Mini  Cooper 1961-2000

Please note: This photo is printed from the original archive image and therefore may
contain the occasional imperfection and blemish.

Mini Cooper 1961-2000

BMIHT Reference Number:

Code: A153465


When Alec Issigonis put pencil to paper to design the Mini, little did he realise that he was about to revolutionise the entire motor industry. Since its launch in 1959 his concept of transverse engine with integral gearbox driving to the front wheels has become the industry standard, thoroughly proven on family cars and – in the guise of the Mini-Cooper - in all sectors of motor sport.

‘Mini-Cooper’ is an extended verson of the popular ‘Mini-Cooper video’ specially remastered for DVD. Celebrating the ‘Car of the Century’, it explores the Cooper’s origins and pedigree through the eyes of the man who gave the car its name, John Cooper; the engineer who described himself as ‘the perspiration behind the inspiration’, Jack Daniels; the driving legend who took the first Monte Carlo victory, Paddy Hopkirk; and the two men who turned the BMC Competitions Departmentinto a professional winning machine, Marcus Chambers and Stuart Turner. Works film of secret testing sessions, which for many years was classified, reveals the secrets which earned the Mini-Cooper its giant-killing reputation, and shows experts such as Hopkirk and John Love putting the Cooper through its paces. Add in the largest collection of original BMC archive footage ever assembled on the subject and you have this remarkable DVD.
[Duration 65 minutes 50 seconds]

SPECIAL FEATURE –Six Hours at Sandown (1965)

The BMC Works team of Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Makinen, Rauno Aaltonen and John Fitzpatrick take the Mini-Cooper to Australia for the Six Hour Saloon Car Race at Sandown Park, Melbourne to compete with Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, Peugeots, the Ford Galaxy, a Morris 1100 and the Lotus Cortina whose drivers include the illustrious Jackie Stewart.
[Duration 26 minutes 50 seconds]

Total running time 1 hour 27 minutes approximately

(c) British Motor Industry Heritage Trust