Ten things you should know about Mini

Mini is pretty much a lesson in brand strength; a fact that MINI (that's new MINI, as opposed to old Mini - note the all upper case version used by BMW) has very successfully picked up and used. See, unlike with, say, a Murcielago, you don't have to be a car nut to know what a Mini is. And the brilliant thing is that, by and large, it's not because of clever advertising - it's because back in 1959 the original Mini was exactly the right product at exactly the right time. Sir Alex Issigonis's diminutive creation was just what was needed at a time when an oil crisis was seeing sales of big cars slump (how appropriate), prompting the need for maximum fuel economy but with plenty of useable space too.

Thankfully, that's not all buyers got when the radical box broke cover - it was a hoot to drive! A true engineering triumph, the Mini stayed in production until October 4th 2000, winning a place in motoring legend as one of the most seminal cars ever built. So, we've brought together a few quick facts that you can impress your mates with in the pub during a topical 'Mini is 50' conversation.

ONE: The Mini was designed on the back of an envelope

True story. Alex Issigonis was charged by British Motor Corporation (BMC) owner Leonard Lord to come up with a small car that would stop people buying "those bloody awful bubble cars" from Germany. Issigonis had already penned the Morris Minor, but designing a genuinely useable cube measuring less than 10ft x 4ft x 4ft was difficult. His first design was hastily scribbled on the back of an envelope. We'll look at what was so ingenious about it later in this list.

TWO: Brian Epstein gave a Mini to each member of The Beatles

In 1966, Beatles manager Brian Epstein figured the best way to thank his protégés for getting rich and famous (and dragging him along with them) was to throw them a set of keys each for a Mini Cooper S. Paul, John and Ringo said "thank you very much" and set about going to the Co-op and things in theirs. Not George though. Nope, George set about painting his with psychedelic decals, including giving it a lovely set of gold wheels. The car would go on to star in Magical Mystery Tour.

And MINI is paying homage to it at the MINI United festival too, presenting a brand new, similarly decorated tribute car to Harrison's widow, Olivia, at the event. The car will then be auctioned to raise funds for the Material World Charitable Foundation.

THREE: Its layout set the modern blueprint for small cars

The Mini wasn't unique in adopting a front-engined, transverse mounted layout (which means the engine was effectively turned sideways under the bonnet, to liberate more passenger space), but it is credited with popularising the concept by making it work so well. Saab had done it already with the 92 model ten years earlier, but the Mini was so small, and so well packaged, that virtually all small cars since have followed the blueprint. Issigonis placed the gearbox in the engine sump to save space too, and had his pal Alex Moulton design a space-saving rubber suspension system that would ensure the tiny Mini could - just - fit four people inside.

FOUR: The engine had to be detuned because it was too fast

Issigonis's first Mini prototypes were powered by a 948cc BMC engine, but the car was so small and light that during testing some had been clocked at well over 92mph, which bosses feared was far too fast for a cheap and cheerful city car in 1959. So, the capacity was reduced to 848cc for the production version, taking the top speed down to 72mph from a block generating 34bhp.

FIVE: The original Mini rolled on ten-inch wheels

It's a testament to how tiny the Mini actually was that the first one appeared on miniscule 10-inch wheels and tyres, developed by Dunlop, as it happens. These days, most makers would rather put their creations on bricks than have them debut at a motor show on anything less than 18s, MINI included. And speaking of the new MINI, we reckon (and you can check this if you like) you could fit an entire 1959 Mini wheel into the central speedometer of the current one. Just a thought.

SIX: Production of the original reached over 5,000,000

It's incredible to think that the Mini was still being produced in 2000, a full 41 years after its introduction, but even at the end it was still going fairly strong thanks to its classless, cult status. The Mini finally died amid the debacle surrounding the breakup of Rover - the maker responsible for manufacturing the Mini by then. BMW kept hold of the Mini name because it planned to make the new MINI, but it let Rover keep making run-out models, the very last of which was a red Mini Cooper Sport, number 5,387,862.

SEVEN: It underpinned a plethora of madcap specials

The Mini was so simple in its construction that it provided an easy base for anyone with an iota of enthusiasm to make something, well, bonkers out of it. We'll get to the bike-engined ones elsewhere in this list, but it seemed nothing was out of bounds for a Mini. Peter Sellers, for example, had his panelled in wicker by Rolls-Royce's coachbuilder, Hooper.

But most interesting was the fully re-bodied stuff. The Mini Scamp, a faux-4x4 hummer-a-like is a particular favourite of ours, as is the Domino pickup truck and the very inappropriately named Hustler, a tall-bodied 'off-roader' consisting mainly of a huge glass canopy that looked as if it would struggle to negotiate a golf fairway, let alone the rough. The Unipower is another good one because it looked like a tiny Pontiac Firebird muscle car, and ditto the Mini Marcos - perhaps the most famous re-bodied Mini - which was built between 1965 and 1970 by the famous British sports car maker.

EIGHT: Sometimes one engine isn't enough

Despite BMC thinking the original was too fast at 92mph, the Mini's lightness, handling prowess and customisability meant eager fans wanted to take it to the very limits. So, upgrades ranged from swapping the little BMC engine for a free-revving Rover K-Series unit or a Honda VTEC engine, all the way up to a Yamaha R1 superbike powerplant mounted at the back! In fact, tuning company Zcars made a Mini with two R1 engines (which you can find on YouTube), pushing out 345bhp and with a completely overhauled interior featuring carbon fibre. We'd guess it's quick enough to demolish even the Bugatti Veyron in a race, though sadly no Veyron owner has yet tried, probably for fear of serious embarrassment.

Interestingly, BMC actually made a prototype called the 'Twini', which was a four-wheel drive, twin-engined off-roader based on the Moke. Sadly, it never made production.

NINE: It wasn't officially called Mini until 1962

That's right. The word 'Mini' has become so etched into our collective psyche that it's easy to forget it was actually marketed under two names: the Austin Seven and the Morris Mini-Minor. The Mini nomenclature was first used in 1961 for the Austin version, and it wasn't until 1962 that the car became known simply as the Mini by its reams of fans.

TEN: It was sold at a loss to start with

That's not quite true, as it happens, but the Mini generated a very slim profit for BMC at the start because it was sold at 'very near cost' to keep it cheap; it was launched at £500 - about £5,500 in today's money. It was Ford who started the rumour that BMC must be losing money on every car sold, after it bought one and tore it apart to see if a Blue Oval-badged rival could be made. It couldn't, apparently, and based on the deconstruction, Ford reckoned BMC must have been losing £30 on every one it shifted. However, BMC retorted that its costs were so low that it was staying in the black, and that it made much of its profit from optional accessories - luxuries like seat belts and door mirrors.

The legacy of MINI in pictures
MINI officially celebrates its 50th birthday
Buy a MINI on Yahoo! Cars

Mark Nichol