The Evolution of the Mini

In 1957, the Suez Crisis had steep prices and people were concerned if it was worth it to buy a vehicle. Leonard Lord who was a designer working for the Morris Company: Morris Motors challenged one of his engineers named Alec Issigonis to design a small, fuel-efficient car who is adequate to carry four people within "economic reach of just about everyone". 


 Issigonis started modifying the vehicle. To have more room he thought of "pushing the wheels all the way out of the corners and turning the engine sideways giving the car more stability in tight turn and more passenger space on the inside." People were a bit baffled after the launching of the first Mini but then they realized that the Mini was not just a simple car. It was a "unique combination of classic British style in a low-cost, small size, fun and nimble package" which came to symbolize self-determination  and inspirational to others. The new Mini was an enjoyable and effective.

Issigonis and the new Mini

In 1961, the birth of a rally racing Mini was born and was first driven by a legend racer John Cooper. The name of the vehicle was 'Classic Mini Cooper 997'. 

10 years since the launching of the first Mini, over 2 million models have been sold worldwide. Several years later, in 1977, the popularity of the Mini got even bigger; 4 million models were sold except in America because in the late 1960's the new emissions regulations forced Mini to give up its U.S green card

In 1999, the concept of the new mini were revealed at the Paris Auto Show. Not much changes were made except the leather pull straps, body color spats, a bit the bumper, and of course different instruments of the interior.

In 2003, there were a huge amount of positive feedback about the new mini from owners. Since today the Mini have continued to expand, from 3 door to 4 door, bigger bodies and more extras. It was phenomenon and probably still will be of all the success it made. 

References:

Mini.com, 2014, 'Over 50 years of Motoring' [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.miniusa.com/content/miniusa/en/why-mini/why-mini/over-50-years-of-motoring.html [Accessed at: 20 January 2014]