A Mini for the masses

Diminutive car born out of 1950s fuel crisis W

hen the Mini was launched in the late1950s, it was supposed to be an answer to fears that the global supply of oil would be reduced to a trickle.

It was 1956 during the Suez Crisis and Britain, along with a number of other countries, had succumb to gas shortages and invoked rationing. What was needed was a small car that was cheap to own and good on gas. That’s it, that’s all.

Little did anyone know it would become the coolest car in the world – a fashion statement, the ultimate in front-wheel-drive chic and an icon – racking up sales that topped five million over a period spanning four decades.

The first Mini rolled off the assembly line on Aug. 26, 1959, to rather lackluster reviews. The car was beset with a raft of problems, including water leaks, faulty clutches and transmissions. But the public loved the little box on wheels, which debuted under two names: Morris Mini Minor; and the Austin Seven (the British Motor Corporation owned both Morris and Austin brands). The two were sold side-by-side for a decade before the car simply became the Mini.

This sales sensation was designed by the legendary Alec Issigonis – later to become Sir Alec – either on a napkin or a tablecloth. Take your pick. The idea was to design the smallest possible car that would hold four adults plus some luggage. It had to be economical to operate, yet fun to drive.

Issigonis’s rough sketch turned out to be uncannily close to the real thing. And the radical “wheel-at-each-corner” design remained the same for decades.

In a major departure from tradition, the car boasted frontwheel drive, a four-cylinder transversely mounted engine, rubber-sprung suspension, tiny 10-inch wheels and a gearbox mounted under the engine as part of the oil pan. The design allowed for compact external dimensions with an amazing amount of interior room.

Shortly after its debut, the cheap-and-cheerful Mini came to the attention of famed racecar builder John Cooper, who immediately saw the potential for a sportier version of the car.

Cooper had found success in Formula Three open-wheel rac- ing in the early 1950s by building cars with the engine placed behind the driver, a revolutionary concept at the time.

But many in the racing establishment doubted that the layout would work on the larger Formula One cars. The skeptics Stirling Moss drove a Cooper to victory in the Grand Prix of Argentina. It was the first World Championship win for a rearengined car. Within three years, rear-mounted engines were the standard for all F1 cars, as is still the case today.

Despite the glitz and glamour of Formula One, Cooper wanted to create a fun, sporty car for people on small budgets. In 1961 he convinced BMC to allow him to develop a performance-oriented version of the Mini called the Cooper and, eventually, three versions of the Cooper S were built, the most potent of which came with a Base Minis came with less than - pers came with wider wheels and tires and disc brakes.

For his efforts, Cooper was rewarded the princely sum of two British pounds (about $4) for each car sold. Cooper’s soupedup Mini was an instant success. It became a car for everyone from celebrities to the guy next door.

Soon, entertainers Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Peter Sellers were driving the Cooper S. Even Queen Elizabeth II was photographed taking a spin.

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