Curiositá

"Day Trippers" - The Beatles e la MINI

Tutti e quattro i membri dei Beatles hanno posseduto una Mini, la più famose delle quali è sicuramente la versione psichedelica di Geoge Harrison che apparse nel nel film Magical Mistery Tour nel 1967 (e che è stata riprodotta nel nuovo modello Mini – vedi foto sotto). Prodotta da Harold Ratford Ltd nel 1965, la Austin Cooper S LGF 965D era in origine nera, ma fu dipinta in colori psichedelici nel 1967 prendendo spunto da un libro d’arte. Geoge Harrison fece dipingere anche una parete della sua casa nello stesso stile, con grande disappunto dei suoi vicini. Si dice che sia stato proprio in quella mini che Goerge, John, Cynthia Lennon e Patti Boyd ebbero il loro primo viaggio con l’LSD dopo aver lasciato l’appartamento di un amico che avrebbe messo dell’LSD nel loro the. Geaoge ricorda di aver guidato molto lentamente perché non riusciva a capire cosa gli stesse accadendo. Dopo Magical Mistery Tour la macchina venne data a Eric Clapton, ma George la prese indietro nel 1970 e la mantenne con cura esibendola a Goodwood nel 1998, tre anni prima della sua morte.

John Lennon comperò una Mini nel 1964 per sua moglie Cynthia, ma visto che lui non prese la patente fino al 1965, aspettò fino ad allora per acquistare una Austin Cooper S (LGF 696D) prodotta da Ratford. L’anno seguente disse ad un giornalista:”Avevo deciso di essere stato un po’ estravagante e di aver acquistato troppe macchine, così avevo deciso di mettere in vendita la Ferrari e la Mini. Poi uno dei miei contabili ha detto che era tutto a posto, così mi sono ripreso le macchine.” Il 28 agosto 1967, Lennon arrivò agli Apple Studios guidando la sua Mini Ratford dopo aver avuto notizia della morte del manager dei Beatles Brian Epstein.

Nel 1965, Paul McCartney acquistò una Mini Cooper S (GGJ 382C) color verde salvia con luci posteriori provenienti dalla fabbrica della Aston Martin, interni in pelle nera e tettuccio apribile. All’inizio del 1967 si recò con la macchina a Primrose Hill, a nord di Londra e vide uno strano individuo a passeggio. Questa fu l’ispirazione per la canzone "The Fool on the Hill". La macchina si trova oggi in un museo in Florida.

Ringo Starr aveva una Austin Mini Cooper S (LLO 836D). Era stata acquistata inizialmente nel 1966 dal manager dei Beatles Brian Epstein, per poi passare a Richard Starkey il 15 giugno del 1967. Epstein aveva un accordo con il venditore d’auto Terry Doran per ottenere macchine per i Beatles a prezzo di costo. Doran è “man from the motor trade” a cui si fa riferimento nella canzone "She's Leaving Home" nell’album Sergeant Pepper.

The McLaren MINIs

Before founding the McLaren team, New Zealander Bruce McLaren was a junior partner in the all conquering Cooper Formula 1 setup and by virtue of his history at the 1959 Unites States Grand prix, the 22 year old became the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

He was also an enthusiastic racer of Mini Coopers. For the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1962, McLaren was hurriedly given one of the first mini Coopers off the UK production line, there being just 5 days to tune the car prior to the race.

By 1963 he had imported a green and a white Mini Cooper S for racing and this was later owned by his father Les and used as the family's second car.
 
In January of that year, Bruce won the Teretonga Internation race in a Cooper F1 car.

 

1965 - The MINI's Golden Year

1965 was the year when the Mini swept to victory in all it's competitions. In 1965 the Mini won a total of 17 international rallies and picked up no fewer than 116 major awards in international rallies and races.

In addition to works victories in the Monte Carlo Rally , the Circuit of Ireland Rally, the Geneva Rally, the Czech Rally, the Polish Rally, the 1000 Lakes Rally, the Three Cities Rally and the RAC Rally, private Mini owners won the Basco-Navarrais, the Bodensee, the Saragossa, the Flowers and Perfumes, the Lorraine, the Armagnac, the Portuguese and the Austrian Gold Cup rallies.

Not surprisingly the first three places in the rally drivers'championship went to Mini men Rauno Aaltonen, Tony Ambrose and Timo Makinen.

It was also the first time that the championship had been won by a British car.

 

The Most Expensive MINI - The MINI Limo

Sold for $80,000 the Mini Limo, which was created as a one off by John Cooper Garages for the 1997 Frankfurt motor Show, was the most expensive Mini ever built. Interior features of the luxury show car included Wilton carpets, electric leather seats, a state of the art stereo system and satellite navigation.

 

A Fistful of Sand

In early Minis, oil tended to leak on to the clutch plate from the main crankshaft oil seal. Rally drivers overcame this problem by throwing handfuls of sand into the clutch housing - sometimes it was the only way they could finish the race.

The Typical MINI Driver

In the 1990s, Rover carried out a survey to try and define the typical Mini driver, only to find out that there was no such thing.

Its study concluded that 70% of Minis were brought by women, 56% of Mini owners were married, 13% were younger than 24, 16% were older than 65 and that the main use for the Mini was as a second car to be driven in the city.

MINIs 50th Birthday Video

 

The Bionic Woman lifts a MINI

The actress Lindsay Wagner makes light work of a Mini during a visit to Britain to promote her television series The Bionic Woman, in 1976..

MINI 1000 Special Edition

In 1976, the Mini became the first British car to produce a special edition - the Mini 1000 Special. Priced at £1406 (€1220), it came in Brooklands Green or Glacier White and featured a gold waist coachline, twin chrome door mirrors and reclining front seats. To reflect the fashion of the 70s, the interior had an orange-striped brushed nylon seat trim from the MGB range and dark orange safari carpets.

MINIs Reunited

Mini fans looking to find out what has happen to their long lost mini can do so via the website on Minis Reunited - www.minisreunited.com

MINI Convoy

On 11 May 2008, during the International Mini Meeting, a total of 884 Minis paraded through Lelystad in the Netherlands, breaking the Guinness world record for the largest ever convoy of Minis.

This shattered the previous record of 310 Minis that took part in the 2007 Mini Grand Tour in North Devon, England.