Ivan Vicario Martin
El Mini It is unanimously considered one of the most important automobiles in history. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, established the mechanical distribution that would be standard in small and compact models from that moment on, with the engine in a transverse front position. The traction was also front and, in addition, the wheels were placed at the ends to improve habitability. In this article we do not try to review the history of Mini, but we will point out that it underwent a total of seven evolutions until its discontinuation in the year 2000. By the way, Mini officially became its own brand in 1988.
During his later years, particularly in the 80s and 90s, Numerous special versions of the Mini were released. It was a way to keep a car clearly surpassed in the technical section in force. The strategy worked, because in markets like Japan, almost 40.000 units were shipped per year in the 90s. In addition, it served to attract the attention of a BMW that was acquired in 1994 by the Rover Group, whose two great attractions were Land Rover and Mini.
In fact, when in 2000 he resold the consortium to the American Ford, The Bavarian brand did not hesitate to stay Mini. In fact, the new MINI - now with capital letters - would be launched on the market at the end of that same year, so that the two models almost coincided. Along the way, there were no less than 5.387.862 units of the one known since then as Mini Classic. The last copies corresponded to box versions named as Final Editions which we talk about below.
MINI CLASSIC FINAL EDITIONS
Throughout the year 2000, the last of its commercial life, four very particular editions of the Mini were on sale, which served to close its career in style. Although BMW had the rights to the brand, it allowed Rover to put these versions on the market as a farewell to the iconic model. The models were Mini Seven, cooper, Cooper S and, only for continental Europe, the Knightsbridge.
El Mini Classic Seven It was the most affordable of all and was available in Old English White, Solar Red and Black, with the roof in the same tone. Like all Final Editions, it was equipped with a 4 cm 1.275-cylinder engine.3 with injection associated with a four-speed manual gearbox. Its power was 62 HP, thanks to which it announced a 0 to 100 km/h time of 12 seconds. Only 374 units were produced for the British market and another 180 for Europe with left-hand drive.
In the case of Mini Classic Cooper, this included elements such as the fog lights on the grill, roof and mirrors in a different color or the Minilite alloy wheels. The body colors available for this version were Solar Red, Black, British Racing Green and Tahiti Blue. They differ from previous Coopers by the color of the wheel arches and the dashboard, for example. In total, 528 copies of this version were sold in Great Britain, plus another 139 shipped in Europe.
KNIGHTSBRIDGE AND COOPER S
The Mini Classic Knightsbridge They were only available with left-hand drive, since their destination was the European markets. It is a somewhat more luxurious version, with a cream-colored leather interior and was sold with bodies in Gold, British Racing Green and Black. It was equipped with 13-inch wheels and the widened wheel arches of the Cooper S, but without fog lights on the grill. Production was limited to 684 units, some of which have been converted to right-hand drive. In fact, there was a gold example, with Japanese specifications, assembled for promotional purposes.
El Mini Classic Cooper S It was distinguished by larger wheel arches than the Cooper, 13-inch Minilites, fog lights or a better equipped cabin. Available colors were Solar Red, Anthracite, British Racing Green and Tahiti Blue, with the interior in a combination of black leather and Nickle Silver. The roof was in a different color and, like the Cooper, it featured matching decorative strips on the hood. It was the most popular version of all, with a total of 2.091 examples shipped on the islands, to which another 704 with right-hand drive were added to the mainland. The joint production of the Mini Classic Final Editions It was 5.200 cars, of which 3.493 stayed in Great Britain and 1.707 were sold in the rest of Europe.
We have left the Cooper S for last, since one of these models was the last Mini produced in history. He left the production plant on 4th October 2000, ending the career of the British icon. The car was handed over to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust later that year.
