The ideas that shaped the MINI and remain fully relevant today

Although when we talk about a car that makes history, we all tend to think of a luxury supercar, the reality is that the ones that have marked a before and after in the automotive world have been small cars that have become benchmarks over the years. The cars considered important are those that have been present all over the world, in the garages of many drivers.

If in Spain the one that set the standard was the 600, in Germany that place was occupied by the Beetle, and in the United Kingdom the top spot belongs to the MINI. What sets the latter apart from the rest is that, to this day, it remains a benchmark for the popular city car, not only in its country of origin but in almost the entire world.

The secret of its success is that it is a small car with great performance that has been able to adapt to every era. Let us review some of the small ideas that have shaped a great car. To begin with, it has always been said that the MINI’s design was born where all good ideas are born: on a paper napkin.

Indeed, it is known that the designer Alec Issigonis made the first conceptual sketch on a bar napkin. It then went to the desk of engineer Jack Daniels, who gave shape to that original idea. The napkin showed not only the design but also a series of notes on how the car should be, including its compact size, which had to allow it to fit into a box of just over 3 x 1.2 x 1.2 metres.

In just over three metres there had to be room for four people and their luggage. To achieve this, the wheels were placed as close as possible to the ends of the car, with the engine and the rest of the components occupying as little space as possible, so that 80% of the space is devoted to passengers.

The suspension, matched to the size of the car, and the ten-inch wheels, when fifteen inches was the norm, helped to free up even more interior space. The space left for the engine was 18 centimetres, so the engineers had to think about how to fit it so that it would fit and deliver the best possible performance.

They did it transversely, placing the gearbox beneath the sump. This configuration worked well and is still used today in small front-wheel-drive cars. Space is vital in the MINI, and even the extras offered at the beginning were designed to enhance it. The picnic baskets that were available took up very little room and were located in the free space under the seats.

The boot lid was designed so that it was easier to access the entire boot space, and side doors were also designed to allow better access to the interior of the car. All these innovations made possible the arrival of a car that continues to be the king of small city cars, and the evolution of technology has allowed all of them to be improved and new ones to emerge.