The little mini-car has a lot of history and can be considered an icon of British engineering and style. We love mini’s here, we repair and have applied tints to the windows of many models of mini’s.
One company called BMH has continued to supply parts and bodywork shells to keep the tradition of the British mini going.
The mini not long ago celebrated its 60th birthday, so it’s quite something for the love of the car to be very much alive today as it was 60 years ago.
Cool Mini Facts
We’ve collected numerous cool facts about our prized and cherished motor car which we’ll share with you in this article.
The British mini was originally and specifically made to fit inside a box measuring 10 x 4 x 4 feet. The pockets in the doors of a mini are extremely large given the mini’s small frame.
This was a design feature purposely installed in order to hold the designer’s favourite bottle of alcoholic beverage.
The Italian Job
Ever seen the movie the Italian job? Mini’s racing around the streets of Rome. Except they were not the streets of Rome, they were the streets of Coventry! The famous fashion designer Mary Quant named the mini skirt after the car as it was her favourite to drive.
The mini has enjoyed many famous drivers from the Beatles as well as movie and sports stars. The mini’s designer was actually born in Turkey to a Greek father and a mother of German heritage.
There was a version of the mini that was designed to be used in the military. Unfortunately, it wasn’t suitable for the task. That version of the mini did go on to enjoy a role as a recreational motor car. Mini’s were also used quite extensively in the motorsport area.
You may believe that minis are small but did you know that at one time twenty-seven people managed to fit inside one! Not sure how health and safety would view that! Have a guess at the original sale price for the British mini? You wouldn’t believe it … £497!
The Original Mini
The original mini, the morris mini minor and were smaller than the morris minor. So the mini was actually called just the “mini”. It wasn’t until the late sixties that the mini actually got its own name, it was called the mini moniker!
The mini enjoyed much success in the Monte Carlo rallies, having won twice in 1964 and 1967! There is no other British motor car that had more version of it made than the mini. The different versions made were the saloons, Cooper, Cooper S, ERA Turbo, Elf Hornet, 1275 GT Clubman, Traveller, Countryman and Mokes. Quite a range there!
How many mini’s do you think were ever made? Well, if you were to assemble them all bumper to bumper, they’d actually go around the British coastline twice!
Forming associations and car clubs are quite a common thing for classic and custom cars. There are to date 720 different clubs dedicated to mini drivers and owners! Although it doesn’t seem long, the original production of the mini took around 30 hours.
The mini was produced and sold for over 40 years, but the car was not a profitable venture for its company.