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6th May 2019
Posted by Radio Club
The Mini was launched in 1959 and was an instant hit. The car was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and was built by British Motor Corporation The car was known as the Morris Mini Minor and Austin Seven (each featured a 848cc Transverse Engine) upon launch. However, sales were slow to start. The Mini became very popular with 3.5 Million units produced between 1959-2000 with different engine variants and power outputs.
The 1275 GT was very quick for the 1970d with a 0-60 mph time of around 14 seconds and had a top speed of around 100mph. On the other hand, the Mini Cooper S was very sucessful in the Monte Carlo Rally as it won the historic event three times (1964,1965 and 1967). Paddy Hopkirk won the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally with the Mini Cooper S.
The Mini ceased production in 2000 with Twiggy driving the last unit of the production line that year and many famous celebrities have owned on which include: The Beatles members, Enzo Ferrari and many more.
The car was a cultural icon and many other companies tried to use the Mini platform to their advantage. The Riley Kestral and Wolsey Hornet to be exact we’re Mini based alternatives launched in the 1960s.
What do you think of the Mini, leave a comment on the Gateway 97.8 FM Blog page for more details.
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