Sex symbol, film star, industrial success story — the Mini occupies a special place in Britain’s national consciousness.
As Lord Mandelson said yesterday: “British drivers have had a long love affair with the Mini and I’m sure that this will continue for years to come.” Few people would argue with his words, prompted by news from BMW that two new models are to be built at the Mini plant in Oxford.
Of course, what he did not point out was that, like many of the great love affairs, it got off to a rocky start.
When the Mini was introduced in 1959, early sales were so disappointing that production might even have been halted. Somehow it caught on, though, and the car that was originally