If we are going to trace the history of Austin mini we will find out that it dated back from the year 1959 and then onwards in a new reincarnation for the year and new millennium of 2000. This vehicle was originally a construct of British Motor Corporation later the brand being acquired by the German auto manufacturer Bavarian Motors Works known to most simply “BMW.” To many it was the final World War 2 post war British insults as the Austin Mini and its sports car version – the Mini Cooper – indeed became symbols of the success of the British auto industry itself worldwide to the greatest satisfaction of the British people. It was the stiff upper lip et all in the greatest of ironies. Yet it can be said , again with the greatest of irony yet again – that is these islanders who taught the Japanese their basic knowledge as well as the benefits of front wheel drive / transverse engine layout in small , fuel efficient economy cars. Hello Toyota and Honda Civic .
Yet innovations and the products that come out of automobile company crisis’s are entirely unpredictable to the greatest degree. President Obama’s henchman David Axelrod is credited with saying “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. In the case of Ford – first it was the economy car the Ford Falcon which led to the huge volume and profitable Mustang product line. In our era it was trucks and high end , even more profitable products such as the Ford Raptor F-150 based rolling stock that did this trick. Yet with the then revolutionary front wheel drive , sideways mounted engine the interior compartment has no large middle “hump” in the floor to take passenger and cargo space away. On top of that the Austin Mini and its Morris Minor re-badged product offered an innovation which was not introduced into American cars until Ford , on its deathbed introduced women into its “focus groups”. The Taurus which saved Ford at the time from extinction had side pockets in the door for storage. Believe it or not many drivers and passengers of original Minis used those side pockets in the doors for carting home groceries and the like from the supermarket and shopping. Interestingly even when GM attempted to copy the success of the Ford Taurus and its Mercury Sable product they – with a limited mindset – missed the boat with this simple feature which auto buyers and owners clamored for a lot more than styling and more chrome. The Lumina was essentially a lackluster me2 copycat product with side pockets in the doors wide and big enough only for a few folded maps. Only a Noel Vandal character , say , might purchase such a lackluster , copycat lowest of quality products off a used car dealers’ lot or showroom.
Originally this Austin mini was produced in England but later on all parts of the world. This two door car was at first available in the market as Austin and Morris. However during 1969 its name was changed into the Mini. And in 1980, the Mini was again altered and became Austin. As time passed by there were innovations done with Austin that eventually lead to the construct of several models. All models have the same name, Austin mini. In the long run, manufacturers opted to cancel the name Austin and settled with the name Mini alone thus it has been known simply as Mini. The most recently constructed mini dated 2000. However this model does not come up with the supposed expectation.
This Austin mini still hits the road these days. There was even a point in time when this car was one of the best race vehicles to line in the race track as the “mini Cooper It is not only a display in the race track though because it has bagged a lot of titles for several high profile competitions. This only goes to show how efficient the built of Austin mini is. That is exactly the reason why many of this type are still seen driving on the road even today. You can see them in most national roads worldwide but most especially in Great Britain. Car collectors are very eager to have Austin mini as part of their collection. They can go as far as paying the high price of shipping just to line this up together with their other car collection even in spite of workups to convert the vehicle from right hand to left hand drive. What amazes auto collectors and non collectors alike is the worldwide admiration of these vehicles. Mini clubs and clubs seem to exist throughout the globe. Yet to drive a Mini is to comprehend why.
It is no doubt that Austin mini is a very stunning car. Not to mention the reliability and practicality that it has to offer. No car can match the achievements attained by this vehicle. The built of this small car is a wonder. Collectors can have a fully functional Austin mini although most have the restored ones. The restoration though are so good and thorough that even though the car may be an earlier vintage model it will have the sheen , appearance and body condition that you might think that it just came off the assembly line in the UK.
Volumes were as Ian Stables predicted: 64,000 Mark I Coopers with 997 cc or 998 cc engines; 19,000 Mark I Cooper S with 970 cc, 1,071 cc or 1,275 cc engines; 16,000 Mark II Coopers with 998 cc engines; 6,300 Mark II Cooper S with 1,275 cc engines. There were no Mark III Coopers and just 1,570 Mark III Cooper S.