Sir Leonard Lord, head of Austin, had a pet peeve:
"Damn these bloody awful bubble cars. We must drive them out of the streets by designing a proper miniature car!"

He selected Alec Issigonis, a gifted and individualistic designer, previously responsible for the successful Morris Minor of the early fifties, to do the job.

The car, first released as both the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor, soon became universally known as the Mini. At ten feet, it was incredibly small yet could hold four adults and their luggage. The secret was a matter of putting things in the right place. Its transversely mounted engine, with gearbox beneath the motor, drove the front wheels through compact new Rzeppa joints. Suspension was independent all round via rubber cones. The wheels were two-thirds the normal size.

The Mini would go on in the next four decades to become one of the world’s best-known, best loved cars, and would be at the heart of a technical and social revolution.

The museum example was produced in Spain under license by the firm AUTHI, or
Automoviles de Turismo Hispano Ingleses in Landaben, Navarra.
This company started by building the Morris 1100, MG 1100 and Morris Countryman before moving to Minis, and then building the Victoria- a special Austin built only in Spain and South Africa.
The Mini 1275C used an MG 1275 engine.
In 1976, the state-owned SEAT took over the plant to build SEATs and Lancias. Volkswagen then built Polos there.
Today, it is one of the most modern plants in Europe, with very high quality standards.

Manufacturer: AUTHI, Navarra Spain