I was walking back to my studio a few days (sorry, last summer) ago and came upon this rather fortuitous pairing. New Minis are rather common in Eugene; seeing an original, however, not so much. I loved the juxtaposition, and had to pull out my semi-smart phone and take some shots.
The perspective on my shots doesn’t really show just how mini the old Minis were. Not that the new car is particularly big, but by comparison it seems rather normal. Note the lifted Subaru Paul has posted before. The old Mini tires looked to me like temp donuts.
I’m just now noticing the sunroof; seems optimistic for a British car. Or one in Eugene.
That’s about all I can think to add about the Minis but, true to Eugene, I couldn’t help but snap a few more interesting shots. Both of these next cars have been on CC before, but hey.
Quite the swinger. This was once Paul’s alter-ego van.
Speaking of art-cars:
This Death Taurus is a fixture around the Whit, and seems to be in a constant state of flux.
I put my phone away and continued a long walk, the dying sun indicating I would not likely find any more compelling shots, until I passed this scene and couldn’t resist a snap:
I’m impressed that the rear end of that Taurus isn’t squatting much.
Still a cute little thing, that old Mini. Seems like more of a 1½-box than a 2-box design.
Raccoons are a successful N. American export: they are said to have become something of a nuisance in parts of Germany, after they were introduced (some by accident) before & during the War. I like their name for it: Waschbär, literally “washing-bear.”
Japan has both introduced raccoons & the native tanuki, which looks like a raccoon but is more like a dog.
Funny is that a synonym for a car wash is a “wasbeer” (“washing-bear”).
Here’s a car wash that even uses it as the company name, with the raccoon (wasbeer) in its logo.
Wiki says many cultures name the raccoon this way. However, I doubt you’d ever see an American business with a name like that, for here the raccoon is known either for its petty banditry, or as prey for Southerners with their hounds.
The coati is its S. American cousin.
The shots with the two Minis rivals Paul’s famous shot of the two red VWs, with the Rabbit in front and the Beetle in the background. Another great before and after, and in red again, only with the old car in front this time.
I recently saw a Mk 1 Rabbit/Golf on the highway and it really surprised me how much smaller they were than the current generation of Golfs.
I think the current Volkswagen Polo (see below) is about the size of a Golf Mk1. Still not the smallest Volkswagen these days, that’s their Up!-mini.
Up!, Polo and Golf are all hatchbacks.
Strong CC effect. I had a ’75 Rabbit identical red color, and ’63 Beetle like in the background. Except Beetle was blue. These may not be the exact years, but they are very close.
If the stats on Wikipedia are trusted, compared to its predecessor the new Mini is roughly 23″ longer, 10″ wider, 3″ taller and has an extra 17″ of wheelbase.
The BMW-built Minis are small (comparable to a Fiesta or a Mazda 2), but there’s nothing particularly mini about them.
It looks like that is a generation behind; the current Mini for sale is 30″ longer and 13″ wider, but has a similar height and wheelbase difference. These photos really give one a good idea how much the current Mini has grown from the original to the current generation:
Click for 3/4 view
Click for rear view
I hadn’t realized the “new” MINI was significantly bigger than the “old” MINI. A gradual upsizing hidden by very similar styling. How much bigger the MINI is than the Mini is pretty well known, I thought.
What’s the left middle black car? Facelift first-gen? Or have there been three while I wasn’t looking?
There indeed have been three “new” Mini generations: 2001-2007, 2008-2013, and 2014-today.
How many more generations, I wonder, before the last bit of resemblance to the original vanishes? Rather like Buicks maintaining portholes long after everything else was altered.
I’ve read that BMW and Toyota may work on a new entry-level Mini Minor. Much smaller than the current Mini.
Is that based off an Aygo, I wonder? A proper sized Mini would be good. Perhaps then the existing model could be rechristened… not Maxi, that’s too obvious. A40 Somerset?
It certainly could be based on the Aygo platform. The Toyota Aygo is way, way smaller than BMW’s Mini.
Yet it is a practical and cheap little 5 door hatchback. Cars that young folks like, or can be used as a second car. A real mini.
Poor old Mini looks more and more overblown with each generation. How much longer can they pump it up before it goes “BANG!”?
CC Effect….. I saw an original Mini on Monday evening. I had two thoughts when I saw it: I had forgotten just how small they were, especially the wheels. My second thought was I had no idea they were painted anything but red or maybe black. This one was a faded medium green, which accentuated it’s tiny size.
A Mini with Minilites is ‘just right!’
Good to see the picture of the real older Mini.Every time I see one, I can`t help but think of the “Italian Job”and what is , IMHO one of the best car chases ever filmed. The remake and the newer Mini just doesn`t do anything for me.
Few remakes improve on the original.I don’t think anyone preferred Nicholas Cage’s Wickerman to the original
Call me old-school, but IMHO, I prefer the earlier Mini in the foreground of the first picture over the newer Mini. I also like the early 1970s Ford van.
