BMW MINI E-Book

Sophie Williamson-Stothert

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 222

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

The R-Series BMW MINI had a lot to live up to. Launched in 2001, it was riding in the wake of the classic 1959-2000 Mini. At the time, BMW were going to have to create something as special and innovative as its longstanding predecessor in order to silence the naysayers. And they did. Since its launch in 2001, BMW's modern MINI has become the pinnacle of small yet funky family cars in the premium small (and sometimes not so mall) car segment. Now in its third generation, having unveiled the new F-Series in 2014, BMW MINI offers 3- and 5-door hatchback models and convertibles, the estate Clubman, the five-door Countryman, the Coupe, the Roadster and the three-door crossover Paceman. MINI enthusiast and motoring journalist Sophie Williamson-Stothert explores the journey from 1959 to the present day, covering design and development of the new MINI, launch and reception by the press, its many model variations and special editions, and an owner's and buyer's guide.

Leseprobe

BMW MINI

An Enthusiast’s Guide

Sophie Williamson-Stothert

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

© Sophie Williamson-Stothert 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 78500 144 4

Dedication

For Mum and Dad, Rose and Andrew, Guy Loveridge and Richard Aucock, who, through all their love and support, have always encouraged me to chase my dreams, including this very book you hold in your hands.

Illustration Acknowledgements

With thanks to Richard and Vicky Dredge at Magic Car Pics, www.magiccarpics.co.uk

Unless otherwise stated, photographs are from the author’s collection.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction: The MINI/MINI Story, 1959 to 2015

Part I – Where it all began

CHAPTER 1

BMC’S MINI

CHAPTER 2

THE MINI GOLDEN YEARS

CHAPTER 3

REPLACING THE MINI

Part II – MINI: Replacing a Legend

CHAPTER 4

THE ARRIVAL OF BMW

CHAPTER 5

BMW’S TAKE ON A BRITISH ICON

Part III – The Reincarnation of Britain’s Small Car

CHAPTER 6

BMW’S MINI POWERS INTO PRODUCTION

CHAPTER 7

A MINI FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

CHAPTER 8

THE SPECIAL EDITIONS

CHAPTER 9

THE BUYER’S GUIDE

CHAPTER 10

THE THIRD GENERATION MINI: A NEW BEGINNING WITH F56

Part IV – MINI and MINI in Motor Sport

CHAPTER 11

THE MONTE MINI

CHAPTER 12

MINI JOINS THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

FOREWORD

The Mini is, without much danger of contradiction, one of the most important motor cars of the 20th century. It was certainly what we now like to refer to as a ‘game changer’. When it was introduced in 1959 it revolutionized the motoring scene, and the fact that we still refer to a certain class of cars as ‘Mini cars’ and ‘Super Mini’ reveals the length of the shadow cast.

It’s pretty easy to see why BMW wanted to capitalize on the strength of ‘brand identity’ that had grown up around the Mini as a life-style, fashion, motoring and individualistic icon. The trick, of course, was adapting the front-wheel drive, wheel at each corner and ‘cute’ looks to a 21st-century marketplace that demanded far more of their car than the generation who queued up to buy the plethora of Mini variants being produced at Cowley and Longbridge five decades before.

My ‘Mini motoring’ has covered ownership of a few of the more esoteric variations upon the theme. In the 1990s when I was a jobbing actor and landed my first part in a West End run, I would commute in a 1965 Riley Elf – the ideal car for such a job, and I’ve owned another identical one since. Then as the Mini’s 50th anniversary approached I combined two interests and became the proud owner of the actual Deep Sanderson 301 that Chris Lawrence took to Le Mans in 1963 and 1964, thus becoming the first Mini-based car to compete at La Sarthe in the legendary 24 Hours race. This machine I drove at Goodwood in the Festival of Speed and then again for the 2009 tribute parade for the Birthday, following Mr Bean around on the roof of his Mini City.

