MARQUES & MODELS MINI IN THE UK
On 26th August 1959, the British Motor Corporation unveiled their ADO15 project as the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven. Aside from the grilles and names the two were identical, but the separate badging satisfied BMC's dealer network. There were even different paint finishes – Farina Grey, Speedwell Blue or Tartan Red for the Austin and Old English White, Clipper Blue or Cherry Red for the Morris. The De Luxe cost £537 with a heater and windscreen washers as standard, while the basic model was £40 less.
At a time when the average male manual worker earned £13 per week, buying the reassuringly conventional Ford Popular 100E seemed a wiser investment than an FWD car with a transverse engine. As Gillian Bardsley wrote in her book Mini: ‘It was a bold move on the part of BMC to link advanced engineering with mass market sales.’ But Autocar reckoned it was an outstanding car, while the sliding windows were ‘ample enough for hand signals.’ In conjunction with the Danish Lard Council, the Daily Mirror offered a Mini as a competition prize – ‘Ideal for shopping and taking the children to school.’
BMC expanded the range in 1960 with the van, which thought was an obvious choice for urban work, adding that its performance and surprisingly roomy driving position also fitted it for more sustained operation. It cost £360. By the autumn, the Mini was available as the Countryman (Austin) or Traveller (Morris) estate forms for £623. An ability to accommodate 35cu. ft. of luggage was a significant sales advantage, while the timber framing gave them middle-class appeal, even magazine described the Mini estates as perfect for fashionable ‘just marrieds.’
