BMC Austin Mini saloon.
Sporting a June 1963 tax disc is this smart Mk1 Austin Mini, or Austin Seven as the really early Minis were badged. I'm guessing that this is a deluxe Mini, judging by the wheel trims and bumper overriders. Also fitted is a pair of mirrors and a curvy roof rack, clamped to the Mini's roof. In the background is another Issigonis creation, in the shape of a Series 2 splitscreen Minor. Unlike this other Mk1 Mini, which shows evidence of being souped up, the car shown above seems to be in otherwise standard condition.
When it hit the market in 1959, the all-new BMC Mini re-wrote the small car rulebook, in the UK at least. Gone was the rear wheel drive, leaf sprung suspension, longitudinal engine positioning and dated styling of the A30 and A35, and in was a radical mechanical package housed within a tiny, 10ft long, bodyshell. The only link to the earlier cars was the A series engine, but this time mounted crossways on top of the gearbox, unlike the fore & aft layout of the A35 (and still used in the contemporary A40 Farina which debuted in 1958). Front wheel drive featured too, helping to maximise the interior space that was available to the driver and upto 3 passengers. The first Minis had an engine of 848cc, sharing bore dimensions with the A35 but employing a shorter stroke. Power was quoted at 34bhp when revving away at 5500 rpm.
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