MINI COOPER ‘S’

Although easily dismissed as entirely coincidental, thereʼs a bar-room argument to be had about whether thereʼs any link between Englandʼs footballing peak in 1966 and the golden age of the British motor industry. In the Mini Cooper ʻSʼ, we have the car that sums up that zenith more than any other. As our 1970 Cooper ʻSʼ MKIII was leaving the showroom, the Mini had a string of successes in Montecarlo behind it and had appeared in The Italian Job the previous year. The Mini was on top of the world – even if, for licensing reasons, the MKIII Cooper would last just one year more.

With its low weight, wheel-at-each-corner balance and tuned engine, the Cooper ʻSʼ is the original giant-killer. The proverbial plucky Brit is a sports star nurtured from a rough diamond by the racing maestro John Cooper, taking Sir Alec Issigonisʼ fantastic-handling but ultimately quite slow Mini, and turning it up to 11. First there was the Cooper of 1961, then the 1071cc Cooper ʻSʼ of 1963, but it was the 1275cc ʻSʼ that arrived a year later that became the definitive sporting Mini. The British love of the underdog is keenly at play in the iconic status the Mini has gained, something that has similarly followed the England football team, at least in the fallow years since ʼ66.

While Geoff Hurstʼs powers have faded since it was all over at Wembley, the Mini remains a thriller. Thereʼs that lightning throttle response, the car lunging forward with every prod of the tiny accelerator pedal. But just as enjoyable is the steering: so linear, direct and feelsome. With so little weight to point around, a quick ratio on the steering rack gives the Mini terrific agility, helped by the relatively firm suspension and low centre of gravity.

The Miniʼs ride is famously a bit bouncy, and you have to read the road ahead to actively avoid the worst of the surface, but at least in such a narrow, nimble car itʼs easy to quickly dodge a pothole. Driving a Mini requires these little adjustments – so too does getting used to the driving position, which feels quite far back in the car and on top of the bus-like steering wheel. It only takes a few minutes to get past all that, however, and then, thanks to the lightness of the controls and the friendliness of the road manners, you quickly get into a telepathic groove with this car. There are some who might say a front-wheel-drive car can never be as fun as a rear-drive one, but the Cooper actually has a very manoeuvrable tail. The lack of weight at the back encourages lift-off oversteer in a delightfully controllable fashion, easily brought into check by a small correction at the wheel and some throttle.

The Cooper ʻSʼ can stake a claim as the ancestor of the hot hatchback (even if it doesnʼt actually have a hatch on the back), given the way in which an ordinary family car was made into a true peopleʼs sports car. Still brilliant today and a real democratiser of motoring fun, it perfectly mirrors the spirit of everything good about the peopleʼs game.

FACTFILE

Sold/number built 1969-’71/19,511

Engine all-iron, ohv 1275cc ‘four’, twin SU carbs Max power 76bhp @ 5800rpm

Max torque 79lb ft @ 3000rpm

Transmission four-speed manual, FWD

Weight 1386Ib (629kg)

0-60mph 11.2 secs

Top speed 96mph Mpg 35

Price new £942 (1969) Now £15-30,000