History of Mini:
The Mini began its public life on the 26 August 1959. Its designer, Sir Alec Issigonis could not have even dreamed of the impact his little car would have on the world of culture, society and of course automobiles. The Mini was designed simply to be an affordable car which could seat four adults and still be small enough to travel in safety. Originally powered by 850cc 34bhp engine, this was the Mini in its purest form, simple, clean and agile.
Although the Mini saw through six decades it is always the 1960s for which it will be remembered for. These ten years saw the Mini go from a 'housewives shopping car' to the must have fashion accessory, via international stardom on the rally scene. It took John Cooper, twice F1 World Champion Constructor, to realize the full potential of the Minis sharp handling and maneuverability. In 1961 the first Mini Cooper hit the streets, firstly with a 997cc engine producing a massive 55bhp, there followed a range of engines for the Cooper from the rare 970cc Cooper S to the ultimate evolution the 76bhp 1275cc S, the car which would form the basis for the Works Rally car. The Cooper S achieved superstar status when the 91bhp Works spec cars won the Monte Carlo Rally outright for 4 years running from 1964-1967 (although the Minis were disqualified from the 1966 rally for having faulty headlamps!) Now that the Mini had proven itself in front of a world audience, everybody wanted a Cooper, and indeed everybody who was anybody in the 60s had a Cooper, from The Beatles and Peter Sellers to Graham Hill and Enzo Ferrari! Of course they couldn't have any old Cooper they had to be modified. Companies such as Radford and Wood & Pickett who made their name tailor making Rolls Royce's and Bentleys now were turning their hands to Minis, with everything from electric windows and leather seats, to wickerwork sides and hatch backs. Thus a trend was started which has been kept up to this day, meaning that it's near impossible to find a Mini which hasn't been modified in some way.
Read the Full History at Mini.com
