Mini
Mini built in 1963
Mini is the name of a car model that was originally built in 1959-2000 by the Austin Motor Company and the Morris Motor Company and later by the British Motor Corporation (BMC ), British Leyland and Rover or licensing partners (such as Innocenti ).
The name and stylistic features of this car since 2001 carry the MINI brand cars from BMW.
- 4.1 Movies
- 4.2 Prominent owner
- 4.3 Racing
- 4.4 Mini driver among themselves
- 5.1 Type designation
- 5.2 Time line
- 5.3 consumption
Development
The special feature of the Mini - construction consisted primarily in the transverse mounting of the front motor, the transmission was flanged underneath the engine and the engine block a unit formed ( the gearbox shared the lubricant to the engine ). Because of this and because of the small wheels (10 -inch, 1959-1984 ) with a short body overhang, the length of the vehicle could bring on little more than three meters.
Impetus for the development of small and fuel-efficient automobile was the Suez crisis of 1956 - the first energy crisis with noticeable impact on the Western world. The first production vehicles in Birmingham came on 18 August 1959 in the market.
On 4 October 2000, the last, engineered only in details during the 41-year production period origin Mini rolled off the line. Thus, the best-selling British car had reached a total of 5,387,862 vehicles produced.
Originally the car was marketed as the new car had become the successor of the Austin 7 and the BMC was formed in 1952 from the manufacturers Austin Motor Company and Morris Motor Company of the Austin Seven (also Austin Se7en ) and Morris Mini Minor.
The lasting success of the Mini, which even his successor MiniMetro survived and its modified drive technology inherited was not in sight, as Alec Issigonis drew his first sketches on a napkin or tablecloth.
John Cooper appealed to his experience with the A- series engine in the Mini and became the house tuner of the work. In public, a mini is always equated with a Mini Cooper - it does not matter whether it really is a Cooper, the optical ( at least in the last years of construction ) by white stripes on the hood and also often differently colored by a roof to is seen and compared to the standard models a partially significant power and a different final drive ratio (such as the SPi - model) has.
Technical data (1963 /64)
- Mini Emblems
Rover Mini Cooper Emblem
Rover Mini emblem special edition CheckMate
Mini Emblem, various special models such as Mayfair and Balmoral
Variants
Drive ( series)
Engines with 848 cc, 998 cc, 1098 cc and 1275 cc of mounted in the normal models. The Cooper S versions, there were 970 cc, 1071 cc and 1275 cc (always with two SU carburetors single ). The "normal" 1275 cc engine and the Cooper -S -1275 - cc engine to have the same capacity is not much in common. Consistent with all Minis, however, is that the engine has no proper oil pan, because in their place is the transmission, which shares with the engine oil. This development was then ( 1959) as a revolutionary and provided together with the transverse mounted front engine that car so much on so little floor space was possible. The concept made the Mini to the ancestor of all compact cars, although the system of common oil circuit look no further prevailed and the transversely mounted engine since the thirties in different models ( DKW F1, Saab 92, Gutbrod Superior) was used.
Landing gear
Unlike other vehicles, the Mini has a suspension with conical rubber blocks instead of steel springs, which had Alex Moulton, the future designer of Moulton bikes developed. She was very hard, but the Mini had a then hardly be surpassed roadholding. Because of the slightly built body, a subframe front and rear were ever built, carrying suspension and engine. The wheels were hung on the front double wishbone and rear of longitudinal swing
The short body styles, there were 1964 to 1971 with the hydrolstic, rubber suspension, in the shock absorber, and a certain level of compensation was achieved with a water hydraulic system, in which the wheels of one side were connected to each other. Because of the added alcohol as antifreeze they got the nickname "Whiskey Soda suspension ".
The long-wheelbase versions ( Van or Estate ) were equipped only with the rubber suspension.
Body
The Mini was built as a saloon with a short wheelbase, station wagon / van and as a pickup truck with a long wheelbase. As long limousine notchback, changed front and higher Grill the Wolseley Hornet and the Riley Elf were sold. Furthermore, it was made a SUV / fun - mobile under the name Moke. In 1969 there was the Mini Clubman with a longer engine compartment and " square " front, the more expensive the Riley and Wolseley replaced in 1980 and replaced by the Mini Metro. The new form was from Roy Haynes. The Clubman was it only as a sedan with a short wheelbase and long-wheelbase station wagon.
