So what is the appeal of these cars? They are basically golf carts with windows and doors.

Their power and fuel mileage numbers are rather poor given their little bitty size as well.

1400 - 2800#, 60 - 120 HP, 24 - 38 MPG, Price $19K - $36K.

I drove a Mini around Ireland in the mid-70s. Despite the low horsepower, it was a lot of fun to drive. It shifted smoothly (manual of course), handled twisty roads well, and even climbed the mountains with little effort. And it easily carried my wife and I plus our luggage. I haven't tried a 'Mini Cooper', so I have no opinion on them.

I am not sure where you derived your stats? The curb weight of the various Mini Mk1 models was between 1360-1512lbs. With 8 popular engine options ranging from 848 to 1098cc, although a 1275cc version was produced in very limited numbers. 24-36mpg doesn't sound good by today's standards but in 1960 it represented state of the art for that sized engine and was achieved by having a very high power:weight ratio. I do not know selling prices in the US but based on UK prices it should have been nearer $2k than $20k. It was only on sale from 1960 to 1967 in the US because the American protectionist car lobby convinced congress to beef up safety standards that the mini (without the room for crumple zones) could not meet. Approximately 10,000 cars were sold into the US during that period so given the size of the market it was not a good seller. Claims as the first small car are obviously rubbish as Fiat(500 range), Citroen(2CV), and VW(Beetle) were all competing for the same market, but it did set a standard followed by most of the other car manufacturers, with the exception of the US makers. They sat back behind their protectionist barriers and did not innovate, with results that American taxpayers are still complaining about.

Do not confuse the current BMW offering by the same name with the original mini. They are as different as chalk and cheese.

You would have to drive an early Mini to appreciate its many virtues. A lot more internal room than at first appears, excellent & responsive handling/road-holding (the Cooper S model beat far bigger cars in the very grueling Monte Carlo Rally to 1st position in the 60's), very nimble, easy to park, great fun to drive. They were the first cars to have a transverse engine and combined gearbox, leaving more room in the cabin.

I owned an early 850 cc version, which was rather gutless, but which I drove from UK to Spain - non-stop, then a Cooper 998 version, which was a big improvement. In the 1960's they were a revelation.

I think the writer has their facts wrong. I owned an "Austin 7" in the nineteen fifties, and that was 20 years old then!

I'm not positive of the starting date for the name, but believed the Austin 7 started in about 1922 and was made until 1939 - There was an Austin big 7 and an Austin "Ruby" in about 1935 - while after 1939 production made way for war issues.

They were very attractive looking, for their time, easy to work on, so the "modders" liked them, and, you could buy a really smart done-up one (like new) for less than £100.!

What always amazed me was the size of the engine - not much bigger than a large rectangular cake tin! The price was.. the speed. 40 was "FAST" (and you took your life in your hands with the brakes and the steering, thinking it may fall apart any moment!)

It would take about 3 hours to travel 70 miles (carefully, - these were country lanes) to complete a journey today which could be done in less than one.

Wish I had kept all the cars from this, my "young" life. Just jack-em up onto blocks, run the engine for 5 minutes once a week to keep them oiled and charged; they would now be worth a fortune. Ah well, Happy days.

jt.

I would just like to say a big thank you, to all those wonderful young people who
stand on motorway slip roads (and in all weathers!) holding up boards telling us
motorists where that road goes to; Thank you.

Bought a secondhand Austin Cooper in 1962 but traded it in for a new Morris Cooper after the wiring loom burnt out. Only downside was that I had no choice of colour, ending up with a grey body with white roof. However, after shipping it out to RSA in 1965 the white roof was a boon under the sun. Coming back to Salisbury from Blantyre the whole rear exhaust fell off (victim of the corrugated roads in Mocambique) just as I was approaching Tete on the Zambezi. Amazingly the first sign I saw after this was for a BMC garage which fixed the problem while I awaited the ferry. (Pic. is at the Tropic sign in the Transvaal). Another problem I had was when the short hose connecting the head to the block ruptured just as I was on my way to my first sales interview. I finally sold it to a local (who couldn't handle the power) and it ended in the bush unpaid for.