The Original Mini Is an Icon and These Classic Images Prove It

By wazup on August 25, 2020 Comments Closed / 49 views

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 Cooper S, Wiscombe Hill Climb, Honiton, Devon, 1975. Spectators watch as the car, driven by Vic Board, prepares to take a sharp bend. The Mini Cooper caught the motoring world’s imagination during the 1960s, notching up many Rally successes. The Cooper S originally appeared in 1963 powered by a 1071cc engine, with a more powerful 1275cc engine being introduced in 1964. (Photo by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images)