Editing Mini (section)

=={{anchor|Clubman}}Mini Clubman and 1275 GT: 1969–1980==
{{Infobox automobile
| name       = {{plainlist|
*Mini Clubman
*Mini 1275 GT}}
| image      = Mini Clubman 1980.JPG
| caption    = 1980 Mini Clubman
| aka        = Leyland Mini (Australia)
| production = 1969–1980
| assembly   = {{plainlist|
*[[Longbridge]], Birmingham, England
*[[Setúbal]], Portugal
*[[Petone]], New Zealand
*[[Zetland, New South Wales|Zetland]], Australia}}
| body_style = {{plainlist|
*2-door saloon
*2-door [[estate car|estate]]}}
| engine     = {{plainlist|
*{{cvt|1098|cc|L|1}} [[Straight-four engine|I4]]
*{{cvt|998|cc|L|1}} [[Straight-four engine|I4]]
*{{cvt|1275|cc|L|1}} [[Straight-four engine|I4]]}}
| length     = saloon: {{cvt|124+1/2|in|m|2|}}<br>
estate: {{cvt|133.9|in|m|2|}}
| related    = 
| designer   = 
}}

In 1969, under the ownership of British Leyland, the Mini was given a facelift by stylist [[Roy Haynes (designer)|Roy Haynes]], who had previously worked for [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]. The restyled version was called the Mini Clubman, and has a squarer front, protruding some 10&nbsp;cm / 4in further forward, using the same indicator/sidelight assembly as the [[Austin Maxi]]. The Mini Clubman was intended to replace the upmarket Riley and Wolseley versions. At launch all Clubmans were powered by the 998&nbsp;cc engine as already used in the Mini 1000, with 38&nbsp;bhp. A more sporting model with the 1275&nbsp;cc single-carburettor 59&nbsp;bhp engine, dubbed the 1275 GT, was slated as the replacement for the 998&nbsp;cc Mini Cooper (the 1,275&nbsp;cc Mini Cooper S continued alongside the 1275 GT for two years until 1971). The Clubman Estate replaced the Countryman and Traveller. The original "round-front" design Mini remained in production alongside the Clubman and 1275 GT in 850 and 1000 forms as lower-priced models in the new Mini range.

[[File:Mini Clubman Estate (12769772824).jpg|thumb|left|Mini Clubman Estate|230x230px]]
Production of the Clubman and 1275 GT got off to a slow start because the cars incorporated "lots of production changes" including the relocation of tooling from the manufacturer's [[Cowley, Oxford|Cowley]] plant to the [[Longbridge plant]]: very few cars were handed over to customers before the early months of 1970.<ref name="Autocar197102">{{cite journal| first=Geoffrey |last=Howard| title = 10,000-mile (0 km) long-term report: Mini Clubman Estate| journal=Autocar | volume = 134 | issue = 3907| pages = 22–23 |date = 11 February 1971}}</ref>

Early domestic market Clubmans were still delivered on cross-ply tyres despite the fact that by 1970 [[Radial tire|radials]] had become the norm for the car's mainstream competitors.<ref name=Autocar197102/> By 1973 new Minis were, by default, being shipped with radial tyres, though cross-plies could be specified by special order, giving British buyers a price saving of £8.<ref name="Autocar197304">{{cite journal| title = Auto Test Mini 850| journal=Autocar | volume = 138 | issue = 4012 | pages = 8–12 |date = 19 April 1973}}</ref>

[[File:Mini 1275 GT, front.jpg|thumb|left|Mini 1275 GT|229x229px]]
The 1275 GT is often incorrectly described as the "Mini Clubman 1275 GT". The official name was always just the "Mini 1275 GT", and it was a separate, distinct model from the Clubman (although it shared the same frontal treatment as the Mini Clubman, and was launched at the same time).

