(TheStar) WHEN the Mini was first designed, it was never meant for competition motoring.
Back in the early 60s, Sir Alec Issogonis, the creator of the iconic Mini, said that they were preoccupied with designing a car that had good roadholding and stability, for safety reasons, and to give the driver more pleasure.
“It never occurred to me that this thing would turn out to be such a successful rally car,” said Issogonis back then.
There was a broad smile on Finnish motorsports legend Rauno Aaltonen’s face when he was reminded of the late Issogonis’ comment. The 73-year-old Flying Finn, more affectionately known as the Rally Professor, was the last man in a Mini to win the Monte Carlo rally in 1967. Then, the Mini caught the imagination of the world when the small car took on the might of V8-powered Fords and won what was then one of the toughest motorsport events, the 4,000km Monte Carlo rally, three times (1964, 1965 and 1967).
The Mini glory days: Aaltonen (left) and co-driver Henry Liddon celebrate the 1967 Monte Carlo rally win.
Aaltonen, who won the Monte Carlo rally in a works Mini Cooper S, covered 4,101km on the rally that took him and his co-driver, Henry Liddon, from the start in Marrakech, Morocco on Jan 26 to the principality’s harbour for the finish in the early hours of Feb 2, some 44 years ago!
As far as Mini heroes go, Aaltonen is regarded as the most successful of all the works rally drivers.
“With the MINI back on the world rally stage this year, as seen by the unveiling of the race-prepped Countryman at the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique back in February, it’s exciting times again. A new generation of race fans will be hooked again, especially with MINI to make a full-season World Rally Championship debut in 2012,” said Aaltonen, who was the special guest at the BMW MINI Coupe launch in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, early last month.
The way Aaltonen sees it, the MINI (spelled in capital letters in its new incarnation under the BMW stable) is back in the racing news. But even for those of us who won’t have the opportunity to experience the high-speed action of this new-generation MINI, there is the MINI Coupe to make our hearts skip a beat – yes, even in our urban start-stop traffic or on long drives back to the kampung.
Built in Oxford, Britain, the new two-seater MINI Coupe is the fifth model of the new BMW MINI generation to wear the British brand’s famous crest. “It’s not always a rational decision but rather an emotional decision to own this brand. People still love the MINI lifestyle and mindset – it’s about having fun behind the wheel and they have been doing so for 50 years now. As the first production two-seater, the MINI Coupe is going to be a cult car,” he added of the carmaker’s newest offspring – half racing car, half hipster mobile.
“In my mind, this is the most agile MINI made, there is no need for tricks. And if you want to slap on racing stripes, you better have a fast car. Coupled with the John Cooper Works (JCW) spec and body kit, this car has both the fastest acceleration and top speed of any MINI in the range.”
Also on parade at the Fürstenfeldbruck air field was the one-off MINI John Cooper Works Coupe Endurance, which put on a robust run at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race in June this year. Fittingly, it was the competition edition JCW Coupe Endurance’s first official appearance on the track (registering 11th and 13th places).
“The Endurance model has got ample power and it’s about 200kg lighter than the consumer edition, as all the vehicle mass is stripped to the bare bones,” said Aaltonen.
The race version of the Coupe is a mean machine, but even the standard Coupe holds its own. “Even at 195km/h, the Coupe is completely safe. There is no need to be afraid, this car won’t do anything stupid,” Aaltonen promised.
He talks about the Coupe affectionately, as if it was an old friend. Despite its flashy new image and racing ambitions, the Coupe is, at heart, what the MINI has always been – a car with character, charm and personality.
“Basically, it’s an honest car. It gives you a good feeling in the stomach.”
Like how the Mini has fed Aaltonen’s need for speed over the years, the Coupe can give you a taste of what you’ve been missing out on.
