Ian
priscilla 1Celebrating 50 Years of the Mini
May 25th 2009 05:42
The distinctive two-door car was designed for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Sir Alec Issigonis. The car came about because of a fuel shortage caused by the 1956 Suez Crisis (petrol was being rationed in the U.K. and sales of large cars had slumped). Leonard Lord, the head of BMC, reportedly decreed: "God damn these bloody awful Bubble Cars. We must drive them off the road by designing a proper miniature car."
Today we celebrate 50 years since the first Mini rolled off the production line in 1959. Thanks to Time for these images. Obtain more information here.
The narrow streets of London made for the perfect environment for a nimble car and its low fuel thirst made financial sense. But Issigonis's first design sketch for the Mini was drawn on a napkin while in Switzerland. The name Mini did not appear at first as the first models were marketed under two of BMC's existing brand names, Austin and Morris.
Mark I Mini cars on the assembly line at a BMC factory, circa 1960. Mark I sales strengthened across most of the lines during this decade. Sold at nearly below cost, it barely made any money for its owners. Rival automaker Ford once took a Mini apart to see if they could produce a viable alternative. Their conclusion? They wouldn't be able to sell it at the same price.
The Mini wasn't just cute to look at. It could perform too, winning the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally; this came just a year after triumphing at the automobile version of the Tour de France.
This still is taken from the classic 1969 British heist movie The Italian Job, which put the humble Mini on the silver screen and into film folklore forever.
And this still is taken from the 2003 Hollywood remake, featuring the new look Mini Cooper. BMW took the essential designs of the classic Mini and repackaged them into a best selling vehicle for the 21st Century after production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000. As for the movie remake, one snarky review would note that Ed Norton's was "the most perversely magnetic performance" outside of the Mini Coopers.
Today we celebrate 50 years since the first Mini rolled off the production line in 1959. Thanks to Time for these images. Obtain more information here.
And this still is taken from the 2003 Hollywood remake, featuring the new look Mini Cooper. BMW took the essential designs of the classic Mini and repackaged them into a best selling vehicle for the 21st Century after production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000. As for the movie remake, one snarky review would note that Ed Norton's was "the most perversely magnetic performance" outside of the Mini Coopers.
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