Editing Mini (section)

=={{anchor|Cooper|Cooper S|Mini Cooper}} Mini Cooper and Cooper S: 1961–1971; 1990–2000==<!-- [[Template:Cooper Car Company]] links here, [[Mini Cooper S]] redirects here -->
[[File:Morris Mini Cooper Mark I IAA 2019 JM 0635.jpg|thumb|Morris Mini Cooper Mark I]]
[[File:1971 Mini Cooper S Mk III - Flickr - The Car Spy (11).jpg|thumb|1971 Mini Cooper S Mk III]]
Issigonis' friend [[John Cooper (car maker)|John Cooper]], owner of the [[Cooper Car Company]] and designer and builder of [[Formula One]] cars, saw the potential of the Mini for competition. Issigonis was initially reluctant to see the Mini in the role of a performance car, but after John Cooper appealed to BMC management, the two men collaborated to create the Mini Cooper. The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in September 1961.<ref name="issigbio"/><ref>{{cite news|title=B.M.C. Bring Out The Mini-Cooper |newspaper=The Times |date=20 September 1961 |page=8 |issue=55191}}</ref><ref name="mrtb1">{{cite book |last=Clarke |first=R.M. |title=Mini Road Test Book: Mini Cooper Gold Portfolio 1961–71 |isbn=1-85520-052-X |year=2005 |publisher=Brooklands Books}}</ref>

The {{cvt|848|cc|cuin}} engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was given a longer stroke to increase capacity to {{cvt|997|cc|cuin}} increasing power from {{cvt|34|to|55|bhp}}.<ref name="ado15"/> The car featured a race-tuned engine, twin [[SU carburetor|SU carburettors]], a closer-ratio gearbox and front [[disc brake]]s, uncommon at the time in a small car. One thousand units of this version were commissioned by management, intended for and designed to meet the [[homologation]] rules of [[Group A|Group 2]] rally racing. The 997&nbsp;cc engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998&nbsp;cc unit in 1964. In 1962, Rhodesian [[John Love (racing driver)|John Love]] became the first non-British racing driver to win the British Saloon Car Championship driving a Mini Cooper.
[[File:Timo Mäkinen - 1965 Rally Finland (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Timo Mäkinen]] and his Mini Cooper S on their way to the first of a [[hat-trick]] of wins in the [[Rally Finland|1000 Lakes Rally]] in Finland]]

A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in tandem and released in 1963. Featuring a 1071&nbsp;cc engine with a 70.61&nbsp;mm bore and nitrided steel crankshaft and strengthened bottom end to allow further tuning; and larger [[Vacuum servo|servo-assisted]] disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper S cars were produced and sold until the model was updated in August 1964. Cooper also produced two S models specifically for circuit racing in the under 1,000&nbsp;cc and under 1,300&nbsp;cc classes respectively, rated at {{cvt|970|cc|cuin}} and a {{cvt|1275|cc|cuin}}, both had a {{cvt|70.61|mm}} bore and both were also offered to the public. From 1966 onwards Cooper S models featured twin fuel tanks as standard. The smaller-engine model was not well received, and only 963 had been built when the model was discontinued in 1965. The 1,275&nbsp;cc Cooper S models continued in production until 1971.

Sales of the Mini Cooper were: 64,000 Mark I Coopers with 997&nbsp;cc or 998&nbsp;cc engines; 19,000 Mark I Cooper S with 970&nbsp;cc, 1,071&nbsp;cc or 1,275&nbsp;cc engines; 16,000 Mark II Coopers with 998&nbsp;cc engines; 6,300 Mark II Cooper S with 1,275&nbsp;cc engines. There were no Mark III Coopers and 1,570 Mark III Cooper S.

An agreement between BMC and [[Innocenti]] was announced in 1959 to assemble BMC-manufactured cars for the Italian market.<ref name="Innocenti">{{cite journal |last=LaChance |first=Dave |title=The Mini from Milan – 1973 Innocenti Mini |journal=Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car |date=March 2017 |url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/the-mini-from-milan-1973-innocenti-mini |access-date=3 November 2020}}</ref> The first Mini Coopers assembled in Milan from imported [[knock-down kit]]s with sales of the Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 beginning in March 1966.<ref name="Innocenti"/> It was licensed in 1973 to Spain's Authi (Automoviles de Turismo Hispano-Ingleses), which began to produce the Authi Mini Cooper 1300. The Cooper name was discontinued from the UK Mini range at this time.

A new Mini Cooper named the RSP (Rover Special Products) was briefly relaunched in 1990–91, with slightly lower performance than the 1960s Cooper. It proved popular and a new Cooper-marked Mini went into full production in late 1991. To meet emission standards, Coopers from 1992 on were fitted with a [[Fuel injection|fuel-injected]] version of the 1,275&nbsp;cc engine, and in 1997 a multi-point fuel-injected engine was introduced, along with a front-mounted radiator and various safety improvements.<ref name="parnell2">{{cite book |last=Parnell| first=John |title=Original Mini-Cooper: The Restorers Guide To All MKL, II, And III Models |isbn=1-870979-32-X | year=1993 |publisher=Bay View}}</ref> "I love my Mini Cooper," remarked [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] in 2003. "I was too scared to drive a big car in London."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rees |first=Paul |title=Listen very carefully, I will say this only once' |magazine=Q magazine |date=May 2003 |pages=84–92}}</ref>

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{{Anchor|Mini Clubman|Mini 1275GT}}