The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The most popular British-made car ever, it was superseded by the new MINI, which was launched in April 2001. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America.
This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in the United Kingdom, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke — a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper ''S'' were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times.
Minis were marketed under the Austin and Morris names until Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969.
MINI in the News
- Mini celebrates 10 years in US with cross-country rally - AutoWeek
- Hermitage sets up mini-museum - CNN
- Mazda5 puts the mini back into minivans - Toronto Star
- A Quick Spin Around Mini Macworld (Video) - All Things Digital
- 13 WTHR Indianapolis2012 Indianapolis Mini-Marathon sold out - WTHR
MINI in Blogs
MINI on Twitter
- 1st Detectthe Delivery Pre-Production Mini-Mass Spectrometers to Select Customers - Yahoo! Finance http://t.co/CAYtgR0s via @YahooFinance
- Mini storage facility participates in a fundraiser for a toddler with a rare condition http://t.co/wsaF3snv
- Whenever Justin txts me in the middle of the day it's either good news or he's having a mini crisis. Today it's mini crisis lol
- RT @soompi: Block B Releases Teaser Video for Comeback Mini Album http://t.co/mV2c8yv7
- Adicionei um vĂdeo do @YouTube como favoritofrom @craftstudiosrj http://t.co/1MANfn6Z MNN Flash News - Mini Brot
- Otomotif - MINI Countryman, MINI yang Tidak Mini http://t.co/DnGfLP3P
- RadioNostalgia.FM Incidente sul lavoro, si ribalta mini-escavatore, operaio muore schiacciato:... http://t.co/2rIZrK1A RadioNostalgia.FM
- Report: Mini wants to make JCW its BMW M, bring diesel models Stateside http://t.co/7jLQAxd5
- MINI Countryman, MINI yang Tidak Mini http://t.co/iawQRSQP
- MINI Countryman, MINI yang Tidak Mini: Tambahan turbo pada MINI Cooper S Countryman mampu melesatkan mobil 0-100... http://t.co/ExjgAMPy