06 Oct 06
You're not supposed to mess with an icon. But after extracting itself from Rover, BMW was left clutching the Mini name and decided to do something with it. Since 1997, we'd been shown design studies offering a clumsy pastiche of the original. And when the news came that the engine would be made by Chrysler, it sounded bad. But this was BMW. When the covers finally came off in April 2001, the retro styling and exquisite detailing muted the critics, and the scalpel-sharp handling silenced them for good. The long wheelbase stuck a wheel at each corner and the steering rack was phenomenally quick with just 2.5 turn from lock to lock. Sold through boutique showrooms adjacent to BMW dealers, buyers felt better about paying more for this pricey small car (well, pricey once crucial spec had been added). And finally, to keep buyers loyal and used prices firm, a clever fixed-price servicing package was offered. The Mini became THE new and used car phenomenon.
