Small, charming and somehow a bit quirky - when you think of an old Mini, you always have Mr. Bean's company car in mind. But the brand has developed so much under the direction of BMW that even the first Brits with Bavarian roots are almost youngtimers. So it's time to look for clues again.
Because all cats are gray at night. That may apply to conventional small cars and to common areas. But when night falls in Frankfurt, the cars can't be colorful enough. Especially the small cars, and especially around the train station. Because where usually AMG & Co drive up, you have to show your colors if you want to stand out at all.
"Sunny" made the history of small cars
This is not a problem for "Sunny". After all, he has this nickname because of the sun-yellow paint that adorns his cute shapes. And attracting attention is one of the core virtues that were written into his studbook at the time. Because "Sunny" is one of the first minis that were developed under BMW direction and thus brought the lifestyle into the league of small cars.
That was almost exactly 20 years ago and even if the role of the Classic Mini still belongs to that elephant roller skate that Sir Alec Issigonis allegedly sketched on a napkin in 1957 and brought to its world premiere in 1959, Sunny is at least one of the young timers and is therefore always worth a trip for a milestone birthday. The fact that it leads through Frankfurt of all places and not through Oxford, where it was built, through Munich, where developers and designers are based, or through London, where the Mini became a cult, fits very well: because just like Frankfurt would like to be something better and therefore presents itself as a global metropolis and not as an ordinary big city, Mini never tires of using the adjective "premium" - even if for many years this was only a synonym for exaggerated prices and lists of equipment that were far too long.
The official birthday falls in October 2000, when BMW pulled the cloth off the new Mini at the Paris Salon and a few days later stopped production of the original after 41 years. But the day of the premiere was preceded by long planning: the starting signal for development was given in July 1994. After all, the little one had to be a great success again, design details such as the short overhangs, the round headlights and the hexagonal radiator grille had to be carried over into modern times as well as the basic idea from the early years of the classic Mini: maximum space in a minimum of space and lots of fun Drive. Only this time not for the general public, as Sir Issigonis had thought, but for better society. “The Mini was the first premium vehicle in its class,” says brand boss Bernd Körber in retrospect.
The small car is a real driving pleasure
Premium or not - you can argue about this 20 years later, given the colorful charm of the chewing gum machine in the cockpit. But at least the question of driving fun is answered by "Sunny" unquestionably that night in Frankfurt: When he scrapes greedily with his front wheels, ends every stop at traffic lights with a cavalier start, makes himself heard with a throaty growl even through the roar of the red-light cars and in zigzagging through the colorful neon worlds of the Bahnhofsviertel, you actually feel like you're on a bumper car and the city becomes a fairground. And whoever turns a dangling through the Taunus shortly after work feels a bit like Rauno Aaltonen on the winning road at the Monte Carlo Rally. Even if the Cooper only developed 115 PS and only mobilized 149 Nm and is thus miles away from those 306 PS and 450 Nm, which are currently the maximum in the Mini, it feels like a go-kart for big and small flies up to the Feldberg as if there was no tomorrow. It is hard to believe that it actually takes 9,2 seconds to reach 100 km / h and that it is over at 200 km / h.
Nor can one believe that someone seriously complained about the format at the time: Yes, 3,63 years ago, 1,69 meters in length and 20 meters in width, stretched the idea of mini to the maximum. But judging by what came after that, the first new Mini was almost a small car.
Because spurred on by the success of the three-door model and driven by the need for higher quantities, BMW has expanded its model range more than ever before. Conversions like the airy Moke, the small limousine and a mobile home are missing. However, in addition to the Clubman and the convertible, the Bavarians have developed a couple of completely new variants: Roadster and Coupe are unprecedented, just like the five-door and especially the Countryman, which rode the SUV wave early on. In two decades, Mini has gone from a motley monoculture to a broad, sometimes even broad brand with up to ten different models.
The Mini is made modern
Just like in real life, Bavaria and the British are now on the threshold of teenagers to twenties to determine their position and to redefine the course: 20 years after the reinvention of the model and brand, they are now turning the wheel further and making Mini fit for the modern age: When the next new products arrive in three years' time, the model range should be smaller and the cars larger - this is how brand boss Körber's plan can be summarized. In addition to the three-door hatch, there will be two crossovers. One as big as the Countryman, the other in the format of the BMW X1 and therefore around 40 centimeters longer. And where the Countryman's successor will only be available electrically, Mini wants to give customers the choice between battery and gasoline for the other two series for a while and thus react flexibly to the mobility transition.
Unlike 20 years ago, they no longer look to England from Munich, at least not exclusively. Because even if they are still granting the plant in Oxford grandfathering and also want to build some of the new models on the island, the focus is now on China. Just as Smart is seeking salvation in a joint venture with the Chinese, BMW has also teamed up for Mini with a partner in the Far East and is developing the new Minis together with Great Wall and wants at least the electric versions just like the BMW iX3 from China shipping out to the world.
After the anniversary voyage in Frankfurt, a maiden voyage in China will soon be due. It may get a little quieter because then only an electric motor hums under the sheet metal. But a little color can do no harm in the Far East either. After all, there will be enough gray cats there soon.
