The creation of the Austin Mini has been one of the remarkable milestones noted in the entire automotive world. Its mere presence has been everywhere all through out the mid 20th century in England and in other parts of the globe, eventually ended up as an icon of the 60's. The production of this diminutive model become unstoppable ever since it was introduced. It was just in 2000 that the production was halted and run by another company.
The first Austin Mini was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation (BMC). The car's design was conceptualized while thinking about ways to manage the 1956 Suez Crisis, where UK faced an oil shortage and forced them to introduce fuel rationing. During that period, the sales of large-bulky vehicles declined and the trend was shifted to the small fuel efficiency cars. BMC had perceived the demand the led them to produce small cars without delay. The Austin Mini was designed to be lightweight and although it is small, the huge portion of the floor space was utilized to have room for four adult passengers and luggage. The standard engine was only had 34 horsepower but the Mini was made compatible with the crowded and ever busy streets of Europe's metro. Vintage auto enthusiasts and classic auto owners get tremendous enjoyment of parading around in their little toys. Yet sadly , of all places the U.K. Mini enthusiasts may not be legally allowed to drive their prize vehicles on the road due to meddling E.U. environmental and auto safety rules. To more than real British citizen they may well ponder whether is was all worth it and if you cannot drive this great subject of Anglo-Saxon industry and national pride - then why not simply leave the European Union E.U. relationship once and for all ? What ever happened to the stiff British upper lip and Britannia rules the waves ? Who needs the meddling of those foreigners and Europeans ?
The original layout of the Austin Mini was made by Sir Alec Issigonis. He constructed the layout together with his mission to make a small car that will able to accommodate four typical adult passenger and luggage. Most of the floor space was maximized to use for passenger and luggage space. Although the size of the car is small, it has been a challenge for Sir Alec to find ways to save enough space, one of the strategies he implemented was making use of 4 tiny 10 inch wheels. The diminutive auto was assembled on several factories across the globe including Australia, Belgium and Spain. Its worldwide popularity grew while leaving its huge contribution to the automotive world. It was just a typical small sized family car for others, but the charm of this car had caught millions of car aficionados around the world. There is more on this car that an ordinary user could see; Austin Mini established its name and become a fashion/lifestyle statement and generally, as an icon. This had sold 53 millions units all throughout its lifetime and made itself to the top. Yet what is amazing is that this simple vehicle born out of the necessity of the 1956 Suez crisis with a resulting petrol shortage led to the front wheel drive ubiquitous setup we take for granted now in both domestic Big Three & Imported British Motor Corporation (BMC), South Korean & European imported compact front wheel drive cars that give both great interior space and thrifty gas mileage.
The Austin Mini had gone through different updates and had made many variations from the time it was launched. A year after it was introduced, they have released a pick up version of the Mini. Afterwards, a luxury line under the Wolseley Homet and Riley Elf badges. An athletic Mini version was also made and had been successful in several rally events. The Mini Cooper S become the first sports car version of the Mini which was created with the help of John Cooper.
The production of Mini became non-stop from 1959 to 2000. Four long decades of manufacturing had brought 5.3 million Minis worldwide. The demand continued in the 90s where 16,000 Minis were sold in UK, Japan and Germany. However, the production was stopped in 2000 and BMW, as the new brand owner, re-engineered Mini and made it more stylish and modern. Today, there are three major designs that BMW presented in the market namely, Mini Hatch, Convertible and Clubman.
The first Austin Mini was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation (BMC). The car's design was conceptualized while thinking about ways to manage the 1956 Suez Crisis, where UK faced an oil shortage and forced them to introduce fuel rationing. During that period, the sales of large-bulky vehicles declined and the trend was shifted to the small fuel efficiency cars. BMC had perceived the demand the led them to produce small cars without delay. The Austin Mini was designed to be lightweight and although it is small, the huge portion of the floor space was utilized to have room for four adult passengers and luggage. The standard engine was only had 34 horsepower but the Mini was made compatible with the crowded and ever busy streets of Europe's metro. Vintage auto enthusiasts and classic auto owners get tremendous enjoyment of parading around in their little toys. Yet sadly , of all places the U.K. Mini enthusiasts may not be legally allowed to drive their prize vehicles on the road due to meddling E.U. environmental and auto safety rules. To more than real British citizen they may well ponder whether is was all worth it and if you cannot drive this great subject of Anglo-Saxon industry and national pride - then why not simply leave the European Union E.U. relationship once and for all ? What ever happened to the stiff British upper lip and Britannia rules the waves ? Who needs the meddling of those foreigners and Europeans ?
The original layout of the Austin Mini was made by Sir Alec Issigonis. He constructed the layout together with his mission to make a small car that will able to accommodate four typical adult passenger and luggage. Most of the floor space was maximized to use for passenger and luggage space. Although the size of the car is small, it has been a challenge for Sir Alec to find ways to save enough space, one of the strategies he implemented was making use of 4 tiny 10 inch wheels. The diminutive auto was assembled on several factories across the globe including Australia, Belgium and Spain. Its worldwide popularity grew while leaving its huge contribution to the automotive world. It was just a typical small sized family car for others, but the charm of this car had caught millions of car aficionados around the world. There is more on this car that an ordinary user could see; Austin Mini established its name and become a fashion/lifestyle statement and generally, as an icon. This had sold 53 millions units all throughout its lifetime and made itself to the top. Yet what is amazing is that this simple vehicle born out of the necessity of the 1956 Suez crisis with a resulting petrol shortage led to the front wheel drive ubiquitous setup we take for granted now in both domestic Big Three & Imported British Motor Corporation (BMC), South Korean & European imported compact front wheel drive cars that give both great interior space and thrifty gas mileage.
The Austin Mini had gone through different updates and had made many variations from the time it was launched. A year after it was introduced, they have released a pick up version of the Mini. Afterwards, a luxury line under the Wolseley Homet and Riley Elf badges. An athletic Mini version was also made and had been successful in several rally events. The Mini Cooper S become the first sports car version of the Mini which was created with the help of John Cooper.
The production of Mini became non-stop from 1959 to 2000. Four long decades of manufacturing had brought 5.3 million Minis worldwide. The demand continued in the 90s where 16,000 Minis were sold in UK, Japan and Germany. However, the production was stopped in 2000 and BMW, as the new brand owner, re-engineered Mini and made it more stylish and modern. Today, there are three major designs that BMW presented in the market namely, Mini Hatch, Convertible and Clubman.
About the Author:
Morris Mini Traveller and Austin Mini Countryman (1961-1969) Austin Mini Countryman Mark II. Two-door estate cars with double "barn"-style rear doors. Both were built on a slightly longer chassis of 84 inch (2.14 m) compared to 80.25 inch (2.04 m) for the saloon.t. Just try to find one on Calgary vintage classic car listingsor Edmonton Craigslist
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