The versions with a long wheelbase ( the station wagon with rear seat and side windows, the two-seater mini van without rear side windows and the pickup) were produced until 1981 and always had the outside door hinges of the MK II I-/MK series. The Clubman Estate contrast (combined with rear side windows and a square front ) had internal hinges and wind-up windows, as they were introduced simultaneously for the saloons of the MK III series.
The Mini Clubman Estate not only has a different front fascia than the station wagon, he still differs in other respects from the Van / Pickup.
The station wagon Countryman and Traveller with two rear doors were made identical in construction of Austin and Morris ( GB). In BL Cars MINI IMA (Portugal ) it was produced with a one-piece, upward opening tailgate.
The Austin Countryman and Morris Traveller were both supplied with or without wooden planking on the sides and rear doors. With wooden planking they are also known as "Woody".
The Mini Moke was originally designed as a military vehicle, but was then not built due to lack of ground clearance, payload and performance for the military. He then developed, however, to a cult car of the 1960s, which was also the fact that the Moke in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and has appeared in several episodes of the television series number 6.
Prototypes
A lively contest between Alec Issigonis and John Cooper broke out to find out which team was able to implement the idea of Bimotor minis first, after the first dual-motor Moke had arisen and the British Army was touted as a four-wheel off-road vehicle. One of these Twini ( for Twin Engine Mini) drove in the Targa Florio. He was very fast, but consumed more cooling water for the rear engine than gasoline.
Due to the design with the two subframe, the engine / transmission unit and inexpensive donor vehicles many Kitcars originated in England with Mini technology - such as the Mini Marcos, the GTM and the yak.
Special models
Early on, there was the Mini Cooper, the Mini Cooper S, as well as the Italian and Spanish Innocenti and Authi variants. Due to a contract Austin / Morris was obliged to pay to John Cooper Mini Cooper sold for each an amount of £ 2. In 1969, the construction of the Mini Cooper was ( 998 cc ) and 1972 set of the Mini Cooper S again, instead it was to be the strongest model only the Clubman 1275 GT with significantly less power.
A Cooper model was still to 1975 built by Innocenti in Milan and as Innocenti Cooper 1300 with 64 hp exported from 1972. In Germany he was from 1974 to acquire in the colors white, blue, red and green for almost 8,000 DM. Were characteristic of the white or black roof, especially his fender flares black plastic, with which other mini versions were delivered later. In addition, the Innocenti models had triangular windows in the doors. In addition, Innocenti offered the Mini 1001 with a 48 -horsepower engine, which was, however, not an athletic Cooper version.
Later the factory Mini Cabrio came to, the first copies were manufactured in Germany.
The ERA Mini Turbo engine and farms from the MG Metro Turbo were used. The power was 94 hp. This required extensive modifications to the bodywork, the lubrication and cooling system and of course to suspension and braking system were required. From the Manufacturer acceleration from 0 to 100km / h was given in just under eight seconds.
A large number of special models such as the Mini Monte Carlo and Special and the Jubliläumsminis of 1979 ( Mini 20 ), 1984 ( Mini 25 and Mini Mayfair Sport ), 1989 (Mini 30 ), 1994 ( Mini 35 ) and 1999 (Mini 40) expanded the model range.
Mini as a cult object
Movies
Prominent owner
Many celebrities of the 1960s had one or more minis. Whether Twiggy, Mary Quant, Peter Sellers ( his wife Britt Ekland one of the first hatchback Minis donated ) or the Beatles - everybody had one. Ringo Starr had "natural" a Hatchback ( with a large tailgate ) to transport his drum kit. Marc Bolan of T. Rex died in an accident in his Clubman 1275 GT. Marius Müller -Westernhagen had a green Mini 35, a special version of the 35-year anniversary. Even the Queen could be often chauffeured around in a Mini. Was also known Rowan Atkinson in his role as Mr Bean driving a greenish -yellow- black mini.
Enzo Ferrari had three minis and is said to have coined the saying: "If he were not so ugly - I could fall in love with the kids. " Similarly, the Ferrari engine designer Aurelio Lampredi had said after a test drive with the Mini Monza.
Racing
The later three -time Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda earned in 1968 as a 18- year-old in a 1300 Mini Cooper S its first motorsport laurels at various mountain race. The mini was also for many other racing sizes of the entry into the racing scene.
The Mini Cooper S had (with a few very early models ) always two separate fuel tanks in the rear of the vehicle - to exploit the then existing capacity engines and 1,275 cc variant - it gave it as 970 cc - 1,071 cc.
The mini won four times in a row (1964-1967), the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, but he was disqualified for a false 1966 highly controversial light bulbs in the headlights for the French Citroën ID - which, however, the sales figures in just this year, not only in France in the height was fast.
Early 1971 caused a certain Brian Culcheth on the Rallycross Lydden Circuit track ( between Dover and Canterbury ) for attention. He drove a Mini, which does not just behaved like a Mini. On closer inspection, it turned out that the Clubman had been beefed up with all-wheel drive. The Special Tuning Department of BMC had passed away from the normal differential to the rear a propeller shaft, which served to drive a mounted in the trunk of an additional differential Austin Healey Sprite. From this, the power flow through drive shafts from the Cooper S went to the rear wheels. With a 1300cc engine, which was fitted with cross -flow cylinder head and Weber twin carburetors and 120 bhp, the 4x4 or 4WD Mini was indeed the sensation of the day, dipped in a row, but only rarely in Rallycross race at. The Englishman David Angel brought the Clubman 4WD from August, 1972 to the last rounds of the International Rallycross Championship in the Netherlands Valkenswaard ( near Eindhoven ) and was at the end of the season champion in its class. As allowed for the subsequent "adoption " by the FIA ( in 1976 ) of the Rallycross sports as early as 1973, only cars after their Group 5 regulations, the end of 1972 the first generation of four-wheel vehicles disappeared from this car sports discipline and thus also the only officially appointed by the BMC factory racing mini with a single engine and four-wheel drive.
To this day, the Mini is widely used in motor sport. Both in the historical series such as the " FIA European Challenge for Historic Touring Cars ( FIA TC'65 ) ", the World Motor Sport Association Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and the "historical touring car and GT Trophy", which the Automobile Club of Germany touting eV ( AVD ), many Minis are used. In addition, many ministers are due to their favorable power to weight ratio for hill climb at the start. There is also still in Germany with the " British Car Trophy" and in England with the " Mini 7 " or the "Mini Miglia " special series for the Mini.
Mini driver among themselves
Every year is an international mini meeting, the International Mini Meeting (IMM ) is organizing, which is organized each from a different kids' club in a different country every five years and takes place on the anniversary of the Minis in the UK.
Models, technical changes
Type designation
In the vehicle documents be different for the MK I and MK II, the reason is that the models only nachgepflegt and any new type were reviewed.
Time line
Consumption
- 848 cc Minis 4.5 l/100km
- 998 cc Year 1988 Minis to 6.0 l/100km
- 998 cc Minis built after 1988 ( translated long 4th gear ) 5,3 l/100km
- 1275 cc 7.3 liters Minis - 14.0 l/100 km, depending on the carburetor and exhaust system
Because the catalyst, all injector ( SPI and MPI) may only be operated with unleaded gasoline, with the other variants of the use of lead-free or ( where available ) leaded fuel is optional possible.
MINI - the successor
2001 it is under the ownership of BMW Mini as a new edition of the MINI. Following the acquisition of various English brands ( Rover, MG and Land Rover ), including the Model Mini, of which, however, now belongs only to BMW Mini, was prepared in the Rover Longbridge production of the new Mini. After the new Mini was developed in large part by Rover, the technical development of BMW in Munich was settled shortly before the separation of the rover. The production lines of the Rover 75 in Oxford in the old Morris Cowley plant had to move to Long Bridge, while the mini- production came to Cowley. Cowley was then renamed BMW Works Oxford and modernized for the production of the current Mini.