The Mini was conceived by designer, Alec Issigonis, as a cheap, efficient, practical people’s car, and was first produced in August of 1959. Front-wheel-drive, transverse-engined, and with innovative rubber suspension, it broke the mould of traditional small car design at the time. Despite its humble origins, people soon realised that its lightweight and chuckable handling – if allied with a few more horsepower – made for an extremely fun little package.
Before long, a multitude of specialist Mini tuners sprung up, offering various upgrade packages to boost the output of the tiny 848cc engine beyond the original 34 pavement-pounding horsepower. In Australia, a factory-produced, twin-carburettor’d special edition called the Morris Sports 850 was produced in limited numbers. A hint of the Mini’s later dominance of motorsport came in 1960, when one placed sixth overall in the RAC Rally. No mean feat when you consider the larger-capacity Austin-Healeys and Saabs that it competed against. continue reading…
