This book narrates the history of the original Mini in terms of the events that surrounded its lifespan. This is, it describes the personality and background of its famous designer Sir Alec Issigonis, the circumstances that led to its creation, the way it was received initially by the market, the rally successes, the famous personalities that used it, how the original Mini range developed over the years and the circumstances that led to its demise in October 2000. All these are set against the political and social background that existed in the UK at the time, a fact that helps on the one hand to put the history of the original Mini in context and on the other hand to make it far more interesting.

The author’s style is witty rendering the story easy to follow and very entertaining. The way the text is written urges the reader to go on reading!

The story of the original Mini given by the book is comprehensive and accurate; there is no aspect of the life of the original Mini that is not covered. There is even a chapter on the new Mini made by BMW. There are plenty of pictures – most of them in colour – which are suitably selected and nicely captioned.

All in all, a very informative, very enjoyable and very satisfying book. Highly recommended.


Fab coffeetable book   March 2, 2004
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is a really great book. It's well-written, photos are fun and so are all the anecdotes and historic notes. The right book for mini-enthusiasts, who love both the old and the new, and would like to know more of the background. I recommend it!!!