This is one of the best examples of a car that was way ahead of its time, but still became a major hit in many countries. I am told that the Mini 1000, of which there must still be thousands all over Europe in particular, had the distinction of apparently never making a profit through out its very long period of manufacture! I believe that the original manufacturer, BMC (The British Motor Company) got their figures wrong and it stayed unprofitable thereafter, but that seems to be unlikely.
If you look at the original series of Minis, they are tiny. Even beside the new Mini produced by BMW, they look small. Surprisingly, you may find it hard to believe, but
I could drive one quite comfortably – and I’m six foot two!. There was enough leg-room to travel long distances (easily a couple of hundred miles) without discomfort. Clearly, though, the passage of time has shown that there were shortcomings to this car.
Mileage – good. You could get a good mileage per gallon out of this car, sometimes over 40 mpg.
Parking – great! It fits into spaces that you’d need an expensive Smart car to compete with.
Speed – it would be comfortable up to around 70 mph, but beyond that was pushing things and it would become very noisy (not too good for the engine either)!
Comfort – see above.
Capacity – surprisingly good for such a small car. I have fitted two ...
