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by David Finlay (26 Apr 07)
Author Rob Golding is no stranger to the subject. The present book is the fifth in his series of Mini volumes, the middle three of which were published to celebrate the car's 25th, 30th and 35th anniversaries. There has, of course, been a major change in Mini history since then. The old car remained basically the same for its enormously long 41-year production run - and if any Mini enthusiasts are tempted at this point to rise in complaint and point out that several changes were in fact made, surely nobody can argue that a vastly greater transformation than any of those has since taken place.
This was the introduction of the new MINI, which relates to the old one in much of its styling but is otherwise an entirely different car (park one of each side by side and you'll see that, for example, the current model is very much larger). Golding devotes well over half his book to the new car, but there is still a considerable amount of material devoted to the original creation of Sir Alec Issigonis. There's a certain amount of visible panty line in the way the book has been put together. The 1960s film, The Italian Job, is explained twice, and I lost count of how many references were made to the indecision about what the forthcoming estate version was going to be called (since publication it has been confirmed that it will be named Clubman). Several chapters also finish abruptly when it seems there is more to be said, as if space considerations had forced the book to be shorter than it should really be.
On the other hand, if there are problems like this, there are also compensations. Golding obviously knows a great deal about the old Mini, and he has researched the new one exceptionally well. The text is bolstered by quotes from key figures like designer Frank Stephenson (who has since moved to Ferrari), Plant Oxford Deputy Director Paul Chantry, Mike Cooper (whose father, F1 constructor John, was the inspiration behind the Cooper and Cooper S models of both generations) and various people at MINI owner BMW who can't be named but provide valuable insight. There is enough detail to satisfy trivia fans through a lifetime's worth of pub quizzes - why the MINI is so hugely different from what it was originally intended to be, why the first diesel version had a Toyota engine and could not possibly have had anything else, and why it's a good idea that the components of the recently-launched second-generation MINI's petrol engine - built by PSA Peugeot Citroen in France - are transported to BMW's factory at Hams Hall before being assembled into complete units.
The very different mindset involved in running MINI, as opposed to BMW, is explained well, and although the book was written before the "new new" MINI was introduced late last year, there's plenty of material about that too. Original Mini fans may not be pleased by the relatively lightweight treatment of "their" car, but those with a more casual interest will probably find a lot of information that they neither knew nor suspected.
MINI 50 Years, by Rob Golding, is published by Motorbooks at £16.99. ISBN 1 800 826 6600. More details at www.motorbooks.com.
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