The car went on to race at The Goodwood Revival and acquitted itself amazingly well in such exalted company, with a top 10 finish only being wrenched from its fingers by a recovering competitor who was four laps down and did not understand Blue Flags! The ‘Deepers’ went on to return to Le Mans in the Classic of 2014, acquitting itself pretty well.

I now have a 1962 Ogle SX 1000, which I repatriated from the USA and am restoring to original specification, complete with 998cc Cooper engine as per its original options list. So, I think it is fair to say, I am steeped in Minis and their ways….

When Sophie told me she was writing this book, I was a little surprised, as I checked my bookshelf and saw over twenty-five titles all concerned with Minis, but having now read it, I am mightily impressed as she has succeeded in explaining the links, the ethos and the brave attempt to engender a ‘reborn’ BMW-sired Mini and to steer the brand in a completely new and enhanced direction. That the 21st Century Mini is a success will doubtless be reflected in the popularity of this first class book. Enjoy. I did.

GUY LOVERIDGE

Chairman – The Guild of Motoring Writers

July 2015

INTRODUCTION

THE MINI/MINI STORY, 1959 TO 2015

Sophie with her R50 MINI Cooper at Plant oxford.

JAMES BATCHELOR

Manufactured by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), British Leyland (BL) and Rover Group between 1959 and the year 2000, the classic Mini was moulded into a line of iconic British small cars. During those forty-one years, these firms produced the Morris Mini-Minor, the Austin Se7en, the Mini Countryman, the army service Mini Moke, the Mini Clubman and more. The little Mini wasn’t denied any horsepower either, and when performance Cooper versions of these models were modified in partnership with racing legend John Cooper, the little car – designed to provide transportation for families – became a rally legend: three times. In 1959, the small car was launched as the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Se7en (A7). In 1961 it was renamed Austin Mini, and eight years later, in 1969 – ten years after the first Mini rolled off the production line – the Mini became a marque in its own right. The original Mini revolutionized the small car and became the bestselling British car in history. It continued to roll off the production line until the very end of its era in the year 2000, selling 5.3 million units. Its legacy was continued when in 1995, the development stages of its successor – the R-Series MINI – began.

Since its launch in 2001, BMW’s modern MINI has become the pinnacle of small yet funky family cars in the premium small car segment – although many may argue that the modern MINI is far too large to be branded such a title. In keeping with a similar theme to that of the 1960s and 1970s, the MINI range has followed in the footsteps of its predecessor’s line-up, with a few extra additions. Now in its third generation, having unveiled the new F-Series in 2014, BMW MINI offers the hatchback, the Convertible, the estate Clubman, the five-door Countryman, the Coupé, the Roadster and the three-door crossover Paceman. Like the classic Mini, a number of these models are available with the John Cooper Works performance pack and have been released in special editions such as the Mayfair and the London 2012 – providing a little something for everyone.

1964 RAC Rally and 1965 Monte Carlo Mini Cooper S.GUY LOVERIDGE

The first generation R50 MINI line-up: One, Cooper and Cooper S.NEWSPRESS

PART I

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

CHAPTER ONE

BMC’S MINI

The Mini was originally a product of the British Motor Corporation (BMC), which later became a part of British Motor Holdings (BMH) in 1966, and eventually merged with Leyland Motors in 1968 to form British Leyland. It wasn’t until 1969 (ten years after its birth) that Mini became an automotive marque in its own right. During the late 1980s, British Leyland was demolished and Mini joined Rover Group. In 1994, Rover Group was acquired by BMW, which the brand later dissolved in 2000, while retaining the Mini/MINI brand. Today, the MINI division is led by Sebastian Mackensen.

It took just one man to design the ultimate small family car, the very machine that, thanks to its transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, is capable of seating four adults, has a luggage compartment (albeit small) and the ability to bring a smile to each and every one of its drivers’ faces. Little did he know that this little car would go on to become an iconic symbol of British heritage: the Mini was a motoring legend both on the road and on the race circuit.

