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The Mini (from Latin "small") is the name of a small car produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000, and the name of its replacement (known as the New MINI) launched in 2001. more...

The original Mini was a revolutionary and distinctive small car designed for the British Motor Corporation (BMC) by Sir Alec Issigonis (1906–1988). It was manufactured in the United Kingdom (Longbridge and Cowley), Australia, Belgium, Chile, Italy, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and Venezuela.

The Mk I Mini - 1959 to 1967

Designed as project ADO15 (Austin Drawing Office), the first models were marketed with the names Austin Seven (often written as SE7EN) and Morris Mini-Minor (Latin "Small-Smaller") in England. Until 1962, they appeared as the Austin 850 and Morris 850 in North America and France. The production model differed from the original prototype (affectionately named "The Orange Box" because of its colour) due to the addition of front and rear subframes to take the suspension loads and by the engine being mounted with the carburettor at the back, rather than at the front. This allowed an extra reduction gear to be placed between engine and transmission to reduce loads on the gearbox and prevent the rapid wear on the synchromesh which had been happening. As a side benefit, this change helped reduce carburetor icing but did expose the distributor to water coming in through the grille. The engine size was also reduced from 948 cc to 848 cc which reduced the top speed from an unprecedented 90 mph to a more manageable (for the time) 72 mph. The car's suspension also featured the use of rubber cones as springs – Issigonis had experimented in the 1930's with using rubber, but in a completely different way, on a home-built racer.

All early Minis utilised a conventional BMC A-Series four-cylinder water-cooled engine, but departed from most previous auto designs by mounting the engine transversely and placing the engine-oil-lubricated transmission in the sump--all of this to allow for front wheel drive, an elegant technical innovation ahead of its time. From October 1965 it could even be had with an AP designed four speed automatic transmission. The compact engine design "pushed" the passenger space forward, creating a surprisingly roomy interior for a car with a diminutive overall footprint. Almost all small front wheel drive cars built since the 1970s have followed this layout but with separate gearboxes.

To keep manual labour costs low, the Mini was assembled with quirky welded seams that are visible on the outside of the car running down the A and C pillars and between the body and the floor pan. To further simplify construction, the car had external door and boot hinges.

The Mini also had an unusual suspension system designed by Alex Moulton that used rubber cones instead of conventional springs in order to save space. This lead to a rather raw and bumpy ride - but this very rigidity, together with specially designed 10-inch diameter wheels pushed out to the corners of the car, gave the Mini its famous go-kart-like handling.

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