popularity in fashionable, swinging London. Various rock stars, actors and fashion designers were seen in Minis and soon everyone wanted one. Even the Queen was intrigued, and asked Issigonis himself to take her for a quick spin around Windsor Park.
In 1961, racing car constructor John Cooper realised the tremendous sporting potential of the car when he drove a Mini to Monza to attend the Italian Grand Prix. CooperÕs team manager, making the trip in an Aston Martin DB4, arrived second!
The Mini Cooper, featuring the famous white roof, was launched to a rapturous reception. In a star-studded decade, the sturdy little racer won the Monte Carlo Rally three times and achieved international movie fame, easily upstaging Michael Caine and Noel Coward in ÒThe Italian JobÓ.
This year enthusiasts will celebrate the MiniÕs 40th anniversary with a party at Silverstone while the popular little car has been shortlisted for the ultimate motoring accolade Ð the international ÒCar of the CenturyÓ award.
The award will be given to the car which, judged by a panel of motoring experts, best represents the story of motoring in the 20th century. From hundreds submitted, the Mini is one of only 26 to make it through to the shortlist, with final voting taking place in December this year.
/ENDS

Sources: Rover Group, BMW

MINI FACTFILE

Did you knowÉ

The first mass produced Mini was hand assembled in just seven hours by Longbridge foreman, Albert Green, in early 1959.

By 1960, an average 400 Minis were being produced each day.

The late James HuntÕs first ever racing car was a Mini in 1966.

The Mini is still one of the shortest production cars at fractionally over 10 feet (3m) long and inspired the ÔSHORT VEHICLEÕ sticker.

If you parked all the Minis ever made end-to-end, they would reach from London to Sydney, Australia Ð 10,568 miles (1,700km).

The MiniÕs manoeuvrability made it possible to park the car in an 11ft 6in (3.5m) space. The smart set felt fine in their Jaguars but somewhat upstaged when they could not park anywhere near the Kings Road.

The first million Minis were produced by 1965, the second million by 1969 and the third million by 1972.

The legendary Mini was voted ÒThe greatest car of all timeÓ by Autocar and Motor magazine, in March 1991.

Following its success in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally, the Mini was immediately flown home to appear on the top Sunday night TV programme from the London Palladium.

When the Mini first went racing, its tiny wheels made the tyres hotter than on any Formula One car Ð well above boiling point. 

Souped-up Minis were known as ÒMinistronesÓ. Driving schools using the little car were, of course, ÒMinisculesÓ. 

The motor racing fraternity gave its seal of approval Ð Enzo Ferrari, Graham Hill, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart, Bruce McLaren, Ron Dennis, Jack Brabham, Niki Lauda, Ken Tyrrell and James Hunt all owned Minis.

Other famous Mini owners include all four Beatles, Lord Snowdon, Charles Aznavour, Twiggy, Margot Fonteyn, Peter Sellers, Jeffrey Archer, Mary Quant, Paul Newman, King Hussein of Jordan, Brigitte Bardot, Dudley Moore, Zandra Rhodes, Britt Ekland and Spike Milligan.