Background
One of very few genuinely ground-breaking cars ever built, the Alec Issigonis-designed Mini is rightly praised for its innovative engineering, handsome looks, surprisingly spacious interior, and giant-killing handling.
These attributes allowed it to provide transport for millions of families who might not otherwise have been able to afford to run a modern car, and in competition it slew all who were daft enough to compete against it. It won praise from private owners, professional rally drivers, vanquished competitors, pundits, and spectators, all of whom keep it close to their heart, even now, more than sixty years after it first came into being.
None of these qualities were lost on the Italians, but Italian import taxes made exporting the Mini too expensive, so BMC did a deal with Innocenti, and the Italian manufacturer built the cars in Milan. Italian production of the Mini began in February 1973 and ended in January 1975 with a total of 28,153 units produced.
Unlike the British originals, the Italian example was better finished, with extra attention to interior details and more accessories. In addition, the boot lid was adapted to accommodate the Italian license plate, which differed in size from the British one.
Introduced in 1959 as cheap, stripped-to-the-bones family transport to beat the oil crisis, the Mini started life with an 850cc engine fitted transversely with the gearbox squeezed into the engine’s sump. Front-wheel-drive, the Mini’s original rubber cone suspension freed up yet more interior space – and endowed the diminutive British car with unholy roadholding and handling.
And this was the real reason for the Mini’s success at the hands of folk like Paddy Hopkirk: most corners could be taken completely flat, something generations of learner drivers discovered to their glee.
Originally marketed as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor, it was given the Mini moniker in 1969. It evolved in true Darwinian fashion over the years mechanically too, gaining engine capacity and performance at an almost exponential rate.
It lost its rubber cone suspension in 1964 in favour of a very clever Hydrolastic arrangement; this change improved the ride a little – the somewhat bouncy ride had been one of the original car’s few weak points – while retaining its prodigious grip.
However, no matter what engine was fitted, whether the original 850cc unit or the later 1275cc, the power and torque outputs were always relatively – and deliberately – modest. But then the engine only had only to haul 686kgs, which means that the Mini is surprisingly quick, both in acceleration and braking. Cheap to run too, whether in fuel, insurance, or maintenance and repair.
Still much sought after, a whole new generation of collectors and enthusiasts is flocking to the mighty Mini – and while the UK built Cooper and Cooper S models will always attract a huge crowd, the more discerning Mini fan is often drawn to the version with a little added Italian flair.
