The last original Mini rolls off the line at the MG Rover Group factory in Longbridge, England on Oct. 4, 2000.
The quirky little car, which became a pop culture icon, was designed by Alec Issigonis of the British Motor Corp. in the late 1950s. The Mini was a product of the times as England dealt with the Suez Oil Crisis of 1957 and a spike in gasoline prices.
On Aug. 26, 1959, BMC unveiled the Morris Mini-Minor and Austin Seven.
The original car featured a space-saving transverse-mounted engine and front-wheel drive. It was about 10 feet long and weighed about 1,323 pounds, making it an agile choice for Europe’s busy and congested streets.
By the time the last original Mini rolled off the line in 2000, more than 5.3 million of the cars had been sold, making it England’s best-selling car.
For the 2001 redesign, BMW stayed faithful to the look of the original with its round headlights and retained the old car’s nimble handling.
Production of the new Mini in Oxford, England, began on April 26, 2001.
The new car was less “mini,” however, as it grew in size, causing many fans to complain the car had lost much of its character.
Buyers didn’t mind. The new Mini sold strongly and by 2005 BMW was expanding its factory in Oxford that it had retained along with the Mini nameplate.
Planned production of 100,000 a year rose to 189,492 by 2004. Additional updates boosted the Oxford plant’s annual capacity to about 250,000.
Since 2001, BMW says, more than 2.5 million vehicles have been built at the Oxford plant.
BMW’s long-sighted vision of what a modern Mini should be almost single-handedly created the premium small car sector.
Today, Mini’s lineup includes the Cooper hardtop, four-door Cooper, Clubman, Countryman and Cooper convertible. Mini has ditched the Coupe and Roadster, as well as the Paceman.
