MINI: The True and Secret History of the Making of a Motor Car

by Simon Garfield

In May 1959, the first Mini was produced on an assembly line at Cowley, near Oxford. Originally designed for austerity and efficiency, the car soon came to represent individuality and classlessness. This title presents the story of British endeavour, ingenuity and masterful marketing.

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Simon Garfield is a British journalist and non-fiction author. He was educated at the independent University College School in Hampstead, London, and the London School of Economics, where he was the Executive Editor of The Beaver. He also regularly writes for The Observer newspaper.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel this book was rather mis-sold by its cover and the blurb. There is only one Mini that I think deserving of a social history and that's the original, built from 1959-2000. Unfortunately that car is only the subject of half, or perhaps rather less, of this book. Maybe there's an interesting story to be told about the BMW MINI, but I don't care to read it frankly.

We get the initial genesis and perhaps the first four years of the original Mini's production and then we flash forward to the 21st Century and the MINI. So there's nothing of of Peter Sellers or The Beatles or how a car designed for the district nurse became a status symbol for the rich and famous, not to mention an international motorsports success.

I suppose that's not the book that Simon Garfield set out to write, but it would have made a better book than the anodyne, emotionless trawl through the MINI's marketing campaigns and promotional films that make up the better part of half this volume. A wasted opportunity in my opinion.

[Stephen Heverin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. I've read other books about Mini/MINI and Issogonis, but this was different. Going from the beginning along the whole history of the car, it is presented as a series of snippets from interviews from people who worked in the factories, managers, designers, everyone through the life and manufacture of the Mini/MINI. If you are a fan of the car, this is a fun read.