Editing Mini (section)

{{short description|British car model from 1959 to 2000}}
{{about|the 1959–2000 Mini|the Mini models that have been produced since 2001 by BMW|Mini (marque)|and|Mini Hatch|other uses}}
{{redirect|Cooper S|the Feedtime album|Cooper-S{{!}}''Cooper-S''}}{{Multiple issues|{{Cleanup|reason=Poor layout, poor referencing and sections—such as ''50th anniversary''—could be placed somewhere else|date=April 2024}}{{More citations needed|date=March 2025}}}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox automobile
| sp = uk
| image = Morris Mini-Minor 1959 (621 AOK).jpg
| caption = 1959 Morris Mini-Minor (first one built)
| name = Mini
| aka = {{plainlist|
*Austin 850<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/usa_press_pack.htm|title=The USA Press Pack|website=Mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>
*Rover Mini
*Austin Cooper<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/a38633.pdf |title=Austin Cooper sales brochure (Swedish)|website=Mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk|access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref>
*Austin Mini
*Austin Partner<ref name=Classic>[http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/the-cars/mini-classic/mini-%e2%80%93-classic-also-known-as/ Also known as : Mini – Classic], Aronline.co.uk, Retrieved on 9 November 2012</ref>
*Austin Seven
*Innocenti Mini<ref>[http://www.minimania.com/Mini_Identification_1807 ''Italian Minis'', Minimania.com]</ref>
*Leyland Mini<ref name=Green_P60>Green Book Price & Model Guide, July–August 1983, p. 60</ref>
*Morris 850
*Morris Mascot<ref name=Classic/>
*Morris Mini Minor
*Riley Elf
*Wolseley 1000 (South Africa)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150322074704/http://www.miniexperience.com.au/fileadmin/filemount/mag/05_issue/Sth_African.pdf Mix & Match, www.miniexperience.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org]</ref><ref name=Classic/>
*Wolseley Hornet}}
| layout = [[Front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout|FF layout]]
| manufacturer = United Kingdom: {{plainlist|
*[[British Motor Corporation]] (1959–1968)
*[[British Leyland]] (1968–1986)
*[[Rover Group]] (1986–2000)}}
----
International: {{plainlist|
*[[Innocenti]] (1965–1975)
*[[Authi]] (1968–1975)
* Associated Motor Industries Malaysia 
*[[BMC Australia]]
*[[Industrija Motornih Vozil]]
*[[New Zealand Motor Corporation]]
*BMC South Africa
*Leyland South Africa
*[[Leyland Australia]]
*Thai Motor Corporation (THAMCO)}}
| production = 1959–2000
| class = [[City car]] ([[A-segment|A]])
| body_style = {{plainlist|
*2-door [[sedan (car)|saloon]]
*2-door [[convertible]]
*2-door [[Station wagon|estate]]
*2-door [[sedan delivery|van]]
*2-door [[coupe utility]]}}
| engine = 848&nbsp;cc, 970&nbsp;cc, 997&nbsp;cc, 998&nbsp;cc, 1,071&nbsp;cc, 1,098&nbsp;cc, 1,275&nbsp;cc [[BMC A-series engine|''A-series'']] [[Straight-four engine|I4]]
| designer = [[Alec Issigonis|Sir Alec Issigonis]]<br>[[John Sheppard (car designer)|John Sheppard]]
| transmission = {{plainlist|
*4-speed manual
*4-speed [[AP automatic transmission|automatic]]
*5-speed manual <small>(optional extra on some later models)</small>}}
| length = {{plainlist|
*{{cvt|3054|mm}} (saloon)<ref name="stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.dataphone.se/~fixer/info.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415053116/http://www.dataphone.se/~fixer/info.htm |title=Mini information page|archive-date=15 April 2009}}</ref>
*{{cvt|3299|mm}} (estate and commercials)
