JOHN COOPER HONORED WITH COMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE) MEDAL

England recognizes Cooper's contributions to the motor industry

Warwick, England, April, 12, 2000...John Cooper, the distinguished Grand Prix
race-car constructor and father of the Mini Cooper, has been presented with the
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) medal for services to the
motor industry.

Cooper, (76) was a leading race car constructor in the 1960s and his team
produced many race-winning cars driven by greats such as Jack Brabham, Jackie
Stewart and Bruce McLaren. Stewart won the Formula 3 World Championship in a
John Cooper car powered by the Mini's 'A' Series engine while Brabham won the
Formula 1 World Championship in 1959 and 1960 in a Cooper car.

John Cooper was one of the first to recognize the racing potential of the Mini,
taking his ideas to a skeptical Alec Issigonis in 1960. Once convinced of
Cooper's ideas, the development of the first Mini Cooper began, resulting in
the launch of the car in 1961. In 1963 the even more potent Mini Cooper 'S'
was launched, putting Mini firmly into competition racing and forming the
backbone of a strong works team. The high point for Mini Cooper racing was the
three Monte Carlo Rally wins of 1964, 1965 and 1967 (in 1966, a Mini Cooper
again came in first, but was disqualified for having non-standard headlamps).

Speaking after his investiture, John Cooper said; "I am very honored to be
given this award for something I have thoroughly enjoyed doing every day of my
working life. Her Majesty the Queen is clearly a motorsport fan as she
commented on our successes with the Mini Cooper. I am indebted to the hard
work of my teams throughout the years and will treasure this honor."

The Mini Cooper and Cooper S were most popular among the limited number of
Minis imported into the U.S. from 1960 until 1967. It is John Cooper's
handicraft in the form of these two models that now draws the most attention in
American Mini enthusiast and collectors circles today.