In 1971, the 1,275&nbsp;cc Mini Cooper S was discontinued in the UK, leaving the Mini 1275 GT as the only sporting Mini on sale for the rest of the decade. Innocenti in Italy, however, continued making their own version of the Mini Cooper for some time. While the UK-built 1275 GT was not nearly as quick as a 1275 Mini Cooper S, it was cheaper to buy, run, and insure. It was the first Mini to be equipped with a [[tachometer]]. It also featured a standard-fit close-ratio gearbox, and initially had 10-inch (25.4&nbsp;cm) Rostyle wheels covering the 7.5-inch (19.05&nbsp;cm) Cooper S type disc brakes, and a boot board; both were dropped in 1974. Performance of the 1275GT was lively for the time, achieving {{cvt|0|–|60|mph}} in 12.9&nbsp;seconds, and the excellent mid-range torque offered a {{cvt|30|–|50|mph}} time in top gear of only nine seconds. The bluff front, however, meant that the model struggled to reach {{cvt|90|mi/h|km/h}}.

From 1975 the standard Clubman and Clubman Estate received the 1098&nbsp;cc engine (as also fitted to the [[Austin Allegro]]) with 45&nbsp;bhp, although Clubmans with the AP automatic transmission retained the less powerful 998&nbsp;cc power unit.

Throughout the 1970s, British Leyland continued to produce the classic 1959 "round-front" design, alongside the newer Clubman and 1275 GT models. The long-nose Clubman and 1275 GT offered better crash safety, were better equipped, and had better under-bonnet access, but they were more expensive and aerodynamically inferior to the original 1959 design. The Mini Clubman and 1275 GT were replaced in 1980 by the new hatchback Austin Metro, while production of the original "round-front" Mini design continued for another 20 years. At the end of Clubman and 1275 GT production, 275,583 Clubman saloons, 197,606 Clubman Estates and 110,673 1275 GTs had been made.<ref name="sales"/>
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===Australia {{anchor|clubman_australia}}===
[[File:Leyland Mini LS.jpg|thumb|right|The Leyland Mini LS was produced by [[Leyland Australia]] from 1977 to 1978]]
For the Australian market, all Minis including the Van gained the Clubman front in 1971 although the car was still basically a Mk I behind the A-Pillar.<ref name=miniexperience19>[http://miniexperience.com.au/issue-19/history-of-the-clubman-gt.html History of the Clubman GT] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516024733/http://miniexperience.com.au/issue-19/history-of-the-clubman-gt.html |date=16 May 2010 }} Retrieved from miniexperience.com.au on 11 February 2010</ref> The Australian van thus became the only Clubman Van produced anywhere in the world.<ref name=miniexperience19 /> From mid-1971 to the end of 1972, a Clubman GT version of the saloon was produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubmangt.com.au/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230190829/http://www.clubmangt.com.au/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 December 2009|title=The GT Spot|date=30 December 2009|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref> This was essentially a Cooper S in Clubman body, equipped with the same {{convert|7.5|in|mm|adj=on}} disc brakes, twin fuel tanks, and twin-carburettor Cooper S 1,275&nbsp;cc engine. Australian Clubman saloons were marketed under the '''Morris Mini Clubman''' name when introduced in August 1971,<ref>Green Book Price & Model Guide, July–August 1983, page 71</ref> and as the '''Leyland Mini''', without the Clubman name, from February 1973.<ref name=Green_P60/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20241015094016/https://www.leylandaustralia.com.au/index_htm_files/Mini%20Identification%20Card%20BLMCA.pdf Mini and Moke Identification Card, www.leylandaustralia.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org]</ref>

To end Mini production in Australia, a limited-edition runout model was produced – the 1275LS. Fitted with a pollution control 1,275&nbsp;cc engine sourced from Europe, the LS had a single {{convert|1.5|in|mm|adj=on}} carburettor and {{convert|8.4|in|mm|adj=on}} disc brakes. Production of this model commenced in July 1978 and concluded in October 1978 with an approximate total of 810 vehicles produced.
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