DRIVE: Mini’s giant leaps

As the Germans shone with Volkswagen Beetle, the English responded with the Mini in 1959. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s. Its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80 per cent of the area of the car’s floor pan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of carmakers. There were several versions amongst them: Mini Mark I, the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. In 1994 BMW took control of the Rover Group, which included the Mini, fitting it with airbags to comply with European legislation. The new BMW Mini is technically unrelated to the old car but retains the classic transverse 4 cylinder, front-wheel-drive configuration and iconic bulldog stance of the original. In 2000, BMW announced the successor to the Mini – which is variously called the BMW Mini or the New Mini. The brand name for the new car is MINI (in capital letters). The new MINI is larger than the classic Mini. It is around 55 centimetres longer, 30 centimetres wider, weighing 1,050 kg rather than 650 kg. In April 3, 2007, the millionth MINI rolled out of the Oxford Plant after six years of production - just one month longer than it took the classic Mini to reach the same total in March 1965. The 2001 to 2006 models include MINI One, the diesel-engined Mini One/D, the sportier MINI Cooper and the supercharged MINI Cooper S. There is also the Mk II Mini, which is available in hatchback and a wagon. MINI John Cooper (R56) is the latest version with higher output engine, and BMW’s Dynamic Traction Control and Dynamic Stability Control. The engine is rated 208 bhp (155 kW) and 192 ft·lbf (260 N·m), achieved by reducing compression ratio to 10.0:1, and increasing boost from the Cooper S’ 0.9 bar to 1.3 bar. The package bumps output of the 1.6 litre turbo engine to 192 horsepower, with maximum torque up to 250 Newton metres in the engine speed range between 1,750 and 5,000 rpm.