1964-66 Mini-Cooper S

by Gary Anderson

Mini in Monte Carlo guise.

If it hadn’t been for the success of the Mini-Cooper S as driven by Paddy Hopkirk in the Monte Carlo Rally and similar challenging long-distance races in the mid-’60s, the Mini probably never would have achieved the worldwide recognition it has enjoyed. And there certainly never would have been a BMW Mini in showrooms in 2002. With the release of the new model, the originals are enjoying a renaissance of interest in the classic car marketplace. The Austin/Morris Mini, introduced in 1959, was never intended by designer Sir Alec Issigonis and suspension engineer Alex Moulton to be anything more than a fuel- and space-efficient family car. It was World Champion racing car constructor John Cooper and his experience building Formula Junior cars with the Austin A-series engine—which powered the Mini—who saw the car’s racing potential. Going over Issigonis’s head to Sir George Harriman, managing director of BMC, he persuaded BMC to agree to produce 1,000 units of a...