Mini
The Mini car dates back to 1959. The original was produced by the BMC (British Motor Corporation). Mini was formed more out of necessity than for design. Fuel efficiency was an important factor in the making of the Mini. After the Suez Crisis in 1956, the fuel supply in the United Kingdom was limited and gas rationing was imposed.
A small fuel efficient car was needed and time was of the essence. John Cooper, a man known for building Formula One racecars began building a Mini car. The result was named the Mini Cooper. With 76 horsepower, the Cooper S Model was the reason Mini won the Monte Carlo Rally four years in a row; from 1964 through 1967. The 1960’s was the decade for the Mini. The Mini pickup and Mini Moke were two other models released by the Mini brand.
The popularity of the Mini spread like wildfire. The Mini even appeared in a feature film called The Italian Job. More than one million Mini’s were sold by the 1970’s. Unfortunately by 1968, the Mini was pulled from the United States due to new emissions regulations. The Mini continued to be produced for the next thirty years. BMW purchased the brand in 1994 and launched a new updated version of the Mini Cooper in 2002. Since its release, the new Mini Cooper has become one of the highly coveted small vehicles on the market. |