The History of Morris Mini Minor

Alec Issigonis joined Morris Motors in 1936 as a designer. During the war, he had worked on a new small car, the Morris Minor which was launched in 1948. However, after Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation (owner of Morris Motors)

merged in 1952, Issigonis left the newly formed British Motor Corporation for Alvis.

In the early Fifties, Europe was still recovering from the economic and structural devastation of the Second World War. People had very little money and many  goods including food and petrol were widely rationed. This was the age of the economical car such as the Heinkel, Isetta and Messerschmitt “bubble” cars. Then, just as the Europe’s car industry started to recover, President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal on July 26^th 1956 to provide funds for the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The ensuing crisis and shortage of oil had a significant impact on the European motor industry.

In 1956, Leonard Lord had asked Issigonis to return to BMC to take charge of new projects. Following the Suez Crisis, Lord was convinced that the future lay in a small, cheap car but with the comfort and space of a four-seater saloon. He asked Issigonis to start work on what would become the Mini, the key design elements of which would be front-wheel drive, a transverse engine mounted over the gearbox with a common oil sump, 10 inch wheels to save interior space, rubber suspension and the battery mounted in the boot to improve weight distribution. The prototypes were tested in November 1957, the first pre-production models were assembled over Easter weekend in 1959 and the car was launched in August 1959.

Features :

•  Super-detailed 1:12 scale
•  Over 370 parts
•  Tilting front seats
•  Opening front side windows
•  Removable spare wheel
•  Removable tool kit
•  Independent suspension
•  Functioning door handles and boot handle
•  Detailed engine with separate HT leads fan belt, 
   alternator, starter motor etc.
•  Removable hub cabs
•  All four wheels can be changed by unscrewing the 4 nuts.
•  Positional windscreen wipers.
•  Movable sun visors.
•  Working steering.

5301 : Morris Mini Minor – Old English White  621 AOK.

621 AOK was the first Mini to be manufactured. The production register shows that Chassis No. MA2S4-101 was a De Luxe Morris assembled over Easter weekend in 1959. Because full production had not started, all components were not yet available from stock which explains why it did not have the correct wheels and other De Luxe features such as chromed trim on the surround of the windscreen and rear window, or on the wheel arches and sills. The model authentically replicates the original 1959 Morris-style seats and interior,“frying-pan” air filter, and chassis with no drain-holes and large floorpans.

5302 : 1960 Austin Se7en De Luxe – Tartan Red

The key external features of this model are the chromed inserts in the surrounds of the windscreen and rear window, and chromed trim to the rear side windows, sills and wheel arches. It also has the original 1960 “snoop-nosed” air filter, the later chassis with smaller floor pans and drain holes, and the original Austin De Luxe interior, seats and wheel trims.