mini

The Mini, icon of the 60s, and considered one of the most important popular cars in history; voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, beaten only by the Ford Model T. The original Mini was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis for BMC, and in one form or another was made and sold from 1959 right up to 2000, when BMW took ownership of the name and rights. Subsequently the New MINI, or BMW Mini, was released in 2001. It's bigger, and heavier than the original but has been no less popular. The BMW Mini reached 1 million cars manufactured in only one month longer than it took the original Mini to reach the milestone. Sold in Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works, Clubman and Cabrio versions, the BMW Mini is extremely popular and carries on the quirks of the original with flags on the roof, British Racing Green, and of course racing stripes.