From the rally legend to the MINI Cooper S. Mini winning the Monte Carlo Rally 40 years ago.

Contents: 1. Introduction. 3 2. 1964 Monte Carlo Rally: How the Mini Cooper became a legend. 4 3. A small car coming out big: Mini and the Monte Carlo Rally. 7 4. A wolf in sheeps clothing: The creation of the Mini Cooper. 10 5. The three musketeers: Fast men in their Mini Coopers. 13 6. A big star in a small car: Rauno Aaltonen all about Mini and MINI. 16 7. The Mini in Motorsport: Most important wins and racing success. 19 8. The new MINI: A more than worthy successor. 21 9. The power people: John Cooper Works. 24 10. Mike Cooper about the MINI: Hottest, coolest car in town. 25 11. A comparison of specifications: Mini Cooper S 1964 MINI Cooper S 2004. 27

It certainly was the sensation in the 1963/64 winter rally season: A small red
David with a white roof proudly showed its tailpipe to all those ultra-powerful
Goliaths, clinching overall victory in the Monte Carlo Rally. And in this big
bang, the tiny little car immediately became a legend: Originally conceived as
an inexpensive and economical means of transport, the Mini had been transformed
into the hot-blooded Mini Cooper now clearly standing out as the small mans
sports car. Wherever the Mini either in standard trim, as the Cooper version,
or in highly modified form appeared at the start of a race, it was always good
for a genuine surprise. Indeed, the Mini wrote many
a headline in the world of rally racing, just like it made times more than
difficult for the usual strong guys on race circuits the world over. The 1960s,
therefore, were the decade of the Mini, far beyond official races and
competitive events alone. For even when the Mini started to feel keen
competition on closed circuit tracks, there was still no other car in the
market able to offer the same kind of sporting performance for so little money,
providing outstanding driving pleasure within such compact dimensions.
Forty years on nothing has changed: The features which once took the
Mini Cooper to victory in that historic race to Monaco remain the basic
ingredients of the MINI Cooper today. With its compact exterior dimensions,
the new MINI Cooper simply whisks around corners, resting solidly on its wide
track and long wheelbase. Indeed, this kind of driving behaviour clearly calls
for sporting performance, the John Cooper Challenge Brand Trophy attracting an
increasing number of motorsports aficionados particularly in Britain,
the home country of the MINI. And like their fathers 40 years ago, many
aspiring talents and up-and-coming racing drivers gain their first
experience and bring home their first trophies at the wheel of a MINI.
In particular, however, every driver given the opportunity to take the wheel of
a MINI will feel right away precisely why entering the Monte Carlo Rally would
indeed be a wonderful experience. And nobody can express this feeling more
appropriately than Rauno Aaltonen, the Flying Finn: Both generations of
the Mini (or MINI !?) clearly stand out from all other cars in precisely the
same way. They are extremely agile and follow the steering immediately. Back
then the Mini was a Princess, beautiful and full of character. In the meantime
the Princess has grown up, and the new MINI has become a Queen!?