For over fifty years, the Mini has been the world’s favourite small car and it’s still selling well. In fact, it’s the bestselling British car of all time with over five million models sold! But what does the future hold for the car?
The original Mini was potential! our designed in the 1950s by Sir Alec Issigonis, a Greek-British car designer. At the time, Issigonis was working for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) when he was asked to design three different cars: a large comfortable car; a medium-sized family car; and a small one for cities. At first, Issigonis concentrated on the two bigger models, but when petrol became scarce following the Suez Crisis of 1957, Issigonis began to develop the smallest model. The car was launched in 1959 and had two names: the Morris Minor Mini, and the Austin Seven. However, as the car became popular, the two names were dropped and the car became simply, the Mini.
The Mini was different from anything produced before. Issigonis’ boss at BMC (Leonard Lord) had given precise instructions on the type of car he wanted: one that could fit in a box measuring 3 x 1.2 x 1.2 metres. A very small car! Issigonis’ idea was to make the car with a front wheel drive engine, which meant that the maximum amount of space could be used for passengers and luggage. In fact, everything was done to save space. For example, windows slid side to side rather than up and down, which meant that passengers could put things in door pockets.