Austin 850 Pickup - 62

The Mini is a small economy car made by the British

Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959

until 2000.

The   original   is   considered   a   British   icon   of   the   1960s.   Its   space-saving   front-wheel   drive   layout   – allowing   80   percent   of   the   area   of   the   car's   floorpan   to   be   used   for   passengers   and   luggage   – influenced   a   generation   of   car   makers.   The   vehicle   is   in   some   ways   considered   the   British equivalent   of   its   German   contemporary   the   Volkswagen   Beetle,   which   enjoyed   similar   popularity in   North   America   or   the   Fiat   500.   In   1999   the   Mini   was   voted   the   second   most   influential   car   of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T. This   distinctive   two-door   car   was   designed   for   BMC   by   Sir Alec   Issigonis.   It   was   manufactured   at the    Longbridge    and    Cowley    plants    in    England,    the    Victoria    Park    /    Zetland    British    Motor Corporation   (Australia)   factory   in   Sydney,   Australia,   and   later   also   in   Spain   (Authi),   Belgium, Chile,   Italy   (Innocenti),   Malta,   Portugal,   South   Africa,   Uruguay,   Venezuela   and   Yugoslavia.   The Mini   Mark   I   had   three   major   UK   updates   –   the   Mark   II,   the   Clubman   and   the   Mark   III.   Within   these was   a   series   of   variations,   including   an   estate   car,   a   pick-up   truck,   a   van   and   the   Mini   Moke   –   a jeep-like   buggy.   The   Mini   Cooper   and   Cooper   "S"   were   sportier   versions   that   were   successful   as rally   cars,   winning   the   Monte   Carlo   Rally   four   times   from   1964   through   to   1967,   although   in   1966 the   Mini   was   disqualified   after   the   finish,   along   with   six   other   British   entrants,   which   included the   first   four   cars   to   finish,   under   a   questionable   ruling   that   the   cars   had   used   an   illegal combination of headlamps and spotlights. On   introduction   in August   1959   the   Mini   was   marketed   under   the Austin   and   Morris   names,   as   the Austin   Seven   and   Morris   Mini-Minor. The Austin   Seven   was   renamed   to Austin   Mini   in   January   1962 and   Mini   became   a   marque   in   its   own   right   in   1969.   In   1980   it   once   again   became   the Austin   Mini and in 1988 the Rover Mini.

