Austin Mini

Anushan Selvarajah catches up with a British icon that’s graced many a street

Afuel shortage due to the Suez crisis back in 1956 resulted in a call for more energy efficient cars in the UK. Since the head of the British Motor Corporation Leonard Lord disliked the foreign vehicles being produced at the time, he planned to replace them with homemade models on the streets of England.

Little did he know that it would lead to the birth of the iconic Austin Mini.

Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, the Austin Design Office Model 15 (ADO15) as it was then called, took the world by storm with different versions of it being produced until 2000. Initially named Austin Seven, it was subsequently renamed Austin Mini in 1961. The latter came with exterior door hinges, side mounted radiator, sliding windows

and transverse engine that had the gearbox built into the sump of the engine.

This model, which is owned by Hafiz Cader, has all the original trappings and is in pristine condition. With an 848cc transverse 4-cylinder engine pumping out 33hp, the Austin Mini is reputed to have a top speed of 120kmph, according to a factory claim, with the ability to accelerate from 0-100kmph in around 28 seconds.

Small wonder then that it influenced a generation of vehicle designers with its mustachioed grille and was voted the second most influential motorcar in the 20th century.

This vehicle crossed continents and was produced in the US and Australia too, winning the hearts of many because of its hardiness. Though small, the Austin Mini will certainly go down in history as a machine with a big heart.