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Superminis: Why The Italians Beat Us By A Decade
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 11:06 pm
by 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/
Re: Superminis: Why The Italians Beat Us By A Decade
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 11:31 am
by ivor badger
mab01uk wrote: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.
Re: Superminis: Why The Italians Beat Us By A Decade
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 11:37 am
by 1071 S
Or just go to Gaydon and check out the 9X prototype.....
Cheers, Ian
Re: Superminis: Why The Italians Beat Us By A Decade
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 2:42 pm
by 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?
Re: Superminis: Why The Italians Beat Us By A Decade
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 7:56 pm
by ivor badger
mab01uk wrote: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.