Design and development

Designated   by   Leonard   Lord   as   project ADO15   (Amalgamated   Drawing   Office   project   number   15) and   the   product   of   the   Morris   design   team,   the   Mini   came   about   because   of   a   fuel   shortage caused   by   the   1956   Suez   Crisis.   Petrol   was   once   again   rationed   in   the   UK,   sales   of   large   cars slumped,   and   the   market   for   German   bubble   cars   boomed.   Lord,   the   somewhat   autocratic   head of   BMC,   reportedly   detested   these   cars   so   much   that   he   vowed   to   rid   the   streets   of   them   and design   a   'proper   miniature   car'.   He   laid   down   some   basic   design   requirements:   the   car   should   be contained    within    a    box    that    measured    10×4×4    feet    (3.0×1.2×1.2    m);    and    the    passenger accommodation   should   occupy   6   feet   (1.8   m)   of   the   10-foot   (3.0   m)   length;   and   the   engine,   for reasons   of   cost,   should   be   an   existing   unit.   Issigonis,   who   had   been   working   for   Alvis,   had   been recruited   back   to   BMC   in   1955   and,   with   his   skills   in   designing   small   cars,   was   a   natural   for   the task. The   team   that   designed   the   Mini   was   remarkably   small:   as   well   as   Issigonis,   there   was   Jack Daniels   (who   had   worked   with   him   on   the   Morris   Minor),   Chris   Kingham   (who   had   been   with   him at   Alvis),   two   engineering   students   and   four   draughtsmen.   Together,   by   October   1957,   they   had designed   and   built   the   original   prototype,   which   was   affectionately   named   "The   Orange   Box" because of its colour. The   ADO15   used   a   conventional   BMC   A-Series   four-cylinder,   water-cooled   engine,   but   departed from    tradition    by    mounting    it    transversely,    with    the    engine-oil-lubricated,    four-speed transmission   in   the   sump,   and   by   employing   front-wheel   drive.   Almost   all   small   front-wheel- drive   cars   developed   since   have   used   a   similar   configuration,   except   with   the   transmission usually   separately   enclosed   rather   than   using   the   engine   oil.   The   radiator   was   mounted   at   the left   side   of   the   car   so   that   the   engine-mounted   fan   could   be   retained,   but   with   reversed   pitch   so that   it   blew   air   into   the   natural   low   pressure   area   under   the   front   wing.   This   location   saved vehicle   length,   but   had   the   disadvantage   of   feeding   the   radiator   with   air   that   had   been   heated by   passing   over   the   engine.   It   also   exposed   the   entire   ignition   system   to   the   direct   ingress   of rainwater through the grille. The   suspension   system,   designed   by   Issigonis's   friend   Dr.   Alex   Moulton   at   Moulton   Developments Limited,   used   compact   rubber   cones   instead   of   conventional   springs.   This   space-saving   design also   featured   rising   progressive-rate   springing   of   the   cones,   and   provided   some   natural   damping, in   addition   to   the   normal   dampers.   Built   into   the   subframes,   the   rubber   cone   system   gave   a   raw and   bumpy   ride   accentuated   by   the   woven-webbing   seats,   but   the   rigidity   of   the   rubber   cones, together   with   the   wheels'   positioning   at   the   corners   of   the   car,   gave   the   Mini   go   kart-like handling. Initially   an   interconnected   fluid   system   was   planned,   similar   to   the   one   that   Alec   Issigonis   and Alex   Moulton   were   working   on   in   the   mid-1950s   at   Alvis.   They   had   assessed   the   mechanically interconnected   Citroën   2CV   suspension   at   that   time   (according   to   an   interview   by   Moulton   with Car   Magazine   in   the   late   1990s),[citation   needed]   which   inspired   the   design   of   the   Hydrolastic suspension   system   for   the   Mini   and   Morris/Austin   1100,   to   try   to   keep   the   benefits   of   the   2CV system   (ride   comfort,   body   levelling,   keeping   the   roadwheel   under   good   control   and   the   tyre   in contact    with    the    road),    but    with    added    roll    stiffness    that    the    2CV    lacked.    The    short development   time   of   the   car   meant   this   was   not   ready   in   time   for   the   Mini's   launch.   The   system intended   for   the   Mini   was   further   developed   and   the   hydrolastic   system   was   first   used   on   the Morris   1100,   launched   in   1962;   the   Mini   gained   the   system   later   in   1964.   Ten-inch   (254   mm) wheels   were   specified,   so   new   tyres   had   to   be   developed,   the   initial   contract   going   to   Dunlop. Issigonis went to Dunlop stating that he wanted even smaller, 8 in (203 mm) wheels (even though he   had   already   settled   on   ten-inch). An   agreement   was   made   on   the   ten-inch   size,   after   Dunlop rejected the eight-inch (203 mm) proposition. Sliding   windows   allowed   storage   pockets   in   the   hollow   doors;   reportedly   Issigonis   sized   them   to fit   a   bottle   of   Gordon's   Gin.   The   boot   lid   was   hinged   at   the   bottom   so   that   the   car   could   be driven   with   it   open   to   increase   luggage   space.   On   early   cars   the   number   plate   was   hinged   at   the top   so   that   it   could   swing   down   to   remain   visible   when   the   boot   lid   was   open.   This   feature   was later   discontinued   after   it   was   discovered   that   exhaust   gases   could   leak   into   the   cockpit   when the boot was open. The   Mini   was   designed   as   a   monocoque   shell   with   welded   seams   visible   on   the   outside   of   the   car running   down   the A   and   C   pillars,   and   between   the   body   and   the   floor   pan.   Those   that   ran   from the   base   of   the   A-pillar   to   the   wheel   well   were   described   as   'everted'   (lit.,   'turned   outward')   to provide    more    room    for    the    front    seat    occupants[citation    needed].    To    further    simplify construction, the hinges for the doors and boot lid were mounted externally. Production   models   differed   from   the   prototypes   by   the   addition   of   front   and   rear   subframes   to the   unibody   to   take   the   suspension   loads,   and   by   having   the   engine   mounted   the   other   way round,   with   the   carburettor   at   the   back   rather   than   at   the   front.   This   layout   required   an   extra gear   between   engine   and   transmission   to   reverse   the   direction   of   rotation   at   the   input   to   the transmission.   Having   the   carburettor   behind   the   engine   reduced   carburettor   icing,   but   the distributor   was   then   exposed   to   water   coming   in   through   the   grille. The   engine   size   was   reduced from   948   to   848   cc   (57.9   to   51.7   cu   in);   this,   in   conjunction   with   a   small   increase   in   the   car's width, cut the top speed from 90 to 72 mph (145 to 116 km/h). The   Mini   shape   had   become   so   well   known   that   by   the   1990s,   Rover   Group   –   the   heirs   to   BMC   – were able to register its design as a trademark in its own right.

1962

Engine 850 cc 4 cylinders Power 36 HP Lenght/width 3,35 m/1,49 m Weight 720 kg The   collections   Austin   is   within   the first    Mark    I    series,    developed    from 1959 to 1967.