MINI

MINI originally came about because of the fuel shortage caused by the 1956 Suez Crisis. Petrol was rationed, sales of large cars slumped and as a reaction to the German bubble cars, BMC decided to design a 'proper miniature car'.

The Mini's space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers.and in 1999 was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, (only beaten by the Ford Model T).

In 2007, the one millionth BMW MINI rolled out of the Oxford Plant after six years of production, just one month longer than it took the classic Mini to reach the same total in 1965. The new MINI is much more popular in the US, with Americans feeling confident enough to swap their big, heavy gas-guzzlers for the iconic compact car.