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Mini Milestones

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In its long history, Mini have enjoyed many milestones, from the initial development of the car in the late 1950s by Sir Alex Issigonis and John Cooper, through to the brand becoming part of BMW in the 1990s and 2000s. What, then, have been some of the most significant milestones in the history of theMini?

March 1957 – work begins on the ADO15, the prototype behind what would eventually become the first Morris Mini and Austin mini; the car was developed by the British Motor Corporation as an economy model, with the first prototypes emerging in November 1957.

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August 1959 – the Morris Mini Minor 848cc saloon is unveiled, with work on the car being carried out by John Cooper, and a new template set up for the production of new models going into the 1960s.

September 1961 – the Morris Mini Cooper is released as a souped up version of the existing Mini, and uses a 997cc A Series engine, making it more powerful on the road, and setting up further sports models for the early 1960s.

March 1963 – the Morris Mini Cooper S model is released, and pushes the Cooper Mini into iconic territory with its 1071 cc engine, and designs for motor racing alongside compact city driving.

1964 – the Mini Cooper S, using a 1071cc engine, wins the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time, repeating the feat in 1965 with Timo Makinen, and doing so again in 1966 to establish its presence as a highly efficient small car.

October 1969 – the Mini Mk III is launched, dropping the Austin and Morris designations, and including new trims and styling for the Clubman and Cooper S brands. By now, the Mini Cooper has achieved further iconic points after appearing in The Italian Job.

October 1976 – despite Mini production passing 4 million units, owners British Leyland continue to struggle to maintain their identity in a nationalising UK car market, with Minis increasingly being outsourced to overseas production centres to keep down costs.

October 1980 – a new lineup of Mini models is released as part of a Mini Realignment project, which include the Clubman, estate and saloon versions; however, new Mini limited editions become the norm, and the car becomes more of a speciality and retro item, with some notable success in Japan.

1994 – BMW take control of the Rover Group, and in doing so take over the Mini brand.

October 1996 – two new Mini and Mini Cooper models are released as part of a re-engineering project to bring them in line with European safety standards – new airbags and fuel injection processes represent key changes to the classic Mini engine.

March 2000 – BMW begin to relaunch Mini as the MINI brand, designing updated versions of the Cooper and Cooper Sport, while retaining a four cylinder, front wheel drive configuration for the car.

July 2001 – production and sales begin for the new Mini Hatch and Hardtop.

February 2005 – BMW invest £100 million in a new UK Mini plant as the brand experiences a significant revival during the decade.

January 2011 – the Mini range continues to expand to include Paceman sports crossovers, coupe models, convertibles, and new variants on the Cooper and Cooper S, as well as entry level Mini Ones and race track optimised John Cooper Works editions.


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