The new Mini is almost twice the weight of the original too. The old one here looks to be a 1980s model at least (I might say newer but for the 25 year import restriction), UK readers will be more familiar as our Minis stopped with BL about 1980. It has 12″ wheels over the original 10″ too.
If it’s not a post ’91 Cooper, it’s a very good replica, down to the John Cooper autographs on the bonnet stripes. The seats, the wheels, the side repeater all say 90s.
At some point the car we know as Mini will have to be re-dubbed Maxi. I also find some of the body styles of the outgoing model of Mini to be annoying and/or silly. Supposedly, the just introduced model will stick with more mainstream body styles.
When I was a kid (in the 60s) I thought the Mini was so cool….now it’s just different. In the 80s I bought a Ford Fiesta which I felt was the Mini’s (spiritual) successor. I want a brand new Fiesta more than a brand new Mini.
BTW, I am near retirement age but for some reason I want to own a Taurus that’s painted like that Battle Cruiser…just not with the turrets and guns.
The coupe with the “backwards ball cap” roofline was rather absurd; I presume that one will not be offered?
As a car, I actually like the 4-door Countryman. However, I think it is WAY too big to wear the MINI name…if Issigonis was already spinning in his grave from the “new” MINI, the Countryman must have him doing backflips. Maybe it’s time to re-introduce Austin or Morris in this country?
My wife was interested in a MINI Countryman. Or just any MINI, really. I think she’s having some sort of mid life crisis, actually.
FWIW, if we’re talking tiny cars, then I have to go for the Fiat 500, as I feel it’s closer to a real mini car (or supermini) as we can get in the US. I showed her a Fiat 500L, which was much roomier than a Countryman, but no AWD.
However, I’m no fan of AWD, as I’ve gotten around just fine in the last 25 years with FWD cars and decent tires. Most of those 25 years I’ve lived in the snow belt (Hello, Great Lakes!), and if I can’t get out of the driveway, then I really shouldn’t be on the roads.
I’m getting older, and while I still want something that handles and is a joy on curves while being small enough to easily find a parking spot in Portland, I want something with both a better ride and quieter on the road than a MaxiMini.
I found such a critter a few years ago space for four in comfort 40+ mpg in town plenty of performance performance and handling a Mini Cooper S can only dream of thanks to Citroen.
the taurus is quite the ride. love someone that adventurous but glad it’s not my daily driver.
the ‘coon is so busted.
I should have called it the “Death STaurus”.
The BMW mini can only get as small as the donor powertrain will let it and since PSA dont do gearbox in sump like BMC its always going to be wider which allows extra length for stylistic purposes, the original BMC Mini was tiny rather than small there are still hundreds on the road here and I pass a place that does Mini rescue and restoration several times a day
Kiwibryce:
The just released version of the Mini uses only BMW sourced/designed engines, 3 and 4 cylinder engines are offered.
If car makers can find a way to “ditch” the power steering pump and switch to electric motors placed either on the steering rack or steering column, I would think they could make narrow cars . But a big stumbling block, at least in the U.S. is the IIHS which keeps coming up with new types of crashes it wants car makers to protect against.
Maybe so but it didnt get any smaller by using some BMW parts did it
Many newer cars, including the Fit and Fiesta, have electric power steering. That does save a little space and weight. The next step would be to figure out how to ditch the freon-cycle a/c hardware.
Of course, the original Mini, 500 or VW had no ps or ac available. Problem solved. Expected comforts, not just safety, have added bulk and weight. Power window lifts are another, standard on 99% sold in the US at least.
Though I’m only 6 feet tall, I could never fit in an original mini. My extra torso length prevented my head from fitting upright. Unfortunately, I just don’t see the same frugal charm in the latest Mini.
I must be a funny shape. I’m 6’2″ and when I drive my wife’s 1981 mini, I don’t even bother adjusting the seat right back.
Because of crash requirements, nothing can ever be nearly as small and light as the original Mini or Fiat 500. The Fiat in particular was amazingly clown car teeny. I’m not complaining. I’d rather be alive and/or not severely maimed in some accident.
The current Fiat 500 is a lot shorter than the Mini, and makes up for it by being taller. Not so darty and tossable as the Mini, but if you are looking for city parkability it’s definitely the way to go.
The Smart Car is definitely shorter than an original mini, so I think that proves that a really small car can pass US crash standards. The ‘bigger’ question is: will anyone buy a car the size of the original Mini.
True – but try driving a Smart with four inside!
That can be done, provided you drive the (new) Smart ForFour.
Some doofus in a Subaru pulled out in front of my wife on Thursday. It’s her daily driver, and I must admit to having a few qualms about safety. However, it soaked up a nasty bump well enough, and she was completely unharmed.
Mini looks a bit sad, but should be repairable. All insured.
A rare “Tahiti” model I spotted a few years ago