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

by Simon Garfield

How do you make an object that changes the way people think about travel, a small metal box that inspires huge devotion in those who own it, a car that continues to make headlines fifty years after its launch?In May 1959, the first Mini was produced on an assembly line at Cowley, near Oxford. It would take a team of supremely talented designers, draftsmen, engineers and production-line workers to build a car that was unique in appearance and construction. They would clash frequently over an uncomfortable and unsafe prototype, and the public had to be convinced to buy a car that let in two inches of water when it rained. But somehow the Mini became an icon. Originally designed for austerity and efficiency, the car soon came to represent individuality and classlessness.Today, the car is still produced at Cowley - it is now owned by BMW and called the MINI. A great British manufacturing story, it is more popular throughout the world than it has ever been, a symbol of the age that created it. But who makes these things, and what do they think about their work? By meeting the people behind the MINI, Simon Garfield uncovers a fascinating story of British endeavour, ingenuity and masterful marketing. The modern MINI has come a long way from the leaky floor and sliding windows. But throughout its history, the people behind it have always known that they have been making something rare - a car with soul.

285 pages, Hardcover

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.