22 May 09
Mini United 2007
This weekend Mini celebrates its 50th birthday during a special festival at Silverstone racetrack.
The event, called Mini United, started today and runs until Sunday. A host of special events including Mini races, stunt driving and family entertainment will form the programme. The Mini owned by Beatle George Harrison will be auctioned off to raise money for charity and the highlight of the event will be a special concert by British artist Paul Weller.
It's real a tribute to a car that is quintessentially British and its longevity points to a success story that started half a century ago, courtesy of designer Sir Alec Issigonis. His little car, which started life as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor, shook the automotive world.
First Mini in Oxford
His engineering was breathtaking for the day, adopting a space-saving front-wheel-drive transverse-mounted engine and gearbox that provided unparalleled interior space for a car barely 10ft long.
The engineering genius's timing was also flawless. The Suez oil crisis erupted and it highlighted the world's growing reliance on crude and the need to be prudent with oil supplies. When the low-fuel-consuming Mini finally went on sale, the public were still cautious and sales initially got off to a slow start. That is until celebrities were seen behind the wheel.
The classless Mini became the hottest celebrity ride, far cooler than a vulgar Ferraris or old-man Jag. Anyone who was anybody owned one, and as part of our own 'mini' Mini celebration here is a selection of the most famous Mini owners.
