The Mini is 50 this month. The first model was sold on August 26, 1959 as an inexpensive, utilitarian vehicle, big on heart but small on both flesh and flash. It was introduced during hard times in the wake of the Suez crisis and petrol rationing, and soon became part of British life. It was a car for the people — not least because 80 per cent of its ten-foot length was habitable and eked out every drop of fuel and inch of space.
Mini engineer Alec Issigonis’s obsession with space efficiency saw him pioneer a compact front- wheel drive layout subsequently copied by all other car makers. Alas, this technical complexity, allied with the low price, meant rival Ford — whose more loosely packaged Cortina was a full four feet longer — was sure that the British Motor Corporation lost money on every Mini it sold. BMC (later British Leyland) found that out the hard way.
The latest Mini is now made by BMW, which bought the rights to it in 1994. Its first Mini launched in 2001 and was substantially revised in 2007. It shares with the original a general styling theme, similarly zesty performance and go-kart handling. Otherwise they’re not so much poles apart as from separate planets.
The new one is premium elite rather than pioneering for the populace. It is not even especially mini, at 25 inches longer than the old car, and substantially fleshier than the Fiat Panda or Toyota Aygo. Its major novelty is marketing not mechanical, namely its success at getting buyers to spend big money on a small car. This extraordinary accomplishment has encouraged other makers to make posh tots, not least the new Fiat 500 and Toyota iQ. The Mini’s other marketing triumph is its range of options. You can get everything from Welsh flag roofs to Union Jacks on door handles and bespoke gear knobs. Never before has it been possible to so thoroughly to stamp your mark on a mass-produced car.
Unlike the old Mini, which sold slowly initially, the new Mini beat sales forecasts immediately. It was perfectly in tune with a market that didn’t mind paying a premium for style and individuality. And while it may not be an adventurous car in engineering terms, it is a very good one. If you have the cash, no small car does a better job of combining style, driving appeal and in-depth quality.
Just as the first Mini spawned variants from booted saloon to van to utility ‘buggy’, so the new Mini is diversifying. We’ve already seen the oddly styled Clubman ‘estate’ and now there’s a new version of the Convertible. To prove just how premium the Mini has become, it starts at £19,000 in sporty Cooper S guise — and can easily rise to £25,000 with a few tasty extras. A 4x4 Mini, the Crossman, comes out in autumn next year.
They all borrow styling cues from the original, and yet the new Mini has cleverly built its own ‘stylish premium baby’ niche. Take the US. In 1960s America, on roads full of extravagant Chevvies and Fords, the old Mini was completely out of place: it was withdrawn in 1967. Yet America is now the new Mini’s biggest market.
Gavin Green is a motoring journalist and consultant
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