Before the modern MINI earned the caps lock in its name and BMW-sourced bits and bobs, the original motorized the UK for 41 years. Put simply, it was the bread & butter of the British automotive industry. Sir Alec Issigonis, we thank you for your masterstroke.
From 1959 to 1968, the Cowley plant in Oxford made the MINI. At the same time, the Longbridge complex in Birmingham assembled the MINI. After production ended in 2000, Cowley entered BMW ownership and subsequently became the home of the modern MINI.
Longbridge, on the other hand, continued MG Rover production after the year 2000. During late 2007 into 2008, SAIC Motor from China acquired the facility. At the moment, the MG 3 and MG 3 are produced there.
That’s about enough with the way British Leyland and its remnants transformed the United Kingdom’s auto industry from powerhouse to ashes. Let’s go back to the MINI, especially the last moments of the original.
The MINI came about due to a fuel shortage caused by the 1956 Suez Crisis. Its 850 cc inline-four petrol engine, diminutive size and tiny wheels are the result of that. Over its production life, the cheap & cheerful city dweller with “go-kart handling” became both a necessity and a fashion statement in the entire world.
Assembled in various corners of the Big Blue, MINIs were manufactured by BMC, BL, the Rover Group, Innocenti, Authi, BMC Australia and South Africa, as well as Facorca Venezuela. In excess of 5.3 million original MINIs were sold worldwide until 2000. To put that figure into comparison, BMW-owned MINI made a smudge over 3 million vehicles from 2001 onwards, including the Countryman, Paceman and so forth.
The original left an unforgettable mark on automotive culture and British history, all the more reasons the video recently re-uploaded by King Rose Archives is a time capsule that gets gearheads teary-eyed.
Seeing the last old MINIs rolling off the assembly line in 2000 after two to three blokes hammer and assemble whatnots into place is sending chills down our spine. Keep calm and carry on, MINI.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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