50 years of Mini

Back in ’60s Britain, Carnaby Street was awash with the latest in funky fashion, Twiggy was sashaying down runways wearing Mary Quant’s mini skirts and oh-so-tight hot pants, Camden Town was an area one only ventured if a punch-up was the order of the day and Radio Caroline, the pirate radio ship, was the only station to broadcast more than a 45-minute fix of rock music over the airwaves.

Of course, the other Mini was also burning up the world, particularly the rally version. Here was a diminutive car that measured just 10 feet between the bumpers and had half the horsepower of most of its competitors, yet it showed them all the way home. The Mini won the famed Monte Carlo Rally three times, in 1964, ’65 and ’67. It should have been four victories in a row for the little car that could — a “lighting” infraction saw rally driver Timo Mäkinen’s car disqualified (read swindled) after he took the checkered flag in 1966.

This month, the iconic Mini turned 50 — the first car rolled off the assembly line on May 8, 1959 and hit the streets in August. At the time, it commanded the princely sum of £537 ($965).

In the beginning, the Mini was not actually called Mini. It was launched as the Austin Se7en and the Morris Mini-Minor. Both cars were identical except for the badge and grille. In 1962, Austin adopted the Mini name. However, it was not until 1969, when the Austin and Morris badges were dropped, that the world got the real Mini — the car credited as the inspiration for the original Honda Civic.

BMW’s acquisition of the Mini brand in 1994 was not the company’s first dalliance with the British auto industry. In 1926, Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach began building a left-hand-drive version of the Austin Seven. BMW bought the company in 1928 and continued to build the Seven until 1932.

Over the years, there have been many different takes on the Mini, everything from a wagon to the iconic Cooper S. At the end of the ’60s, Sir Alec Issigonis, the father of the Mini, decided the time was ripe to revamp his revolutionary little car. His goal was to produce an even smaller car but with more interior space. The result was the 9X prototype. This hatchback was to be powered by an aluminum powertrain that was 40% lighter than the Mini’s running gear. Thankfully, the squared-off hatch did not make it to market. To say its styling was homely and the interior sparse is being polite. Notwithstanding it never made it to market, the 9X served to demonstrate just how far Issigonis was ahead of the design curve.

A big part of the Mini’s year-long birthday bash took place last weekend at Mini United, held at the Silverstone race track. More than 25,000 people and 10,000 Minis from 40 countries flocked to the famed circuit to celebrate the icon’s birthday. Festivities ran the gamut. Everything from a show-and-shine, test drives and driver training sessions to the fender-to-fender combat that defines Mini 7 Racing (featuring original Minis) and the Mini Challenge. Formula One could learn a lesson from these racers as they put on a really exciting spectacle. The long, hot (and this is England in May) days were topped off with live music and more than a few hangovers.

Of the Minis on display, a 1999 model customized by musician David Bowie takes the cake. Everything is chrome, chrome and more chrome. Bowie described it as a design that “does not stand out from its surroundings — it reproduces them.” Well, sorry Mr. Bowie, it certainly does stand out from the crowd, even when it’s housed in a rather dowdy garage. Mind you, it does reproduce whatever approaches it.

The How times have changed in the past 50 years. Carnaby Street has seen some lean times, but is now a busy 12-street complex that is very much alive. For anyone wanting something a little different, this is the place to find it. Camden Town has evolved into a gem of a spot where one can shop for hours and, having bashed the credit card to death, retire for a pint at the Hawley Arms, Amy Winehouse’s favourite hangout. As for Radio Caroline, well, the old scow sank long ago, but the dream of bringing music to the masses has been realized. The Boat That Rocked, a new British movie, is a superbly funny take on a pirate radio station (called Rock Radio in the movie, but a definite parody of RC) and the manner in which it changed British radio.

The Mini has grown up and its popularity is as strong as ever. There are very few cars that have achieved legitimate cult status. The Mini is one of them, and nowhere was it more evident than at the Mini United bash.

By Graeme Fletcher, Canwest News Service