Mini Cooper 997 and 998 (1961 - 1969)
Last updated 20 March 2013
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Also the British Leyland merger brought with it new management determined to cut costs: BLMC had no need for consultants. John Cooper later recalled Sir Donald Stokes saying: ‘We employ 150,000...
Introduction
Mini creator Alec Issigonis was against the idea of aperformance version. Fortunately, his wishes didn’t prevail, and a legend was born in the 1961 Mini-Cooper, as tweaked by F1 guru John Cooper.
The first cars used a 997cc twin-carb A-series; this was changed for a 998cc unit from 1964. Front disc brakes were standard and Coopers stood out thanks to their two-tone paint schemes and special grilles. Speeds of around 90mph may not have been all-out fast, but it was the Cooper’s handling brilliance that turned it into such a potent rally tool.
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