WHY ??????
I
think the question must be asked: WHY?
Why
indeed. When a prospective new buyer is faced with so many choices of small
modern cars with all the modern luxuries, technologies and refinements, why do
some still buy a car which was designed and styled some 40 odd years ago? Why
do people, myself included, fly thousands of miles to attend birthday rallies
and meetings and spend small fortunes on an obsolete vehicle? Over 5 million
have been sold in Europe alone! Can there be so many daft lunatics – millions
all over the world? Or is there something very special about this small
car………….
The mini is the only car
which is classless and timeless:
The
car was / is bought by the very rich and famous, middle class and even the poor
who could afford little else. For the man in the street, it was a case of “if it can be driven by rock & movie
stars and royalty, then why can’t I”. I read a recent article of a man who took
his mini to a specialist for all kinds of upgrades and modifications. He was told
that the expense didn’t warrant the value of the car and that he should rather
buy a Ferrari, to which he replied “Thanks but I already have three!”.
It’s
design was so far ahead of it’s time that even today, the mini does not look
out of place on the roads -unlike almost any other car made in the 50’s. It also has the capacity to keep up with the
modern traffic – Most other cars of average engine size produced in the 1950’s
are simply too big, bulky and un-aerodynamic to achieve any kind of reasonable
performance. The likes of Beetles and
Morris Minors spring to mind.
It
was a first with numerous innovations. Gearbox below the motor, sharing the
same oil, Smallest wheels of any real car, rubber suspension and of course,
front wheel drive with the first successful implementation of CV joints as we
know them today. The new “more-stable-on-the-road-than-in-the-water” beetle is more like a mini than the original
ever was.
The
ride is hard but this is what you pay for excellent roadholding and cornering –
ask any F1 driver.
The mini is sporty and fun
to drive:
The
mini’s racing history is well known. Herbie’s escapades at Monte Carlo are just
blissful romantic myths and wishful thinking on the part of beetle lovers. The
mini’s numerous 1st place wins on the other hand, is hard fact! In
its racing career it took on cars expected to be far it’s superior – and won.
The car has a character that has endeared itself to thousands of people. Nomatter where you are in the world, there will be clubs and a following for this car.
It
is the excitement of driving the car that has endeared it to me. My other car
is a golf, but this is so smooth, quiet and boring that I have to be careful
not to fall asleep while driving it! I could write a whole book on the exciting
times I’ve had with my mini.
Aftermarket spares and
support:
The
spares and parts and accessories available for the mini are second to non. You
can get anything for the car. Second hand spares is no problem. For a car
that’s been around and unchanged apart from a few cosmetics, for 40 years, and
the number produced it’s no wonder that almost every scrappy has loads of
parts. With new spares you are able to customise the car to your own liking and
taste. There is so much stuff available that you can do almost anything and
it’s great putting together a package that is totally unique from anyone else’s
car in the world.
Unfortunately,
through no fault of it’s own, the mini is doomed. Each car is built by hand as
it has been for 40 years now – not a profitable way of going about things in
todays world. Its name has also become somewhat valuable with car manufacturers
prepared to fork out billions for it, so production of the original will soon
come to a stop.
It
will still live on amongst mini lovers and in peoples hearts. It has become a
part of our history and seen a lot of mans greatest achievements like the USA
and Russian space projects, the advent of the microprocessor (computer), the
list is endless if you take past history spanning over 4 decades.
Conclusion:
The
mini was the greatest car ever built. Show me a car today that will still be
produced in 40 years time and will not have gone out of date or style. The
small compactness yet versatility of this 1950’s design is still hard to beat
even today. Yes there are loads of small cars on our road but I have yet to see
a real car as small. –By real I mean those battery operated things which can
be about the same size or smaller but are not a patch on any proper car and are
totally unpractical at this stage in history.