The date of 18 August 1959 is significant in automotive history – the launch date of the first-ever Mini which was then made in Birmingham, England.
Designed by the enigmatic Alec Issigonis, there were two models at launch (differentiated only by their radiator grilles, hubcaps and paints – the Morris Mini Minor and Austin Seven.
The BMW-owned MINI first arrived in 2001.
Paddy Hopkirk, who won the Monte Carlo Rally in a Mini Cooper S in 1950 and also raced a Mini in the early Bathurst 500 races at Mount Panorama, was among the honoured guests at an official birthday function in Kent, England earlier this month.
