He did this by turning the engine sideways and placing the gearbox beneath it in the oil pan, and by driving the front wheels, which were correspondingly tiny. The genius of its design, the work of the late Sir Alec Issigonis, was to squeeze the engine and transmission into 20 percent of the Mini's 10-foot overall length. Few young buyers will think, or care, about its lasting legacy. It is no longer cheap and cheerful, but it fits into the current fad for all things retro. The Mini today is regarded as too small and too compromised in space and safety to be the perfect compact family car, its original mission. The Beetle is by far the bigger seller (more than 22 million in 53 years), but the progress of time suggests that the Mini (5.3 million sold) was the more important trendsetter. Only two cars on that list are still in production in more or less the same form as when they were introduced: the Volkswagen Beetle and the British Motor Corporation Mini. The short list of 26 finalists under consideration runs the gamut from the exotic and the emotional to practical cars that sold in millions and others considered milestones of design and engineering. About the time you read this, an international jury of automotive writers and Internet voters logging on to will have selected a "Car of the Century" (the election has been organized by Car of the Century International NV and endorsed by all major auto manufacturers).
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |