PressClub United Kingdom · Article.
Happy birthday, MINI! 66 years of driving pleasure, style and individuality.
Wed Aug 27 12:00:00 CEST 2025 Press Release
66 years of MINI – over six decades of go-kart feeling, innovation and unique design. It was in Great Britain that the success story of an original began in 1959 with the Classic Mini, which still conquers the roads and makes hearts beat faster today.
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Helen Wilson
BMW Group
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Silas Thelen
BMW Group
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Note: This press release is a 1:1 copy of the original issued
by BMW headquarters in Germany. No adaptions have been made to cater
to the UK market.
Munich. On 26 August 1959, the British Motor
Corporation unveiled the first Mini: no one could have guessed at the
time what an impact the innovative concept of brilliant British
engineer Alec Issigonis would have on the automotive world. Sixty-six
years after the launch of the now legendary Classic Mini, the MINI
brand looks back on decades of racing success, visionary innovation,
groundbreaking design – and unmistakable driving pleasure.
The MINI family combines tradition and
modernity.
With the relaunch of the MINI family over the
past two years, the brand has once again aligned its pioneering design
and historical heritage with the future: with a new, charismatic
generation of the MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman, the world premiere
of the MINI Aceman, the first crossover model for the premium segment,
and the launch of the new MINI Convertible, MINI combines tradition
and innovation in the present.
The New John Cooper Works models illustrate MINI's racing
expertise and with a spectacular second place in its class at the
24-hour race at the Nürburgring, MINI recently demonstrated how much
motorsport is in the brand's DNA.
On its 66th birthday, MINI can look back on a growing range of
electrified variants within the MINI family. MINI has shown, that
go-kart feeling is also possible with fully electric vehicles.
66 years of vibrant automotive history – a look back at the
milestones of MINI:
26 August 1959 | The British Motor Corporation unveils the first Mini in history. The design is the brainchild of British engineer Alec Issigonis. |
1961 | The first Mini Cooper is unveiled – at a price of £680. |
1962 | Shortly after the Mini went into production, the British Motor Corporation was manufacturing 200,000 vehicles per year. |
1963-64 | The first Mini Cooper S is unveiled. |
1964 | Racing driver Paddy Hopkirk wins the Monte Carlo Rally in spectacular fashion in a Mini Cooper S. |
1965 | Second consecutive victory at the Monte Carlo Rally for Mini with racing driver Timo Makinen at the wheel. |
| Mini celebrates one million vehicles produced. |
| The first automatic transmission in the Mini is available. |
1967 | Mini wins the Monte Carlo Rally for the third time. |
1972 | Mini celebrates three million vehicles produced. |
1981 | Drop in production figures to 70,000 vehicles per year. |
1990 | Under the leadership of the Rover brand, Mini presents a new generation of the Mini Cooper. Initially as a limited edition – later as a series model. |
1992 | For the first time, the Mini is also available as a convertible. |
1994 | The BMW Group acquires Rover – and with it, Mini. The acquisition lays the foundation for the MINI brand in its current form. |
2001 | World premiere of the BMW Group's first MINI. |
| Start of MINI production at the Oxford plant (UK). |
| The new generation of the MINI Cooper S is presented at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. |
2002 | MINI reaches the milestone of 100,000 vehicles produced at its Oxford plant. |
2004 | The MINI Cooper S Convertible is unveiled. |
2007 | The MINI One and MINI Cooper D are unveiled. |
| The first MINI Clubman celebrates its world premiere. |
2010 | The first MINI Countryman is unveiled. |
2014 | MINI presents the Cooper as a 5-door model for the first time. |
2015 | MINI presents a new brand logo. |
2016 | MINI reaches the milestone of 3,000,000 vehicles produced at its Oxford plant. |
2020 | Production of fully electric series vehicles begins at the Oxford plant with the MINI Cooper SE. |
2021 | New edition of the MINI 3-door, 5-door and MINI Convertible. |
2023 | The dawn of a new era with the new MINI: introducing a new generation of the MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman – both available as fully electric models. |
2024 | With the MINI Aceman, the brand is introducing a completely new model – the first crossover model in the premium segment of the small car class. |
2024 | MINI John Cooper Works and Bulldog Racing celebrate class victory at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. |
2024 | Presentation of the new MINI Cooper 5-door and the new MINI Convertible. |
2025 | MINI John Cooper Works and Bulldog Racing celebrate second place in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. |
Ends
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW
Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of
automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial
services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30
production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2024, the BMW Group sold over 2.45 million passenger vehicles
and more than 210,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in
the financial year 2024 was € 11.0 billion on revenues amounting to €
142.4 billion. As of 31 December 2024, the BMW Group had a workforce
of 159,104 employees.
The economic success of the BMW Group has always been based on
long-term thinking and responsible action. Sustainability is a key
element of the BMW Group’s corporate strategy and covers all products
from the supply chain and production to the end of their useful life.
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MINI Press Office Contacts:
Sam Buckingham
MINI Press Officer
Tel:
07815 362262
Email: Samuel.Buckingham@mini.co.uk
Helen Wilson
MINI Media Relations Manager
Tel: 07815
372480
Email: Helen.Wilson@mini.co.uk
Christina Burnham-Hepe
Corporate Communications
Director
Tel: 07815 371206
Email: Christina.Burnham-Hepe@bmw.co.uk
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