best mini issigonis or BMW ?

I fear BMW may have shot themselves in the foot with the estate by refusing to build it with the rear passenger door on the left for the UK market. I’ve only seen one on the road since they were released and I live less than 15 miles from the factory. Doesn’t bode well in my opinion, but I have been wrong in the past so maybe I will be this time-hope not though.

[pedant]Except none of the Mini’s in the original (or the remake, for that matter) had a Union Jack roof….[/pedant]

Yep, yer right. I’m mixing my drinks with the rally car I think.
And, it’s only a Union Jack if it’s flapping from the Jackstaff of one of HM ships. 🙂

Hang on a minute, hadn’t the BMW mini already been more or less designed and prototyped by Rover before BMW got their hands on the company, I seem to recall some early preview photos of a mock up that looked very much like the example we have now.
Wasn’t this the sole reason that BMW went after Rover in the first place, they knew they were on to a winner and Rover had done all the preliminary work, easy peasy, save all that expense on initial design and dump the rest of the company, good bit of Teutonic logic.
Me, my first car was an early 70’s, orange 850, gear lever sticking out from underneath the dashboard, top speed 65 downhill, noisy, draughty, no radio, rudimentary heater, but I loved it.
Fortunately, it never had a problem, well only once, my adventures with attempting to replace the speedo cable and having to remove the entire cooling system in order to do it was the stuff of legends.
Quite frankly, my current equivalent, a 1.1 Peugot 206, kicks the thing into touch in every way, bloody hell, it’s got aircon and a CD player for Gods sake.
I like the BMW mini, but it’s way over priced, even second hand, I saw the new estate version the other day and I think it looks really naff, a bit of timber framework on the side might have done the trick, tee hee.

done up like the Italian job. Union flag roof, bull bars, loadsa spotlights.

[pedant]Except none of the Mini’s in the original (or the remake, for that matter) had a Union Jack roof….[/pedant]

Twas the Wolsey Hornet I was thinking of.

A lass I used to work with had a BMW “Thinny” done up like the Italian job. Union flag roof, bull bars, loadsa spotlights. It looked good, but not as good as the real ones.

Thanks Moggy, I was trying to remember the other day what the Sunbeam version was called and the brain was on strike. You were dead right on the Riley version , it was the Elf.

Does anybody remember the other mini from the 60’s, I think it was a Wolsey?

The Wolsey Hornet (And I think the Riley Elf) were just BMC Minis in party frocks.

Are you possibly thinking of the Hillman Imp / Singer Chamois / Sunbeam Stiletto

Moggy

Now I’m going to put the cat among the pigeons. How about the original size and style of mini with the BMW level of finish and comfort? Oh sorry I forgot it wouldn’t really be a mini then. Part of the Mini’s charm was its lack of airs and graces but at least with the modern sophistcation and comfort there’d be no draughts from strange places and you could close the doors without it sounding like the windows were going to fall out or the door drop off.

So there we have it…two cars…two winners! 🙂

Ironically the best-selling British car of all time was produced quickly and by an incredibly small design team, and was still in production forty years later. It became an absolute style icon but an affordable one that crossed all social divides. It also proved successful in motorsport, utterly dominating a certain rally event despite scandalous cheating by the organisers.

Is it a better car than the BMW? No, but then it’s not likely to be considering its age.

Perhaps the original question is wrong? If we had to choose for one of them to have never existed, what would say then? :confused:

How about if you could choose between a new BMW Mini or a new BMC Mini, today, fresh off the production line but with all their current ‘worth’ in the market?

Now that’s a difficult question! 😀

I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way. To call the small BMW a Mini is an insult to the concept of the original which was intended as a small, short distance, runabout with no real intention of it being a long distance tourer. The BMW offering seems to be intended as a serious tourer in which case it’s too small.
This defence of the real Mini comes from someone who never liked them as I could never find a comfortable driving position. If my legs were comfortable the steering wheel was too far away and if the steering wheel was right my knees were up around my neck.

Original Mini rules, the BMW is not a mini no matter what name is screwed to the boot

Absolutely – in terms of build quality and refinement then I have to conceded that the small BMW car (Sorry, whatever they may call it it is NOT a Mini) is far better, but thats simply due to 45 years progress in car design and build, and the increased customer quality expectation.

Issigonis’ quirky design was a radical departure from the (then) norm. BMW ‘s new car is nothing more than another run of the mill small car (but built no doubt to BMW standards) with a design that simply follows current design trends, and in some ways shows no originality at all, as other marques (VW’s new Beetle etc) had already shown the way in using retro design references before the BWM boys hopped on the bandwagon – absolutely nothing radical about it at all – apart from the impertinent use of a previously well established brand as a cynical sales ploy :rolleyes:.

