HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINI!

IN AUGUST 1959, the British Motor Corporation unveiled the Mini and nobody in their wildest dreams could've imagined the impact this innovative car of British engineer Alec Issigonis, would have on the world.

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Sixty-six years after the launch of this motoring classic, Mini looks back over six decades of its visionary innovation, groundbreaking design, and success it has enjoyed on the road, on the track and in rallying.

Built at the British Motor Corporation (BMC) Longbridge plant near Birmingham and Cowley plant in Oxford, the Mini was an instant success and just two years on the first Mini Cooper was unveiled with a price tag of A$1407 or $7346.91 in today's money.

March 1961 saw Minis being assembled in Australia, with local production beginning later that year and differing slightly in spec from their British counterparts, owing to the use of local components.

In 1962 the last Armstrong 500 endurance race was run at Phillip Island before moving to Bathurst and Mini 850s finished second and third in their class. By now production skyrocketed to 200,000 vehicles per year and in 1963 an even more potent Mini, The Cooper S made its debut.