The first Mini car
Where is the first Mini car? The first Mini car is always the most interesting car for every Mini or MINI owner. This is because without the first one, it won’t have the last one at 5,387,862. One of the biggest successes for Mini is the car model designs remains relatively untouched for almost half century and it still love by enthusiasts until today.
Since all the Mini cars are look alike, which was the real first Mini car? We will have to trace the root back to 1957, when the president of British Motor Corporation (BMC) Leonard Lord gave an assignment to Sir Alec Issigonis. The assignment is to build a reliable and efficient small car to the market due to Britain was in oil crisis at that time.
The most challenging part of the assignment is the British car must fit in a 10 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft box and the passenger space in the car had to comprise 60% of the length of the vehicle. With this requirement, Sir Alec Issigonis and his team build the first mini car, the 1959 Austin Seven. At the same time, BMC introduced the 1959 Morris Mini-Minor.
The Mini made famous when a race car builder John Cooper (see who is John Cooper) altered the Mini into Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S and the Mini won three victories at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, 1967. In 1966, three Mini Cooper S accomplished first, second, and third place in the Monte Carlo Rally but they were disqualified by judges by saying the Mini Cooper used halogen bulbs that did not meet with the French traffic regulations.
In a nutshell, 1959 is the year that the first Mini car were produced and sold. It is also known as the Mini Mark I era. Therefore, an Austin or Morris Mini manufactured in 1959 are very special for car enthusiasts who love Mini. If you own a Mini manufactured in 1959 or you wish to buy a 1959 Mini, you can drop by to 1959miniregister.com. Cheers, Mini forever!
The first Mini car, 621AOK, is currently located at Heritage Motor Centre Motor Museum, Gaydon.
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