Superminis: Why The Italians Beat Us By A Decade

[mab01uk]

Interesting new AROnline story on the failure to develop the original Mini...........

"In 1959, BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini. It was created in response to a crisis and a genius piece of packaging that will forever be Sir Alec Issigonis’ legacy to the automotive world. As we all know, it was no profit-maker for BMC, and during its hyper-successful first decade on the market, its maker cruelly – and criminally – failed to develop the concept into something that it customers truly wanted – a hatchback."
More:
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011/05 ... -a-decade/

[ivor badger]

Interesting new AROnline story on the failure to develop the original Mini...........

"In 1959, BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini. It was created in response to a crisis and a genius piece of packaging that will forever be Sir Alec Issigonis’ legacy to the automotive world. As we all know, it was no profit-maker for BMC, and during its hyper-successful first decade on the market, its maker cruelly – and criminally – failed to develop the concept into something that it customers truly wanted – a hatchback."
More:
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011/05 ... -a-decade/

And what is an Austin Maxi, what appears in Issigonis drawings, iirc what did earnest Marples have done to his mini?

Take a look at a Maxi. 5 door hatch back, fold bown back seat, all independant suspension. 4 cyld OHC engine transversally mounted at front with a 5 speed box. Go buy a family car in the last 30 years and that is what you get. Maxi = great idea with appalling execution. Another great management decision from Lord Stokes.

[1071 S]

Or just go to Gaydon and check out the 9X prototype.....

Cheers, Ian

[mab01uk]

The Marples Mini hatch and Issigonis 9x are featured in the full article linked above but never made production............and Maxi was surely too big to be considered a supermini back then?

[ivor badger]

The Marples Mini hatch and Issigonis 9x are featured in the full article linked above but never made production............and Maxi was surely too big to be considered a supermini back then?

The maxi might not have been a super mini, but all the bits were there. The downfall of the companies involved came from a selective memory politician who basically created BL and has then spent the last 35 years telling us about how it was a bad idea and should have been done differently. All the while glossing over his involvement and who he put in charge.