The Original MINI — The Boy Car Blog

Apr 14

Apr 14 The Original MINI

This car is one of the most British things that you will find on the road and we would not have a front-wheel drive car without it. It’s the small but nippy Austin MINI.

When Morris and Austin merged in 1952 they started BMC or the British Motor Company. BMC wanted to make a car that was small but had a roomy interior. They put Alec Issigonis on the job. He had an amazing idea. He should put the engine sideways to power the front wheels. This eliminated the need for a driveshaft to the rear wheels, which made the mini very roomy for such a small car. 4 average-sized people could comfortably sit in the prototype.

When building the prototype, Alec wanted the wheels to be close to the corners of the car for sharp go-kart handling. 1959 was the mini’s first year of production, and when the public saw it, they loved it. Everyone loved the sharp handling and the spacious interior. It was perfect for people who needed a cheap, fun car for the family.

But BMC wanted more from the little family commuter. So in 1961, they took it to the Monte Carlo rally in the snow and ice. They did okay until they had a small crash that ended the race. But in the cold conditions, the Mini did not spin out like all of the other RWD cars in the race. Racing legend John Cooper wanted to tune the Mini to win Monte Carlo, so BMC gave Cooper a couple of Minis to mess around with. He gave the car 70 horsepower, instead of the 34, and he upgraded the brakes. These upgrades meant the small front-wheel-drive Mini won Monte Carlo.

The great Mini went on to win Monte Carlo many, many times over its life. Over the years the Mini has had many special editions and variants. There was a van, pickup truck, estate, RS spec, road spec, John Cooper Works, and many more. There was even a Turbo Mini called the ERA, although most of them went to Japan.

The Mini is very cool for many different reasons. But the coolest one is because it is front-wheel drive. Pretty much every other hatchback since is front-wheel drive. If we didn’t get this car, there would be no Focus ST, Golf GTi, and Civic Type-R. The last Mini was built the same way as it was back in 1959, by hand. They made the original mini for 40 years. They really went by the saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, and it worked.