The Mini

Documentary

Delta Music PLC

R2 DVD

There is no doubt that the Mini was a car of its times. With the world coming out of World War II , petrol still rationed and in many countries weight tax penalties for bigger cars, the “family car” was simply out of reach for most families. Those cars that were available, particularly in Britain, were generally based on older unexciting prewar models. Imports were little better. A Renault Dauphine or a desperately underpowered Fiat were the alternatives. Alex Issigonis, a young engineer, had been working on a budget car for some years but the disorganised state of the British motor industry meant his project had been shelved.

When BMC was formed from the Morris and Austin companies the project was dusted off. The parameters were simple on the surface. The car had to be small and frugal. It had to be low cost. It had to carry four adults. It would use an engine from BMC’s existing range. That Issigonis succeeded is a tribute to British engineering of the time. He took an existing A series Morris engine and put it on top of the transmission and drove the front wheels. Such an arrangement was not novel at the time but it moved all the transmission parts and the customary tailshaft out of the passenger compartment. That made room for the four adults – not a lot of room but enough. Construction was basic but strong, with exposed seams. Almost everything was an extra, like internal door handles. BMC substituted a smaller engine, feeling that the one Issigonis had selected might make the car too fast.

The car took a few years to really start selling, mostly due to its being so unexciting. It needed something to make it more interesting. That “something” was John Cooper. A racing driver and engineer, he put the bigger engine back and proceeded to win race after race. The image of the little flying Mini Cooper was just what the car needed to attract attention and sales started to increase. Suddenly it all came together. The tiny wheels and comparatively wide wheelbase gave the little car tremendous stability for racing. The minimalist approach to internal fittings meant owners could customise their car. At a selling price of under five hundred pounds it was within everyone’s reach. Suddenly the Mini was an exciting car and the rest of the world thought so too.

We follow the series of ensuing models and upgrades, and then the gradual slide into the accountant-driven British Leyland. Lord Stokes simply did not realise what an asset the Mini had become. Finally the Mini name fell into Rover’s domain, but the car ceased production. Its quality had been tarnished by increasingly shoddy workmanship and a failure to keep it up to date. It deserved a better fate.

Rover was bought by BMW, a company not known for making such small cars. BMW decided to revive the car and keep as much of the original design philosophy as possible. In today’s congested cities and with increasing oil prices there could still be a place for the Mini. Their new Mini showed what the older car could have become, but it was now fighting for sales against Asian imports That and the much higher price tag means that the Mini has now lost its momentum in sales.

The DVD has many good shots of beautifully restored Minis covering the entire range. Unfortunately most of the footage seems to have been taken at a single Mini owners meeting and the footage becomes a little repetitious. It would have been nice to see a few more shots of racing Minis, for instance, instead of the same cars driving slowly along the same highway. Still, with the excellent coverage of the Mini’s history and the restored cars I think this DVD will rekindle the Mini spirit in the minds of many former owners.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 4 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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