Britain’s small car was born in response to an economic and political crisis, and it soon became a little car that gave mobility to millions. Sir Alec Issigonis’s baby was created in response to the Middle East crisis when, in September 1956, Colonel Nasser decided to nationalize the Suez Canal and use the Arabs’ control of the world’s oil supplies to hold the rest of the word to ransom. When the Arabs closed their oil pipeline across the Mediterranean, in the ensuing war they blew up the Syrian pipeline that provided 20 per cent of Britain’s petrol supply. This resulted in petrol rationing hitting the UK in December that year, and inevitably, a newly found popularity for small cars across Europe.

Original sketch of the Mini prototype by Alec Issigonis in 1958.NEWSPRESS

A bird’s-eye sketch of the Mini 850, by Alec Issigonis in 1958.MAGIC CAR PICS

Alec Issigonis stands proudly between the Austin Mini 850 cars in 1959.MAGIC CAR PICS

In the period between 1956 and 1957, the sales of 900 to 1000cc cars rocketed. This explains the appearance of German bubble cars in the UK, which could achieve more than 40 miles per gallon (7ltr/100km) – the ideal statistic for families living in a petrol-starved period. At the end of 1955, Leonard Lord invited Issigonis to rejoin BMC after three years at Alvis Motors. Lord Leonard quite frankly despised bubble cars, and is reported to have said to Issigonis in March 1957: ‘God damn these bloody awful bubble cars. We must drive them off the streets by designing a proper small car.’ From that point, BMC’s new car development programme changed from replacing the Morris Minor to producing a new small car.

An engineering team of four draftsmen, a group of student engineers and three talented men, including Chris Kingham from Alvis Motors, Jack Daniels who helped produce the Minor, John Sheppard who was responsible for the design, and Issigonis himself, set about designing and defining the Mini – the XC9003, which later became project ADO15 when development moved to the Austin HQ at Longbridge. Issigonis saw front-wheel drive as the powertrain for his future cars, and ADO15 would become the first practical four-seater crammed into a small package to reach production.

Up until 2015, John Sheppard was the last surviving member of the classic Mini design team. Under the direction of Issigonis, he led the construction of BMC’s revolutionary car in the late 1950s. Sheppard was largely responsible for the structure of the body, as well as the Mini’s many cost-saving features. Essentially, he was there to translate Issigonis’s scribbles into more credible designs. Every cost-saving feature, including the little car’s door bins, which were large enough to hold gin and vermouth bottles to mix Issigonis a dry Martini, were designed by Sheppard. But he didn’t always have the final say when it came to making official decisions: in one difference of opinion he lost an argument with Issigonis over the construction of the floor, and was forced to draw up a design that he knew would leak. To put into perspective just how much water the little Minis originally took on board, one road-test journalist returned from an outing with a goldfish lodged in one of those signature door pockets. To combat the floor-leaking issue, every Mini was supplied with a pair of Wellington boots as standard. Thankfully, that wasn’t the only resolution, and eventually Sheppard was given authority to redesign the underbody of the Mini to stop the water gushing in, just as he had originally intended.

The longitudinal section of the Morris Mini-Minor and Austin Se7en 1959.NEWSPRESS

Issigonis had already proved with his work on the Morris Minor replacement that he could fit an engine and gearbox into a space of just 2 feet (60cm) of a car’s entire length. But when the Mini was destined to be a narrow vehicle, it was difficult to see how the package would be accommodated between the Mini’s wheels without compromising the steering lock. The first attempt at resolving this problem was for an A-Series engine to lose two cylinders, creating an in-line, 2-cylinder, 500cc engine. As would be expected, the engine lacked ‘oomph’ and was far too rough for the job. Issigonis resolved the issue by mounting the gearbox underneath the engine, as part of an in-sump arrangement – a crucial part of the first Mini mock-up. By July, just four months after the development began, the first prototype was up and running. ADO15 used a conventional BMC A-Series, 4-cylinder, water-cooled engine. The Mini’s spacesaving transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive layout meant that 80 per cent of the car’s floorpan could be used to seat passengers and store luggage, therefore influencing a generation of car makers.

Weight and length were critical in the development of the Mini. The fact that the first prototype was 6mm (¼in) over 3m (10ft) long irritated Issigonis immensely. The team were eventually able to make the Mini 45kg (100lb) lighter than the Austin A35, which would inevitably become a key factor in ensuring that the car retained competitive fuel consumption figures, which would later prove difficult to beat for the likes of British Leyland. It is rumoured that in July 1957 the BMC chairman Leonard Lord first drove the prototype around the Longbridge plant, instructing Issigonis to ‘build the bloody thing’. A second prototype was soon born. Both cars were disguised with Austin A35 grilles and based at Cowley in the hands of engineers from Morris Motors, who would later play a significant role in the development of all the front-wheel-drive cars to follow in the footsteps of the Mini.

Front axle and engine of the Morris Mini-Minor and Austin Se7en 1959.NEWSPRESS

ADO15 used a conventional BMC A-Series, 4-cylinder, water-cooled engine.MAGIC CAR PICS

Many were unsure as to why Issigonis pushed the development of 10-inch wheels.MAGIC CAR PICS

The Mini featured a basic but revolutionary interior with space for four adults.MAGIC CAR PICS

Although the little Minis shared a number of design weaknesses and would later undergo a range of engineering tweaks, the Mini was finally on its way to production. A big question mark hovered above the Mini’s minute 10in wheels for a long period of time. Most people couldn’t understand the purpose in creating a smaller road wheel, but Issigonis pushed the development of the small car by working with Dunlop to produce the smallest road tyre. The industry average rim size at the time sat at 16–17in. Nonetheless, the Mini needed small tyres to optimize cabin space. Dunlop eventually produced 5.20in tyres that appeared on the Mini.

Joint managing director of BMC George Harriman teased journalists about the small car that would provide drivers with a low-priced, fully engineered car to replace the Germans’ bubble cars. By March 1958 the first two prototypes had driven 50,000 miles (80,000km), and the decision was made to build ten pilot production cars. The ADO15 Mini was turning out to be a difficult design to drive into production, and George Harriman wasn’t impressed by the little car’s appearance, referring to it as ‘what a bloody mess’. But soon, many would beg to differ.

By November 1959, Mini production had taken the world by storm. BMC announced a £49m expansion plan, with a plan to double output to 8,000 Minis per week. By the end of the year, 19,749 Minis had been built and delivered to happy owners. The Mini was arguably one of the most awkward vehicles to piece together, not because of its fiddly parts or unique design, but because BMC had so many manufacturing plants spread out across the country. The A-Series engine was built at Moors Engines at Courthouse Green in Coventry, the front-wheel-drive gearbox came from both Longbridge and Drews Lane in Birmingham, while body pressings came from the Fisher and Ludlow plant at Llanelli in Wales. The components destined to reach Cowley had to be transported from the plants to Oxford, while the body pressings were taken to the Fisher and Ludlow plant at Castle Bromwich for assembly into bodyshells.

The question was whether or not the Mini was actually making or losing BMC money. These days, it is difficult to imagine picking up a brand new state-of-the-art family car for £496.95 – the price for the base model of the world’s most advanced family car; even for 1959, that was considerably low for an advanced family vehicle. Some say that Austin’s prices mirrored what William Morris (of Morris Motors Limited) charged in the era before BMC; Leonard Lord of Austin believed that William Morris was the master of cost control and assumed that Longbridge-built cars cost a similar price to manufacture as they did to sell. With the formation of BMC, the corporation decided to price the little Mini at a similar figure to the Ford Popular, which also ceased production in 1959.

According to Terry Beckett – Ford UK’s senior product planner who went on to become chairman of Ford Britain – Ford calculated that BMC was actually losing £30 on every Mini to leave the production line. As Minis were selling like cupcakes by this point, it is unlikely that raising the price by an extra £30 would have damaged its sales appeal. Nevertheless, BMW stood firm at providing more for less.

THE POWER OF THE MINI

When the first Mini – a Morris Mini-Minor – was sold in 1959, not even its creator knew what impact it would have on motorists’ lives. This car, possibly the smallest thing on four wheels, would become so much more than a car. Since the car was marketed under BMC’s two main brand names, Austin and Morris, the Mini was launched in the form of the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Se7en, which were essentially the same car. The two distinctively branded cars were launched with the 848cc A-Series engine, and were available in the Basic base model priced at £497 (which didn’t get buyers a heater) or the De Luxe at £537. The Morris Mini-Minor also added a Super De Luxe variant for an extra £24, or the De Luxe Automatic, which was £606 at launch. The thing is, this Mini was personalized by its designer in that the car didn’t feature a seatbelt or a radio, because Issigonis didn’t wear a seatbelt or listen to the radio when he was driving, and similarly, because he smoked like a chimney, an ashtray was incorporated into the Mini’s design. In fact, it is thanks to the Mini that the ‘bus driver’ phrase was born; this is because the Mini featured upright seats that were bolted into one position, and even the later Issigonis cars and the Metro of the 1980s were equipped with these.

The official launch day was 26 August 1969, the same day that the Austin 35 went out of production – the car that the Mini was essentially replacing. The Mini was even quicker to build than the A35, with engineers at the Longbridge and Cowley plants able to produce them at a rate of thirty cars per hour. But because BMC had separate dealerships for its component companies, there were variants of ADO15 available – the Austin Se7en and the Morris Mini-Minor. The initial production target was for the Longbridge and Cowley plants to hit 3,000 vehicles per week, with the Fisher and Ludlow plant producing 4,000; by this point, more than 2,000 examples of the Mini had already been shipped abroad and displayed in almost a hundred countries.

The first Mini – a Morris Mini-Minor-was launched in 1959.MAGIC CAR PICS

The Morris Mini and Austin Se7en were launched on 26 August 1959.MAGIC CAR PICS

By the early 1960s, the Mini was the UK’s most popular small car.MAGIC CAR PICS

The launch of the Mini outshined that of Ford’s new Anglia 105E, and, sadly for Ford, both cars were aimed at the same buyers. The Mini even came with a cheaper price tag than the Anglia, which cost £93 more. Adding to its success, the Mini also overtook the Morris Minor as the corporation’s bestseller in its first year of production. But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the little Mini. Leonard Lord had designed the Mini for typical customers, outgoing families looking for a spacious, practical car. Many drivers considered size to be equal to status, making the Mini look rather off-putting to its target audience, and driving them to buy the larger and, arguably, simpler Ford 100E Popular or the Austin A40. But what they didn’t realize was that the Mini was in fact a very cleverly packaged family car, and benefited from being much smoother and sharper to drive than its Ford rival.

But the Mini was far from perfect. It had a number of teething problems, which prevented sales from rocketing during the early days – though funnily enough, it is those technical glitches that make the Mini so ‘adorable’ today. When we’re out on the open road we all expect to lose oil pressure, overheat, snap a distributor or need a set of new plugs along the way. The Mini actually suffered from internal oil leaks that would often drench the clutch plates, and would often come to a spluttering halt in stormy showers due to the distributor and spark plugs being exposed to the elements at the front of the engine. Its floor-mounted starter switch also played up during showers. It is no wonder the early buyers were a little unsure, dismayed by BMC’s engineering choices behind the Mini. Nevertheless the Mini was an attractive little motor and, deep down, the British wanted to see it pass beyond its faults and live up to the expectation set by its creator – and so it did.

The Mini overtook the Morris Minor as BMC’s bestseller in its first year of production.MAGIC CAR PICS

Mini owners wanted only the best for their little cars, supported by BMC.MAGIC CAR PICS

In January 1960 the Mini Van and Mini estate cars were born, and 800 workers began working a night shift at Cowley Plant to boost Mini production. BMC announced the Morris Mini-Traveller (also released as the Austin Se7en Countryman) and the Austin Se7en Van (also released as the Morris Mini Van), with both the Countryman and Traveller featuring BMC’s signature wooden frame for decorative purposes. The Austin Countryman, Morris Traveller and Mini Van had an increased wheelbase of more than 9cm (4in) over the saloon, increasing the overall length by 22cm (10in), and double swinging doors at the rear.

Through all its faults, the Mini lived up to the expectations set by its creator.MAGIC CAR PICS

THE STORY BEHIND A BRITISH AUTOMOTIVE LANDMARK

Mini Plant Oxford is the Great British manufacturing landmark where iconic cars have been built for generations. It tells the romantic tale of the birth of many of the UK’s most successful cars. It is where William Morris designed the Morris Minor, and where thousands of engineers welded endless sheets of metal in order to build them – the production lines weren’t run by robotic machines, they were run and managed by hundreds of hardworking men and women, with plenty of elbow grease. Moving into the twenty-first century, Plant Oxford – now named Oxford MINI – is of course where the Mini was reinvented as MINI: the reincarnation of Britain’s all-time favourite car. By 2002, more than 100,000 MINIs had rolled off the production line since 2001. The Cowley Plant celebrated a century of vehicle production in 2013.

MINI celebrated a century of vehicle production at Plant Oxford in 2013.NEWSPRESS

Plant Oxford celebrates the 100,000th MINI rolling off the production line in 2002.NEWSPRESS

In January 1960, the Morris Mini Van and Austin Se7en Van were born. NEWSPRESS

BMC later launched the Morris Mini-Traveller and Austin Se7en Countryman.NEWSPRESS

The Morris Mini-Traveller and Mini Van stayed in production until 1967 and 1969.NEWSPRESS

The Traveller and Countryman models featured BMC’s signature wooden frame.MAGIC CAR PICS

Both the Traveller and Countryman were powered by the same 848cc engine.MAGIC CAR PICS

The Morris Mini Van would later become available with the 998cc engine.MAGIC CAR PICS

The Morris Mini-Traveller was the Morris-badged version of the Austin; they were both powered by the same 848cc engine as the standard Mini, and had an identical price at £623. The Morris Mini-Traveller and Mini Van stayed in production the longest; the Austin models only reached 1961, but the Traveller remained in production until 1967 – it was also launched in an all-metal version in 1962, priced at £532 – with the Mini Van lasting until 1969. The Austin and Morris Vans were much cheaper at £360, although the Morris Mini Van would later become available with the legendary 998cc engine in 1967.

Weekly production by the end of 1960 stood at 3,300 – a rather healthy figure considering that the recession had just hit the motor trade and BMC were forced to move 23,500 workers on to parttime shifts. In fact at the end of 1960, the Mini was already selling better than the Austin A35 – and was even capturing the attention of the likes of Ford. In one month in 1960 the Mini had achieved a 19 per cent market penetration. Buyers were gradually beginning to realize they could really purchase a small car that was cheap to run and easy to manoeuvre around town, while still providing enough room for four adults and a little luggage. However, in 1976 Ford eventually overtook British Leyland as Britain’s best vendor of automobiles.

In January 1961, the Morris Mini Pick-up (and the Austin Se7ven Pick-up) arrived. This was interesting timing, since the Mini’s immunity to the recession had come to an end and its production had been hit hard, with only 2,000 cars rolling off the line each week. Nonetheless, this was still significantly higher than the production of other British cars at that time, and production picked up again a month later. The Pickup utilized the same floorpan as the Austin Se7en and the Morris Mini Van, but instead featured a flat loading bay and a self-contained cabin – very much like a mini pick-up truck. There was even a dropdown tailgate fitted to the rear loading bay. Once again the Pick-up was run by the same 848cc engine, and priced at £360.

In January 1961, the Mini Pick-up arrived.NEWSPRESS

The Mini Pick-up featured a flat loading bay and drop-down tailgate.MAGIC CAR PICS