An estimated 70,000 people converged on Silverstone last weekend to celebrate the official fortieth birthday of Mini. A display of 5,000 Minis created a dramatic backdrop to the weekend�s events and exhibitions of historic cars such as stunt driving, the �Weird and Wonderful� and the Best Ever Mini competition.

Highlights of the show included a parade of almost every version of the Mini ever made - 133 in total - and a Mini cavalcade parade, which closed off the show with a fireworks finale.

When the Mini was launched on August 26th 1959 it cost �496 and was powered by a transverse engine driving through the front wheels just like we see on most cars today! Issigonis� arrangement gave greater cabin space within an overall ten feet length. Sir Alec had failed his maths exams three times at Battersea Technical College. Fortunately, he wasn�t put off from pursuing a career in automotive engineering otherwise just think of the fun we�d have missed!

Issigonis� friend and colleague Alex Moulton, today better known for his bicycles, invented compact rubber cone springs that gave the small car a remarkably smooth ride.

Racing development of the Mini was soon on the cards, and in 1963 the 1071cc �S� was introduced, based on a Formula Junior racing engine. In that guise it won 22 International car rallies and is still seen in competition use, and Mr. Cooper told The Car Enthusiast that 85,000 Cooper examples have been sold since 1990. It was the first British car to win the European Rally Championship also. Quite an achievement for such a little car.

Mr. Jack Daniels reminisced about his time working as superintendent and chassis design under Sir Alec Issigonis. "I enjoyed making that car" he told The Car Enthusiast. Whilst better known as an Austin Seven, actually the work on the car was completed at Morris, modifying a Morris Minor engine and turning it sideways. Of the ten initial test cars, several had their engine mounted west/east: however, with the carburettor out front petrol icing brought the car to a halt! Hence the engine was mounted east/west, and the exhaust also came out nearest the bulkhead.

The Mini was created to beat the bubble cars that were gaining popularity in the late 1950s. It was to have been named the Austin Newmarket. Sir Leonard Lord arranged with Issigonis to have the car ready for production in two years and without any computer to aid design or manufacture, just a secret number that allowed the design team to have parts made to special order and quickly. The target was met!

Rally success came with Mini winning the Monte Carlo rally three times thanks due mainly to Irishman Paddy Hopkirk, who also was at Silverstone for the celebration. Paddy confided that he plans to spend the Millennium celebrations in Co. Kerry, Ireland - he hails from Northern Ireland.

Mini gave its name to a generic description, mini-skirt being the best known. Souped up Minis were known as �Ministrones� and driving schools using the car were �Minischules�.

In 1969 "Not many people know that!" the Mini actually outran the Fiats and Alfa Romeos through Turin in the film "The Italian Job" where its abilities upstaged Michael Caine when the gold bullion was being chased by the Carabineri. Now computer games company SCI has secured the licence to create a game based around the 1960s film that also starred Noel Coward and Benny Hill.

There are 155 Mini clubs in Great Britain, eight in Germany, one in Croatia, and 400 Mini clubs in Japan!

The new Mini, now a brand in its own right, will start production next year and goes on sale in 2001 another �space� odyssey!

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