ICM - Leeds Design Agency

2009 has been something of a milestone year for many motoring classics; 40 years of the Ford Capri, 40 years of the Porsche 914 (one of my personal favorites) and 50 years of the iconic Mini.

It was back in the midst of the ’50s oil crisis when petrol prices were soaring that motor companies started striving for a small, fuel-efficient car for the masses. Sound familiar?

The ultimate winner of the race was undoubtedly Alec Issigonis. Born over 100 years ago to a Graeco-German family in the Ottoman empire, Issigonis penned the Mini while he was deputy technical director at BMC’s Austin plant in Longbridge. By using a simple rectangular-shaped box, turning the four-cylinder engine sideways and placing the gearbox underneath it, he created the classic icon we know and love today.

The mini wasn’t without it’s critics. At the time Ford were so obsessed with winning the small-car battle, they bought a mini and took it back to Dagenham, tore it apart and priced up the cost of manufacture. They stated BMC must be running at a loss on every car built and that it couldn’t be done for the price on the forecourt.

Where the Mini really stuck gold was in celebrity endorsement, television and film appearances – a fantastic example of putting your product to work. Universally loved by young drivers, old ladies, pop stars, film stars and politicians, the Mini could do no wrong.

By the 1970s the honeymoon period was over. The Mini hadn’t really moved with the times. The Renault 5, Fiat 127, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Cherry and VW Polo and Golf moved forwards where the Mini should have developed.

Many sighted the now-knighted Issigonis as the problem. Often nicknamed ‘Arrogonis’ his small-car philosophy worked less well on his larger cars, many of which failed as spectacularly as the Mini succeeded, easily outclassed by contemporary Fords and the almost unbeatable competition from the Far East. His approach was uncompromising; “I design cars without any prompting from my employers to suit what they want for sale. I thought I knew better than the market research people what the public wanted. As is shown in the results”.

It’s such a shame that Britain no longer has the thriving car industry of the fifties and early sixties, many lessons were learnt during the Mini’s lifetime but many were ignored too.

Aside from the BMW-owned brand, the Mini will live on through a network of owners’ clubs and enthusiasts – a testament to great design and innovation where form followed function.

Mini happy returns!