The original Mini is 50 years old. What do you guys and girls think of the Mini? Do you love it or loathe it? Let's hear your opinions and your ownership tales.

Love it.

The old one was a real raw go cart on the road, the new one is more creature comfort and certainly not cheap but my goodness does it handle well and is great fun to drive.

Undoubtedly a icon!

Never driven once but I would certainly class it as an icon!

Noisy, uncomfortable, cramped, and not that fast. This from a comparison with other early 70s cars. The Hillman Imp was a far better car than the M*n* back in 1962.

Yes an icon, totally redifined the small runaround. Simple design, easy to work on and apparently a hoot to drive.

Noisy, uncomfortable, cramped, and not that fast. This from a comparison with other early 70s cars. The Hillman Imp was a far better car than the M*n* back in 1962.

Totally agree, hated the one I had. Imp was much better. Also think the new ones are a bit silly - why would you want a mini the size of a Golf?

Totally agree, hated the one I had. Imp was much better. Also think the new ones are a bit silly - why would you want a mini the size of a Golf?

It's still a lot smaller than the MK IV/V/VI golfs and also it can corner

Noisy, uncomfortable, cramped, and not that fast. This from a comparison with other early 70s cars. The Hillman Imp was a far better car than the M*n* back in 1962.

Yea but didn't the Imp feature a pneumatic throttle that was prone to jamming open, an engine that blew up virtually as soon as you had driven it away and was made by Scots commies (nothing against the Scot by the way) who had no experience in car building?

Loved the original, but the new one... Is it just me, or is there something kinda wrong about a modern remake of a British icon, admittedly British made, that is actually a German car?

Nothing against the Germans, but the fact is the Mini trades on a certain amount of "British nostalgia" :confused:

Noisy, uncomfortable, cramped, and not that fast. This from a comparison with other early 70s cars. The Hillman Imp was a far better car than the M*n* back in 1962.

My 1275GT was fast. Spent months rebuilding it but smashed it up after 4 days on the road.

Great while it lasted!!

Yea but didn't the Imp feature a pneumatic throttle that was prone to jamming open, an engine that blew up virtually as soon as you had driven it away and was made by Scots commies (nothing against the Scot by the way) who had no experience in car building?

All of which (except the untrue slur about the political affiliations of the workforce; contrast that with Longbridge where several of the shop stewards were openly members of the British Communist party [source being a Longbridge employee]) can be blamed on Roote's group English designers, production engineers, and engine assembly men.

My 1275GT was fast. Spent months rebuilding it but smashed it up after 4 days on the road.

Great while it lasted!!

A 998cc Stiletto would match it; what were the extra 277cc doing?

All of which (except the untrue slur about the political affiliations of the workforce; contrast that with Longbridge where several of the shop stewards were openly members of the British Communist party [source being a Longbridge employee]) can be blamed on Roote's group English designers, production engineers, and engine assembly men.

Not having a go at the Scots and yes that little engine was a screaming little gem when it worked.I'd prefer the little Sunbeam over a Cooper because of the engine. However this was a good car destroyed by appalling quality standards. Both the designers and builders made a mess IMHO.

A 998cc Stiletto would match it; what were the extra 277cc doing?

Stopping the engine from exploding like the Imp's:rofl:

Stopping the engine from exploding like the Imp's:rofl:

I was thinking they were being strangled by the 5-port head, and the stupidly narrow gap between head and firewall.

My first car was a 21 year old 998cc Mini City-e, White body, black roof with black alloys. I had cobra bucket seats, custom made dash, oodles of chrome. I loved it, it was an awesome car!

Everything possible went wrong with it, but it was so much fun! I would have another one tomorrow (as a second car ofc) Most certainly an icon!

Defiantly an Icon.

In the 40 odd years it was being produced it did not change much. How many people had a mini as there first car? I didn't have a mini but had a 1981 998cc miniMetro as my first. I nearly bought a BINI (BMW Mini) but did not like the lack of space, especially bootspace, so I got my vRS instead.

I was thinking they were being strangled by the 5-port head, and the stupidly narrow gap between head and firewall.

No the Siamese head is not ideal but in 1275 cc form you have a torquey little engine with an nice exhaust note. If you look after an A Series you have a rugged little engine. I am afraid that though the Imp's motor is a superior design by a long way (related to a Coventry Climax I believe), it was so poorly mad that I'd worry about reliability. No doubt modern rebuilders can get rid of some of the inherent problems though:confused:

I've been trying to think of cars I liked even less than the mini, so far only thought of a Simca van

Yes definately an icon for the small car, in the same way as the Golf GTi is the icon for the sports hatch.

My dad had a Simca 1100 as a loan car once (benefit of being an assistant bank manager and having a mate who was a honest used car dealer; he got loan cars when looking). Ok, the cam chain, tappetty, and alloy head weren't great, but at least they were comfortable and roomy.