*{{cvt|3300|mm}} (Wolseley Hornet/Riley Elf)<ref name="DailyExpressMotorShowReviewOct1969re1970">{{cite journal|journal=Daily Express Motor Show Review 1969 on 1970 Cars|editor-first= Basil |editor-last=Cardew |title=Wolseley Hornet |publisher=Daily Express Newspaper |location=London |page=54 |date=October 1969}}</ref>}}
| width = {{cvt|1410|mm|in}}<br>
                 up to {{cvt|1530|mm|in|}} with widest 'sportspack' factory wheel-arches
| height = {{cvt|1346|mm|in}}
| weight = {{cvt|580|-|686|kg|lb|0}}
| wheelbase = {{plainlist|
*{{cvt|2036|mm}} (saloon)
*{{cvt|2138|mm}} (estate and commercials)}}
| related = {{plainlist|
*[[Mini Moke]]
*[[Austin Metro]]
*[[Innocenti Mini]] (1974–82)
*[[Mini Wildgoose]]
*[[Mini Marcos]]}}
| successor = {{plainlist|
*[[Austin Metro]]<ref name="[1]">{{cite web |title=A British Car to Beat the World: 40 years of the Metro |date=30 July 2020 |url=https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/a-british-car-to-beat-the-world-40-years-of-the-metro/ |access-date=15 August 2021}}</ref>
*[[Mini Hatch]]}}
| assembly = {{plainlist|*[[Longbridge plant]], [[Birmingham]] (1959–2000)<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/end-of-an-era-as-mini-production-is-halted-634417.html End of era as Mini production is halted independent.co.uk, 4 October 2000]</ref>
*[[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]]<br />(BMC/Leyland South Africa)<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/around-the-world/around-the-world-south-africa/ Around the world Leyland South Africa/Leykor, aronline.co.uk, 1 april 2020]</ref>
*[[Lambrate]], [[Milan]], [[Italy]]<br />([[Innocenti Mini]])<ref>[http://www.lambratedesigndistrict.com/en/about-us Lambrate design district, lambratedesigndistrict.com]</ref>}}
[[Panmure, New Zealand|Panmure]], New Zealand<br />[[Petone]], New Zealand
}}

The '''Mini''' is a small, two-door, four-seat [[car]] produced by the [[British Motor Corporation]] (BMC) and its successors [[British Leyland]] and the [[Rover Group]], from 1959 until 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, Minis were built for four decades over a single generation, as [[Fastback|fastbacks]], [[Station wagon|estates]], and [[Convertible|convertibles]]. Initially, the Mini was marketed under the [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] and [[Morris Motors|Morris]] names, as the '''Austin Seven''' and '''Morris Mini-Minor''';<ref name="austinmemories">[http://www.austinmemories.com/page8/page36/page36.html Austin Seven – Mini, www.austinmemories.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801051923/http://www.austinmemories.com/page8/page36/page36.html|date=1 August 2015}} Retrieved on 16 June 2013</ref> the Austin Seven was renamed Austin Mini in 1962<ref name="austinmemories" /> and Mini became a [[marque]] in its own right in 1969.{{Efn|In 1980, it was once again marketed as Austin Mini before reverting to just "Mini" in 1988, although the "Rover" badge was applied on some models exported to Japan.}}<ref name="marque">Michael Sedgwick & Mark Gillies, A-Z of Cars 1945–1970, 1986</ref><ref name="aro-story2">{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Keith |last2=Nicholls |first2=Ian |title=Mini development story Pt.2 |url=http://www.aronline.co.uk/ado15story2f.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003054039/http://www.aronline.co.uk/ado15story2f.htm |archive-date=3 October 2011 |work=AROnline}}</ref> Retrospectively, the car is known as the "Classic Mini" to distinguish it from the modern [[Mini Hatch|MINI]] family of vehicles produced since 2000 by [[BMW]], who took ownership of the [[Mini (marque)|Mini name]] following their acquisition of Rover Group.

