Buying Guide: Mini Clubman Estate

Even though the Clubman range sold well in the UK, it’s fair to say that Mini Clubmans were not seen as particularly cool during the 90s and 2000s, due to the love-it-or-hate-it front-end styling. An exception to this was perhaps the 1275GT. Within the range of chunky-front Minis built, the Estate was actually better proportioned compared to the Clubman saloon, which look front-heavy when viewed side-on. In retrospect, it seems odd that BMC/BL made a very drastic (if functional) change to what had been a popular design with the round nose. This hasty re-design did not replace the round-nose in the UK, as it did in Australia, but was an attempt to attract Joe Public, who felt drawn to the latest and newest thing, very much like the endless ‘refreshes’ we see in the motor industry today.

With its large load area, cavernous engine bay and low-level loading lip, the Clubman Estate (CE) had, and still has, a lot going for it. At its launch, as with its predecessors, it offered practical small-car motoring for the family, as long as you kept the offspring to two or three (it wasn’t until 1991 in the UK when everyone travelling in the back of a car needed to use a seatbelt). Buyers choosing a Clubman over a round-nose may think the extra bonnet length offered better crash protection but, as tests proved before launch, the older round-nose design was, in fact, better at absorbing impacts.

History

Autumn 1969 saw the launch of the Mini Clubman range, with its drastically redesigned front end from the recently poached ex-Ford design