English: The Great little MINI

Since its birth as the Mini in 1959, "He", "She" or "It", whatever reference you use, has evolved from a practical and economical family car to a classy road champion in its latest MINI John Cooper Works Cooper S model. A personal favourite of mine, with so many great memories, I'd like to look back on the history of this great car. First launched in 1959 by BMC (British Motor Corporation), the Mini was a revolutionary design.Until then cars tended to be long, heavy, gas guzzlers.

Petrol shortages in the 1950s created a boom for "bubble cars" such as the Issetta. Sir Alec Issigonis was asked by the BMC management to design a small, economical car able to carry four passengers. In the incredible short time of two years his team designed and launched the first Mini.

The main features that made the Mini revolutionary included the transversely mounted engine for front-wheel drive, the gearbox by the sump (practically underneath the car), the wheels right at the corners, and a new suspension system using rubber cones instead of springs to save even more space. The result was a vehicle about half a metre shorter than other family cars, yet still roomy enough to fit a family of four and their luggage at fuel saving economy.

However, through the 1960s the Mini quickly began to be identified as a chic car as many celebrities were seen driving Minis around town. Ringo Starr of The Beatles customized his Mini to fit his drum kit so that he could take it between homes. Other celebrity drivers included Steve McQueen, Britt Ekland, and Enzo Ferrari. In 1969 the Mini even became a "film star" in the cult movie "The Italian Job". The crowning moment of the Mini as an engineering achievement came when it won the Monte Carlo Rallies of 1964, 1965 and 1967. A nippy little star able to swerve round corners without losing speed - just cooool!Over the years the Mini experienced changes of design and owners. In 2000 production was stopped, until 2001 when the MINI and the MINI Cooper were launched.

My brother was actually the first Mini owner in the family; it was in that car that I first experienced the mini's own lively and zippy feeling. I remember going for a spin with him, we took a roundabout without losing any momentum at all. It was a great feeling, we drove straight in, round and out - suddenly cars around us appeared a lot bigger - but as quickly as he signalled to turn left we were already out and away!

The latest MINI JCW Cooper S has adopted many racing features, and I've heard the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine has 211bhp and can manage a 0-62mph sprint in just 6.5 seconds, just pure magic. And so, the legend continues turning heads and wowing us all. Long may you live!

Vocabulary

A boom: Boom/Aufschwung
Adopt: hier annehmen
Appear: erscheinen
Bhp = brake horsepower: Bremsleistung/Nutzleistung
Celebrity: Berühmtheit
Chic: schick/elegant
Classy: erstklassig
Crowning moment: die Krönung/Höhepunkt
Drum kit: Schlagzeug
Economical: wirtschaftlich/sparsam
Evolve: entwickeln
Fuel: Brennstoffgas
Guzzlers: Spritfresser
Gearbox: Getriebe
Lively: lebhaft/aufgewecktes
Mph = miles per hour: Meilen pro Stunden
Ippy: Schnell
Right: genau
Roomy: geräumig
Roundabout: Kreisverkehr
Shortage: Knappheit/Mangel
Sump: Ölwanne
Suspension system: Radaufhängung/Federung
Swerve: ausweichen/ausscheren
Transversely mounted engine: Quereinbau des Frontmotors
Wow someone: begeistern/bezaubern