50 years ago, the racing world was stunned
when a small car wins big at the Monte Carlo Rally. Produced as an
economy car in 1959 by British Motor Corporation, Formula One builder
and designer John Cooper saw its potential as a competitor in
rally racing. With some massaging and twitching of its anemic motor,
the Mini Cooper was born in 1961. By 1964, it did not only win the
Monte Carlo Rally, it dominated it by winning first, second and third,
against bigger, and supposedly more powerful and faster cars. Talk about
power to weight ratio. It again dominated the rally in 1965 and 1967,
and could have been a straight 4 years of win if it was not disqualified
in 1966 for headlight issues. Production continued until 2000 until BMW
bought its rights. In 2001 the successor to the old Mini Cooper by BMW
was launched.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Little Car Big Win
50 years ago, the racing world was stunned
when a small car wins big at the Monte Carlo Rally. Produced as an
economy car in 1959 by British Motor Corporation, Formula One builder
and designer John Cooper saw its potential as a competitor in
rally racing. With some massaging and twitching of its anemic motor,
the Mini Cooper was born in 1961. By 1964, it did not only win the
Monte Carlo Rally, it dominated it by winning first, second and third,
against bigger, and supposedly more powerful and faster cars. Talk about
power to weight ratio. It again dominated the rally in 1965 and 1967,
and could have been a straight 4 years of win if it was not disqualified
in 1966 for headlight issues. Production continued until 2000 until BMW
bought its rights. In 2001 the successor to the old Mini Cooper by BMW
was launched.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment