Who would have thought that the British Mini car would have turned out to be one of the most popular classic cars of all time for all sorts of reasons? In August 2009 the classic mini car celebrates a half-century.
This illustrious career started with the building of the classic Mini in 1959 and continued to as recently as 2000 under the ownership of BMC. Eventually the old company was sold to BMW who went on to produce the Mini again in 2001, this time the car had been renamed the BMW Mini.
There were many updates to the basic models over the years with sportier models being added to the range from 1961 called the Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S.
It is probably these later models that made the Mini the famous car that it is today. In the 1960's it won the Monte Carlo Rally three times with a fourth win cruelly denied it by a somewhat suspicious disqualification.
Following hot on the trail was the start of an acclaimed movie and TV career. Who could ever forget the major role it played in the original film of 1969 called the 'Italian Job' starring Michael Cain. In the more recent remake of the film in 2003 with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron, the classic Mini was played by the new BMW Mini.
Another major role for the Mini was a fast paced car chase in the 2002 movie 'The Bourne Identity' where they went through four Classic Minis to make the film.
A Mini 1000 starred in the long trip across New Zealand in the film 'Goodbye Pork Pie' from 1981.
A cult British show also chose the Mini to appear in their popular comedy series. The main character Mr Bean (Rowan Atkinson) was the somewhat strange owner who used the car in numerous hilarious sketches.
It might be a small car but it has certainly experienced some big times throughout it's career. There is no less enthusiasm about the classic Mini car today than there was prior to the millennium.
If you can't resist a mini take a look at classic Mini car parts an enthusiasts treasure trove http://www.classic-carparts,co.uk/mini
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment