MYTH BUSTER
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
1 IT WAS A BL PROJECT
The tiny Minissima was indeed intended to replace the Mini. However, it was created independently in 1972 by wedge obsessive William Towns, then best-known for the Aston Martin DBS. British Leyland saw it, liked it and displayed what was initially dubbed the Townscar at the 1973 London Motor Show, rechristening it the Minissima. BL then patented it, bought the rights, and looked into making it… but never did.
2 IT NEVER MADE PRODUCTION
It did, albeit not as originally conceived. It was adapted into a wheelchair-capable vehicle for the disabled, initially as a prototype by GKN Sankey (which, despite winning a 1978 Design Council Award, was deemed too expensive for mass-production) and then as a production model courtesy of British bicycle company, Elswick. The Envoy, as it had been further renamed, was built from 1981 to 1987, with bodywork by Reliant.
3 IT WAS BANNED ON SAFETY GROUNDS
It wasn’t so much banned as not initially designed to meet the regulations in the first place. The original Townscar/Minimissma only had a single rear door for entry, which wasn’t road-legal because it gave no alternative means of escape in an accident. When adapted for wheelchair use, it did have a nearside door installed, so was then fine for British streets… until a further ban on many disabled-use vehicles at the end of the 20th century.
4 IT WAS A HYBRID
Nope. That was its visually similar – ie, still wedge-shaped – 1976 evolution called the Microdot, with a 0.4-litre petrol engine and 3.5kw generator. The Minissima/Envoy stuck with A-series technology all its life. Richard Gunn