Americans have plenty of automotive icons, including the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, the 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, the 1955-1957 Chevrolet Bel Air—it’s a long list. We have quite a few superstars in our stables, but we often forget this grouping of immortal Detroit iron doesn’t hold nearly as high a status abroad, especially in places such as the United Kingdom. Indeed, the Brits have their own pantheon of vehicular greats, and we felt it was high time to feature the smallest yet brightest star from among the bunch—the Mini Cooper.
We’ve scrounged around the archives to put together a folio of vintage photos of classic Minis doing whatever classic Minis are wont to do. As usual, we picked out a few of our favorites to highlight below, but don’t miss the full gallery.
Mini Designer Alec Issigonis and the Millionth Mini
Legendary automotive designer and engineer, Alec Issigonis, stands proud with the one-millionth Mini produced. By the time production wrapped in 2000, over 5.3 million of the original Minis had left the factory.
A Mini Sliding Through Silverstone, 1963
Despite its relatively poky performance, the Mini’s absurdly lightweight construction and minuscule footprint made it a motorsports mainstay. It didn’t have the power to keep up with the bigger cars—which was pretty much all of them—in acceleration, but the Mini carved corners and carried speed like nothing else, especially in rallying.
Mini Moke and The Merseybeats, 1965
British pop group The Merseybeats all piled into this Mini Moke for a photo op. Sure, it isn’t as cute as the regular Mini, but the rugged and utilitarian Moke was a good—if pint-sized—Land Rover alternative for running about the beach or a dirt road.
The Mini’s Not Just for the Common Folk
Despite its inherent affordability and power-to-the-people attitude, the higher trims of the Mini were often purchased by the wealthy as fun little runabouts in the posh areas of town. This is a staged photo, but it’s not difficult to imagine seeing a Mini on a sprawling estate.
The Mini Demonstrates Its Capacity, 1959
Yes, it’s tiny—er, mini—but clever packaging allowed the little two-door to swallow plenty of luggage and more than two passengers. This is to say nothing of the later, larger Clubman variants.
Mini Lifting a Wheel at Hillclimb, 1975
Alright, one more motorsports picture. This time, it’s a well-prepped Mini at the Wiscombe Hill Climb in 1975.
