Few cars in the history of the automobile can be viewed as more revolutionary than the Mini. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, the Mini was both ground-breaking and game-changing in 1959, when it made its debut. A true “compact” car, the Mini featured a short (120-inch) all-steel monocoque construction body, with an 848-cc, BMC A-Series, inline, 4-cylinder engine. In order to maximize interior space in such a small and compact package, Issigonis not only mounted the A-Series engine transversely in the front of the car, but he also located the 4-speed gearbox in the sump of the engine and had this one-piece unit drive the front wheels, so that he could avoid having a standard transmission, driveshaft and tunnel eating up precious space in the cockpit. The result was a tiny, FWD car with a surprisingly spacious interior that could realistically accommodate four adults. Offered as either an Austin Se7en Mini or a Morris Minor Mini, with a £497 price tag it’s no wonder that the Mini would go on to sell more than 5.3 million examples until its eventual end in 1980.
However, by 1961, racecar constructor John Cooper—who was manufacturing highly successful BMC-powered Formula Junior racecars—took a stab at performance tuning the Mini. Lengthening the engine’s stroke yielded a 947-cc variant that raised power output from 34 bhp to 55 bhp. Additional changes such as disc brakes on the front transformed the staid little “box” into a competent small-displacement, racing saloon.
Within a few years of the Mini Cooper being introduced, demand for an even higher performing example was so great that in 1963, BMC released the Mini Cooper S, badged interchangeably as either an Austin or a Morris. The first Cooper S benefitted from a further enlarged 1071-cc, A-Series engine, and larger servo-assisted disc brakes. 4,030 examples were constructed until an updated version was released in August of 1964. This new Cooper S now featured a 1275-cc A-Series engine, larger front disc brakes, as well as BMC’s new “Hydroelastic” suspension system, which essentially replaced the earlier car’s rubber cone springing with a system of interconnected fluid-filled bags, not unlike that developed on the earlier Citroen 2CV. Starting in 1965, the Cooper S also received larger 4.5-inch wheels and a growing list of optional extras. All told, BMC built 14,313 MkI Minis, with the 1275-cc Cooper S package.
On the Road
“April Fool’s joke?” you ask? “That Mini looks like it was just pulled out of a barn.” Right you are. As Monty Python once said, “…and now for something completely different.”
This month’s “Driven” vehicle was in fact recently awakened from a 20-year-plus slumber in the dry New Mexico desert. One of the many things that make it unique is the fact that it is a very early, left-hand-drive, 1275-cc Cooper S, that is a one-owner car with just 55,000-miles on the odometer. Listed by the British Motoring Industry Heritage Trust as sold for “Personal Export Delivery, USA” it is believed that the car was sold directly to its original New Mexico owner in 1965. While 20-years in the desert hasn’t done much for the interior, the body remained dry and straight and with a little bit of remedial mechanical work has made this Mini an interesting time warp car for us to sample.
After opening the surprisingly large driver’s door, one almost has to squat down to slide under the steering wheel and into the bucket seat. The front bucket seats are interesting in that they are much higher in the front than the back, presumably to keep one’s legs more upright so that an adult can fit their legs in the short foot well. With just an 80-inch wheelbase, and room for four inside, Issigonis had to be creative with where he placed the passengers…and the wheels! The front wheel wells dominate either side of the cockpit, with the pedals and steering column offset to the center. As a result the driver sits slightly catty-wampus in the cockpit. Yet despite all this, the seating position is quite comfortable and when combined with the simple, dashboard/parcel shelf and uncluttered interior trim, makes the diminutive Mini seem deceptively roomy inside.
Turn the key in the center of the parcel shelf and the little transverse-mounted 1275-cc nestled over the top of your feet (!) buzzes to life. Dip the pendulum-style clutch pedal, stir the delicate little shift knob into first, give the Mini some gas and you’re off.
In the world of classics, the Mini is not many things. It is not exotic. It is not curvy, nor particularly stylish. But what the Mini is is fabulously fun to drive. It doesn’t matter if you own and drive some of the world’s most expensive and coveted exotics, you will still have fun driving a Mini—especially a Cooper S with the larger engine. There is just something about its go-kart-like handling combined with the sensation of having almost no bodywork in front of you, that makes the Mini exhilarating. Turn-in is whip sharp. Jump on the gas and the FWD Mini hauls itself through the corner like an amusement park ride. While the fluid-filled Hydroelastic suspension can feel a little darty on rough, uneven roads, on smooth roads at speed it gives the Mini a very sporty, yet compliant feel.
While our test drive example may not look like much now, it is a blast to drive and will make someone an excellent basis for a restoration. This car is currently being offered for sale by Chequered Flag, in Marina Del Rey,
California (www.chequeredflag.com).
Driven Classics at a Glance:
1965 Austin Mini Cooper S MkI
Production 14,313
ConstructionSteel monocoque
Wheelbase 80 inches
Length120 inches
Width55.5 inches
Front Track 48.5 inches
Rear Track 46 inches
Height 53 inches
Weight 1411 pounds
Engine BMC A-Series, inline-4, transversely mounted
Bore x Stroke 70-mm x 81-mm
Compression 9.75:1
Induction Twin SU HS2 carburetors
Power 75-hp
Torque 79-lb-ft
Transmission 4-speed
Brakes 7.5-in disc (front), 7-in drum (rear)
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed100-mph
0-60 mph 9.8-sec
Average fuel consumption
33-mpg
VALUATION
Price at launch £497
Excellent $40,000
Good $32,000
Average $20,000
Poor $15,000