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by [[Sir Alec Issigonis]]. Its space-saving [[transverse engine]] and [[front-wheel drive]] layout&nbsp;– allowing 80% of the area of the car's [[floorpan]] to be used for passengers and luggage&nbsp;– influenced a generation of car makers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Buckley |first1=Martin |title=Cars: An encyclopaedia of the world's most fabulous automobiles |last2=Rees |first2=Chris |publisher=Hermes House |year=2006 |isbn=1-84309-266-2 |quote=The BMC Mini, launched in 1959, is Britain's most influential car ever. It defined a new genre. Other cars used [[front-wheel drive]] and transverse engines before, but none in such a small space; this was possible as the engine is mounted on top of the gearbox.}}</ref> The front-wheel-drive, transverse-engine layout were used in many other "supermini" style car designs such as [[Honda N360]] (1967), [[Nissan Cherry]] (1970), and [[Fiat 127]] (1971). The layout was also adapted for larger subcompact designs. In 1999, the Mini was voted the second-most influential [[Car of the Century|car of the 20th century]], behind the [[Ford Model T]], and ahead of the [[Citroën DS]] and [[Volkswagen Beetle]].<ref name="nytimes">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E1DF1439F937A15751C1A96F958260 "This Just In: Model T Gets Award"], James G. Cobb, ''[[The New York Times]]'', 24 December 1999</ref><ref name="auto.howstuffworks.com">{{cite web |last=Strickland |first=Jonathan |date=21 March 2007 |title=How the MINI Cooper Works |url=http://auto.howstuffworks.com/mini-cooper.htm |access-date=20 July 2010 |publisher=Auto.howstuffworks.com}}</ref> It is also considered an icon of 1960s [[British popular culture]].<ref name="reed1">{{cite book |last=Reed |first=Chris |title=Complete Classic Mini 1959–2000 |publisher=Motor Racing |year=2003 |isbn=1-899870-60-1 |location=Orpington}}</ref><ref name="reed2">{{cite book |last=Reed |first=Chris |title=Complete Mini: 35 Years of Production History, Model Changes, Performance Data |publisher=MRP |year=1994 |isbn=0-947981-88-8}}</ref><ref name="clausager">{{cite book |last=Clausager |first=Anders |title=Essential Mini Cooper |publisher=Bay View Books |year=1997 |isbn=1-870979-86-9 |location=Bideford, Devon}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=30 October 2016 |title=The humble Mini leaves supercars trailing to be named Britain's best-ever motor |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mini-named-britains-best-ever-3504379 |agency=Mirror}}</ref> 

The Mini [[Mark I Mini|Mark I]] had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman, and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations, including an [[estate car]], a [[coupe utility|pick-up]], a van, and the [[Mini Moke]], a [[jeep]]-like buggy. The performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S", were successful as both race and [[rally car]]s, winning the [[Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo|Monte Carlo Rally]] in 1964, 1965, and 1967.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 January 1966 |title=1966: Future of Monte Carlo rally in doubt |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/21/newsid_2506000/2506863.stm |website=On This Day |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The Mini was manufactured in England at the [[Longbridge plant|Longbridge]] plant in [[Birmingham]] located next to BMC's headquarters and at the former Morris Motors plant at [[Cowley, Oxfordshire|Cowley]], as well as in Australia (Victoria Park/Zetland [[British Motor Corporation (Australia)|BMC Australia]] factory) and later also in Spain ([[Authi]]), Belgium, Italy ([[Innocenti]], as the [[Innocenti Mini]]), Chile, Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia ([[Industrija Motornih Vozil|IMV]]). In 1980, British Leyland launched the Mini's follow-up, the [[Austin Metro]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-22 |title=CHRIS LLOYD: Twocking times in Metroland |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/opinion/columnists/18814547.40th-anniversary-mocked-mini-metro/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=The Northern Echo |language=en}}</ref> however the Mini outlasted it and continued to be produced at Longbridge until October 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |title=End of an era as Mini production is halted |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/end-of-an-era-as-mini-production-is-halted-634417.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240307060804/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/end-of-an-era-as-mini-production-is-halted-634417.html |archive-date=2024-03-07 |access-date=2025-03-20 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}}</ref>