Issigonis wins hands down everytime.

Paul F (Former (Austin/Rover/BL) Mini owner)

The BMW one isn’t a true Mini as it’s about 1.5 times the size of the original and you still only have room in the boot for a handkerchief and half a tooth brush. One suitcase is two too many.

I`m sure I`ve read somewhere that the BMW `mini` has the same wheelbase as the landrover discovery!!!!???!!!
I look at the mini in the same way as the new beetle , an oportunity lost by their manufacturers.

I like the look of the original Mini, but the handling of the BMW version.

Comparing the two would be like comparing a classic movie with a modern remake – there are things you love about the former, but the latter still has a lot going for it…. :rolleyes:

WHAT!
Starter button on the floor, quarterlight openings with chrome latches, an engine you could dismantle on the kitchen table, interior door handle was a leather strap, better looking.
The new one may be safer, but it’s just another car out of a jelly mould formed in a wind tunnel.
And, as an anecdotal fact, it was the mini that killed off the British motorbike industry, not the jap motorbikes. Once people could afford a car – the Mini – they abandoned two wheels for four.
The new one is a nice car, but BMW just cashed in on the name and created a car that’s about as big as a Mark 1 Golf or similar.
Does anybody remember the other mini from the 60’s, I think it was a Wolsey? About the same size as Izzy’s masterpiece.
Bubblecars. What was the one where the whole front opened. It had no reverse gear…so if you drove it in a garage or agin a wall….you couldn’t get out, LoL.

the front opening model sounds like an isetta bubble car what a concept just the front door to protect you and no crumple zone but a great fun car without a doubt,the wolseley mini was the hornet, they also produced a riley version the Elf it had tail fins and wrap around bumpers, upright radiator grille and side trims too, plus leather seats and wood dashboard complete with glovebox it was the best interior trim of all the minis the beauty of these minis is that you can still purchase parts for them both mechanical and body so its no problem to completely rebuild one, so in theory they could go on forever,best avoid the hydrolastic models and stick with the rubber suspensioned models,for me the originals look the business and just dont age at all an eternal classic,thanks for all the comments regarding this thread please continue .

No contest…..the BMW wins hands down!

I can’t think of a single aspect of the original Mini that is better, unless you say it is cheaper, and a moped is cheaper.

Of course, I’m biased…..I’ve got a Mini…..an original Mini. 😉

If you compare them in the context of the time, then the original was certainly a more radical departure from accepted design, whereas the BMW is entirely conventional.

WHAT!
Starter button on the floor, quarterlight openings with chrome latches, an engine you could dismantle on the kitchen table, interior door handle was a leather strap, better looking.
The new one may be safer, but it’s just another car out of a jelly mould formed in a wind tunnel.
And, as an anecdotal fact, it was the mini that killed off the British motorbike industry, not the jap motorbikes. Once people could afford a car – the Mini – they abandoned two wheels for four.
The new one is a nice car, but BMW just cashed in on the name and created a car that’s about as big as a Mark 1 Golf or similar.
Does anybody remember the other mini from the 60’s, I think it was a Wolsey? About the same size as Izzy’s masterpiece.
Bubblecars. What was the one where the whole front opened. It had no reverse gear…so if you drove it in a garage or agin a wall….you couldn’t get out, LoL.

Original Mini rules, the BMW is not a mini no matter what name is screwed to the boot

No contest…..the BMW wins hands down!

I can’t think of a single aspect of the original Mini that is better, unless you say it is cheaper, and a moped is cheaper.

Of course, I’m biased…..I’ve got a Mini…..an original Mini. 😉

If you compare them in the context of the time, then the original was certainly a more radical departure from accepted design, whereas the BMW is entirely conventional.

The new one might be better in many ways-but its still not a Mini. Its a BMW.

Having driven both…and my wife ownes a BMW Mini…I have an opinion.
Sure I appreciate the original. Fun, cheap…

But the new one is a better car in almost every way.The old Mini was not sold in the U.S. after 1967 because it could not meet pollution and safety standards.

Sure it’s sad to replace a classic…the 787 will be a better and more practical airliner for the future than the DC-3.

Time moves on.
It’s not “on our side”…despite what Mick Jagger says. 😀

Engineering and safety wise, probably yes.
But…..in looks, style, panache, intent, innovation the original wins hands down. To call the new one a Mini is an insult, like a remake of a classic film….it just doesn’t work. Mind you, it’s what I’ve come to expect from modern BMW, they are knocking out some ugly cars at the moment.

I am an ex ORIGINAL Cooper S owner.