|
1967
|
|
|
Turning
circle reduced from 32ft to 28ft as part of a Mini MKII package.
Third Monte Carlo Rally win.
|
|
1968
|
|
|
9X,
a super mini with a hatchback that Issigonis has spent years
planning, is abandoned. John Rhodes smokes his Cooper S to British
Touring Car Championship victory. Hydrolastic suspension is
replaced by the old rubber setup because it's cheaper - and
hydrolastic is banned in Germany.
|
|
1969
|
|
|
The
Austin and Morris prefixes are dropped as Mini becomes a marque
in it's own right. To celebrate, wind-up windows are fitted,
although they've been available on Italian, South African and
Australian-built versions for some time. The Clubman has a squared-up
nose and new dashboard, while the 1275GT is a new sporty edition.
Alec Issigonis is knighted.
Minis feature in the film The Italian Job, starring Michael
Caine.
|
|
Small
is beautiful. The Mini. Page 3 of 6
| The
Cooper becomes the trendy car to be seen in. It also leads
every potential rally-driver to the circuit. Drivers such
as James Hunt, Jackie Stewart, and Niki Lauda start their
race-career in Mini Coopers. John Cooper is doing well;
he gets two pounds for every Cooper sold. A car doesn't
need a big engine to be a sportscar. This theory is proven
time and time again by the Mini. It surprises friend and
foe time and time again; it's small wheels get more hot
than those of a formula 1 car, even so hot, that you can
bake an egg on it. The development of the engine is by no
means over. BMC introduces the Cooper 'S' with a 1071cc
engine.
|
Minis in "The Italian Job"
| This
in answer to the Ford Cortina GT, but the Mini Cooper S
still outdrives all bigger, heavier cars. The Cooper-variant
does so well, that BMC decides to start a special rally-team.
The Mini wins it's first rally in 1963. But the Rally Monte
Carlo is the rally to win. In 1964, the Mini (33
EJB, see left) with driver Paddy Hopkirk wins the Monte
Carlo Rally outright. It repeats this in 1965, 66 and 67.
More on the Monte Carlo Rally in the special
section I made. In the years 1965, 66 and 67, the Mini
wins 22 victories in important international rallies. Of
those, Rauno Aaltonen takes 8. In 1994, Paddy Hopkirk again
entered the Monte Carlo Rally, this time with a new Cooper,
but with the same startnumber: 37.
|
Issigonis
is not sitting still. He designs cars to further strengthen
the success of the Mini. In 1960, the Mini-van is introduced,
followed by a stationcar-design called the Morris Mini Traveller,
or the Austin Seven Countryman. These variants have wooden
panels along the sides of the car. A pickup-version of the
Mini is introduced in 1961, and is very popular with farmers.
The Fireservice and Royal Mail also make use of this Mini.
The Mini is overall very Popular with the Government; the
Police buys hundreds of Minis as surveillance cars.
Tuning-companies are having the time of their life. VIP's
let their Minis being modified by companies like Wood and
Picket, Hooper and Radford for thousants of pounds.
|
The
marketing-department of BMC is not happy with all these
little companies, taking away their share. They introduce
the luxury models Wolseley Hornet and the slightly more
expensive Riley Elf in 1961. They are different in the sense
that they have a different grille and boot. They are however,
not a success, and are dropped in 1968.
In 1962, no-one speaks of the Austin Seven or Morris Mini
Minor. The name 'Mini' is now so common that BMC adopts
it that year. The Morris however keeps it's full name until
1969, when BMC becomes British Leyland. |
|
|
|
1971
|
|
|
British
leyland decides it doesn't want to keep paying John Cooper a
royalty on each Mini Cooper sold, and so the last of more than
150,000 is made. Annual mini production peaks at 318,475.
|
|
1976
|
|
|
In
Italy, Innocenti launches it's own hatchback based on a Mini
floorpan. Although there is a plan to make 5000 a year in Britain,
The Mini 90 and 120 remain an Italy only confection. The Mini
1000 Limited Edition is the first of dozens of showroom appeal
models to come.
|
|
1979
|
|
|
The
old magic is still there - a Mini wins the British Saloon Car
Championship outright.
|
|
