Whether it was their first car, a Mini for mum, road trips with a car filled to bursting with people and luggage, or boy-racing escapades, everyone has a Mini story. In August 2024, this automotive icon will be 65 years old.
Released in New Zealand in February 1960, the Mini was a runaway success just six months after its release in the UK (August 1959), where it was a sensation. Local assembly spanned 22 years, with 67,829 cars sold. The car was marketed through Dominion Motors as the ‘Morris Mini-Minor’, and the Austin Distribution Company, as the ‘Austin Seven’, but when these companies were combined in 1970 into the New Zealand Motor Corporation (NZMC), following British Leyland’s formation in England, it became known simply as the ‘Mini’.
“Josh also admins the national Mini LE Register, and Gertie has been used as a reference for many Mini LE restorations – Ed.”
MORE BANG FOR BUCK
In 1977, the NZMC released the ‘LE’ standing for ‘Limited Edition Mini’, based on both the Mk4 1000 and Clubman 1100 models. They were equipped with extras differentiating them from standard
