Mini Cooper

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The Mini is a small economy car made by the
British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its
successors from 1959 until 2000. The original
is considered a British icon of the 1960s. [5][6]
[7] Its space-saving front-wheel drive layout –
allowing 80 percent of the area of the car's
floorpan to be used for passengers and
luggage – influenced a generation of car
makers. [8] The vehicle is in some ways
considered the British equivalent of its
German contemporary the Volkswagen Beetle ,
which enjoyed similar popularity in North
America or the Fiat 500. In 1999 the Mini was
voted the second most influential car of the
20th century , behind the Ford Model T. [9][10]
This distinctive two-door car was designed for
BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis . [11][12] It was
manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley
plants in England, the Victoria Park / Zetland
British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in
Sydney , Australia, and later also in Spain
( Authi ), Belgium, Chile, Italy ( Innocenti ),
Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay,
Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mark I
had three major UK updates – the Mark II, the
Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a
series of variations, including an estate car , a
pick-up truck, a van and the Mini Moke – a
jeep -like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper
"S" were sportier versions that were
successful as rally cars , winning the Monte
Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through to
1967, although in 1966 the Mini was
disqualified after the finish, along with six
other British entrants, which included the first
four cars to finish, under a questionable ruling
that the cars had used an illegal combination
of headlamps and spotlights. [13]
On introduction in August 1959 the Mini was
marketed under the Austin and Morris names,
as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor.
[14] The Austin Seven was renamed to Austin
Mini in January 1962 [14] and Mini became a
marque in its own right in 1969. [15][16] In
1980 it once again became the Austin Mini
and in 1988 the Rover Mini. [17]
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