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| Mini Cooper and Cooper S –
1961–2000 |
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| The great Cooper phenomenon started in
1962 with the introduction of the 997 MK1 Mini Cooper. Below are
some stats which will give you an idea of the Mini Cooper time
line. |
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Issigonis' friend John Cooper, owner of the
Cooper Car Company, designer and builder of Formula 1 and rally
cars, saw the potential of the Mini for competition. Issigonis
was initially reluctant to see the Mini in the role of a
performance car - but after John Cooper appealed to BMC
management, the two men collaborated to create the Mini Cooper,
a nimble, economical and inexpensive car. The Austin Mini Cooper
and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in 1961.
The original 848 cc engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was
increased to 997 cc, boosting power from 34 bhp to 55 bhp (25 to
41 kW). The car featured a racing-tuned engine, twin SU
carburettors, a closer-ratio gearbox and front disc brakes,
uncommon at the time in a small car. One thousand units of this
version were commissioned by management, intended for and
designed to meet the homologation rules of Group 2 rally racing.
The 997 cc engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998 cc unit
in 1964.
A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in
tandem and released in 1963. Featuring a 1071 cc engine and
larger servo-assisted disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper S cars were
produced and sold until the model was updated in August 1964.
Cooper also produced two models specifically for circuit racing,
rated at 970 cc and a 1275 cc, both of which were also offered
to the public. The smaller-engine model was not well received,
and only 963 had been built when the model was discontinued in
1965. The 1275 cc Cooper S models continued in production till
1971.
Sales of the Mini Cooper were as follows: 64,000 Mk I Coopers
with 997 or 998 cc engines; 19,000 Mk I Cooper S with 970, 1071
or 1275 cc engines; 16,000 Mk II Coopers with 998 cc engines;
6,300 Mk II Cooper S with 1275 cc engines. There were no Mk III
Coopers and just 1,570 Mk III Cooper S's.
The Mini Cooper S earned acclaim with Monte Carlo Rally
victories in 1964, 1965, and 1967. Minis were initially placed
first, second and third in the 1966 rally as well, but were
disqualified after a controversial decision by the French
judges. The disqualification related to the use of a variable
resistance headlamp dimming circuit in place of a dual-filament
lamp. It should be noted that the Citroën DS that was eventually
awarded first place had illegal white headlamps but escaped
disqualification. The driver of the Citroën, Pauli Toivonen, was
reluctant to accept the trophy and vowed that he would never
race for Citroën again. BMC probably received more publicity
from the disqualification than they would have gained from a
victory - but had the Mini not been disqualified, it would have
been the only car in history to be placed in the top three on
the Monte Carlo for six consecutive years.
In 1971 the Mini Cooper design was licensed in Italy by
Innocenti and in 1973 to Spain by Authi (Automoviles de Turismo
Hispano-Ingleses), which began to produce the Innocenti Mini
Cooper 1300 and the Authi Mini Cooper 1300, respectively.
A new Mini Cooper named the RSP (Rover Special Products) was
briefly relaunched in 1990 to 1991, with slightly lower
performance than the 1960s Cooper. It proved so popular that the
new Cooper-marked Mini went into full production in late 1991.
From 1992 Coopers were fitted with a fuel-injected version of
the 1275 cc engine, and in 1997 a multi-point fuel injected
engine was introduced, along with a front-mounted radiator and
various safety improvements. |
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Monte Carlo Rally Results for Mini.
| Year |
Driver |
Co-Driver |
Result |
| 1962 |
Pat Moss |
Ann Wisdom |
Ladies' Award |
| 1963 |
Rauno Aaltonen |
Tony Ambrose |
3rd Place |
| 1964 |
Paddy Hopkirk |
Henry Liddon |
Winner |
| Timo Mäkinen |
Patrick Vanson |
4th Place |
| 1965 |
Timo Mäkinen |
Paul Easter |
Winner |
| 1966 |
Timo Mäkinen |
Paul Easter |
(disqualified) |
| Rauno Aaltonen |
Tony Ambrose |
(disqualified) |
| Paddy Hopkirk |
Henry Liddon |
(disqualified) |
| 1967 |
Rauno Aaltonen |
Henry Liddon |
Winner |
| 1968 |
Rauno Aaltonen |
Henry Liddon |
3rd Place |
| Tony Fall |
Mike Wood |
4th Place |
| Paddy Hopkirk |
Ron Crellin |
5th Place |
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| Did
You Know? |
| 1966 - All Coopers where disqualified from The Monte.
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| Cooper
Engines |
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997
cc |
998
cc |
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970
cc |
1071 cc |
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1275
cc |
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Pic |
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