Since leaving the production line in 1959 as a product of the British Motor Corporation, the Mini has become the car of the people, revived by BMW in 2001 and evolving into the modern incarnation we know today.
From the swinging sixties to the naughty nineties and beyond, in every decade since its birth, Britain’s beloved small car has played a significant role in pop culture.
The classic Mini of ’59 – labelled as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor – was the brainchild of Sir Alec Issigonis, who took the global Suez fuel crisis and made it an opportunity to get families strapped for cash back on the road again. The Mini was the first car to pair a transverse mounted front engine (think sideways) with front-wheel drive in a small package - a match-made-in-heaven combination that other carmakers would later follow. Little did Issigonis know that his pocket-rocket invention was destined to become so much more than a simple budget-friendly family saloon – right through Rover Group’s refresh of the ’80s and BMW’s future reinventions.
More than five million ‘classic’ Minis had been built by the turn of the millennium, making it the best-selling British car. The Mini shape-shifted a lot in its heyday too, with estate, van and pick-up variants launching throughout its lifetime - making it the ideal motor for the family man and the working man. BMW followed suit with its completely new MINI of 2001, launching a range of additional models including the Clubman estate and a Countryman SUV.
Famed for its go-kart handling, thanks to its wheel-in-each-corner design, the Mini Cooper S dominated the motorsport scene throughout the ’60s, winning the Monte Carlo Rally an impressive three times (actually four if you include the disqualification of ’66). The Mini was also a hit with celebrities – including The Beatles, Twiggy, Kate Moss, Steve McQueen and even Enzo Ferrari – while the small car with a big personality became an on-screen star, too.
Much like Michael Caine helped the classic Mini achieve global fame in the legendary 1969 movie The Italian Job, BMW’s new MINI played a starring role in Austin Powers, and only a year after its launch.
In 2002, a Union Jack-adorned early edition MINI Cooper fittingly became the car of the show in ‘Austin Powers Goldmember’, as a symbol of British culture. What’s more, it was owned by Austin Powers’ father, Nigel Powers, played by none other than Michael Caine. From “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” to “It's not the size mate, it's how you use it.”, Caine is arguably responsible for sparking the same level of fame for the modern MINI as he did for its predecessor.
Goldmember also saw Beyonce make her own theatrical film debut, starring in a lead role as Austin’s new sidekick, Foxxy Cleopatra. MINI’s first moment in the spotlight is when Austin and Foxxy are in hot pursuit of the movie’s villain through the streets of Tokyo. This iconic scene played a pivotal role in the success of the BMW MINI – built in all its British glory at MINI Plant Oxford, which has been producing cars since 1913, the MINI proved itself to be an automotive style icon in its own right.
Just as the classic Mini did – and still does – BMW’s MINI has the power to please, charm and break boundaries. Just as the 40th anniversary edition Minis of 1999 were designed by Paul Smith and David Bowie, there have been some impressive ‘one-off’ collaborations involving the BMW MINI. These include the MINI Calvin Klein, a 2010 Countryman designed specially for Europe’s biggest AIDS charity event the Life Ball, and for the following year’s event the 2011 Cooper S ‘Red Mudder’ by DSQUARED², designed by Canadian twin designers Dean and Dan Caten, the men behind the fashion label.
MINI partnered with Paul Smith again in 2021 to create the MINI Strip, a stripped-back, all-electric MINI which was rebuilt using only essential elements made from recycled, recyclable or renewable materials – the result of a shared passion for sustainable design.
Talking of sustainability, last year MINI itself reinvented the iconic hatchback for a fifth time, announcing two pure electric hatchback options – the Cooper Electric E and SE – with the promise of an all-electric Aceman crossover to follow. The family-friendly MINI Countryman SUV has also been given the same electrified treatment. Though petrol power is still on the cards, MINI’s long-term future looks like it’s destined to be fully electric.
It’s easy to see how MINI continues to win the hearts of the people. As both a brand and a product, it has the ability to evolve with the times; to meet the new and ever-changing cultural and technological demands of the present and future, without losing the charm and character of the classic it pays homage to.