- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Collins; Revised edition edition (4 Aug 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007152752
- ISBN-13: 978-0007152759
- Product Dimensions: 25.4 x 22.8 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,418,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
More than just a car, the Mini is the most fun-filled and spectacularly successful British car ever built
- and now it's back with a new design for the 21st century. ‘The Mini: the Making of a Modern Icon' celebrates 50 momentous years of a British design classic, and looks to the future with a special section on the relaunched Mini.
‘The Mini’ tells the complete story of this most legendary of cars: the unlikely genius who designed it; the Goon who first made it popular; the Lords and Ladies, call-girls and rock stars, swingers and hippies who drove it – at the same time taking a revealing look at Britain’s last half century.
Not surprisingly, the car that set London swinging and at the same time wowed the rally driving circuit, attracted a legion of famous fans from the entertainment and motor racing worlds – and the book features numerous original photographs and interviews with people such as Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Sterling Moss, Jamie Blandford, Jeremy Clarkson, Damon Hill, Britt Ekland, Twiggy, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
But behind the glitz and glamour of the Mini as an icon was the struggle to make money and a sad decline that exemplified the British motor industry. The book examines the troubled history of the company that made it, the struggles between workers and management, and their role in the decline of the original Mini – and now the miraculous rebirth of an all-new Mini.
From the Back Cover
To many thousands of people around the world the Mini is a way of life. Since it first rolled off the production line in August 1959, the car remained essentially the same for 40 years while revolutionising the motor industry, inspiring artist, starring in films and winning numerous racing trophies. When change did eventually come with BMW’s new Mini, the style of the original car mixed with the up-to-date technology proved a winning combination that has continued to thrill Mini fans everywhere. This book is a celebration of the car in all its glory. Broken into sections dealing with Size -- why no other ‘small’ car comes close; Class -- how it was eagerly adopted by Lords and call-girls; Sex - the Swinging Sixties would have merely swayed without it; Speed -- how it ate Jags for tea; Money -- it never made any; Love -- why it won the heart of millions; Faith -- how BMW came to the rescue; and Rebirth -- how it came back to life, it is illustrated throughout using rare and classic images from the Mini’s history.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
The book is about the general history of the original Mini with the emphasis on who, what, where, when and why. The technical information contained in the book is meagre – any technical matters discussed are of a level that the layman can understand. Therefore, most definitely this is not a book for the technically oriented person; those interested in the history of the Mini from the technical perspective must look elsewhere.
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.
1 of 2 people found the following 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!!!
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