A Mini Invasion

By Brian Douglas
Autoeditor.com

Years ago, when my automotive tastes matured from hot rods to include sports cars, I added Road & Track magazine to my must-read list. Like most enthusiasts, I enjoyed its reviews and events along with a healthy dose of irreverent wit.

One of my favorite features was the “Attack of the Cyclops,” a cartoon series that featured a horde of tiny cars with one giant headlight invading an American landscape that was populated with very big cars. A few years later, the fuel crisis of the mid-’70s was a literal reenactment of the Cyclops invasion, with small import cars leading the assault.

There are a handful of cars — the VW Beetle and Porsche 911 come to mind — whose design shapes have endured to become icons. The Mini is no exception, with its design by England’s Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959 and remaining intact for more than four decades, a record that is in little danger of being surpassed.

Though the British auto industry’s chronic lack of capital may have contributed to the Mini’s extraordinary, unchanged longevity, its practical design won the hearts and minds of buyers worldwide. Here was a car that was four feet high, four feet wide and 10 feet long that could transport four adults and their luggage in reasonable comfort.

So now here we are in 2002 with a brand new Mini Cooper that brings the same excitement to the automotive market today that its ancestor did 43 years ago. And here’s the best news — today’s Mini is better in every way than its predecessor yet has retained all of the important attributes of the original.

The new Mini has just as much design fun inside as out, with a tachometer mounted to the steering column, a huge speedometer in the center dashboard, and toggle switches for window lifts and other routine tasks. Massive bars in the doors are both stylish and reinforce a solid, safe construction philosophy.

On the road, this car is as much fun to drive as the original without requiring either a riding mechanic or a drip pan in the garage to collect oil leaks. The 1.6-liter engine is rated at a modest 115 horsepower, yet it pulls the Mini from 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 124 MPH and delivering an average fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon.

There are other small cars with similar specifications, but none that I’m aware of are as much fun to drive. An adult go-cart is a pretty good description of the Mini’s handling characteristics. And just like the best sports cars, it loves to be pushed hard around twisty roads. And when you arrive at your destination, it’s a breeze to park.

Here’s the good news: A well-equipped Mini Cooper retails for just $18,000. Here’s the bad news: The cars are pretty much sold out for their first year’s production. But if you have a little patience, those premium prices disappear rather quickly — the PT Cruiser and the New Beetle are perfect examples of this economic fact.

For those who want to add a bit more power to their Mini experience, a supercharged Cooper S model arrives this summer. It’s nice to see this much fun in a small package.