Many of them introduced their own lines of mini cars, while some produce replicas of Tamiya cars, i.e. “Tamiya clones”.The clones were a more affordable alternative to the more expensive Tamiyas, which gained popularity in the Philippines in the early 2000s, as well as several Asian nations.

To feed on the high popularity of the cars, Tamiya commissioned Shogakukan, a Japanese publishing company, to produce two anime TV series based on the Mini 4WD cars: Dash! Yonkuro in 1989[5] by Zaurus Tokuda, Bakusou Kyoudai Let’s & Go in 1996[6], Bakusou Kyoudai Let’s & Go WGP, Bakusou Kyoudai Let’s & Go MAX, and finally Let’s & Go!! Tamiya, The Movie.

Mini 4WD was first created by the Japanese company Tamiya in 1982 as a powered variant of common plastic automobile model kits. Since then racing and tuning up mini 4WD cars have become a hobby for people across the world.

Other companies have ventured into the Mini 4WD market, and they include Tokyo Marui, Kyosho, Academy, Auldey, Okami, Gokey, HJH, Twinkk, and AA. Many of them introduced their own lines of mini cars, while some produce replicas of Tamiya cars, i.e. “Tamiya clones”.[4] The clones were a more affordable alternative to the more expensive Tamiyas, which gained popularity in the Philippines in the early 2000s, as well as several Asian nations.

Almost all small front-wheel-drive cars developed since have used a similar configuration. The radiator was mounted at the left side of the car so that the engine-mounted fan could be retained, but with reversed pitch so that it blew air into the natural low pressure area under the front wing. This location saved precious vehicle length, but had the disadvantage of feeding the radiator with air that had been heated by passing over the engine.

The original is considered an icon of the 1960s,and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers.The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, behind the Ford Model T.

BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates: the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke — a jeep-like buggy.

The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers.The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent to its German contemporary, the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th Century, behind the Ford Model T.

Mk II Mini (or R56), on a re-engineered platform with many stylistic and engineering changes. The engine architecture is shared with PSA Peugeot Citroën and is intended to be more cost effective and fuel efficient. The engineering was done in the United Kingdom by BMW Group UK Engineering, in Munich, Germany at BMW Group HQ and with external third parties.

The so-called “Mk II Mini” (echoing the ‘mark number’ naming convention of the classic Mini) was introduced in November 2006 in the Cooper and Cooper S trim and the range was completed in 2007 with the Mk II Mini One. For the first time, there was a diesel-powered Cooper available from April 2007, badged as the Cooper D.

Mini introduced a convertible model which was released in the 2005 model year and available in One, Cooper and Cooper S versions.

The convertible roof is fully automatic - an unusual feature in such a small car - and can be opened partially to act as a sunroof whilst the car is driving at speed. The convertible model forsakes the rear hatch of the hatchback Mini - replacing it with a drop down ‘tailgate’ design reminiscent of the classic Mini and incorporating similarly prominent external hinges. The convertible also adds two small power windows for the rear seat passengers which are retracted automatically as the roof opens. The roof is made from a heavy cloth with many layers of insulation; the rear window is of glass and has a heater/defroster but no washer or wiper.

At the 2007 North American International Auto Show, Mini introduced the limited edition of Mini Cooper S Sidewalk Convertible. It has a top speed of 215 km/h (134 mph). 0-100 km/h takes 7.9 seconds. It has 168 hp (125 kW) and 220 N·m (162 lb·ft) of torque.

In some markets, such as Australia and the US, only the Mini Cooper and Cooper S are sold because the Mini One’s engine was considered to deliver insufficient power to run an air conditioner — a necessary feature in those markets. Almost fifty percent of all Minis sold in Australia and about seventy percent of those sold in the US are the top-of-the-range Cooper S model. Other models of note, sold in varying markets around the world, are the Mini Seven, Mini Parklane, Mini Check Mate, and Mini Monte Carlo.

The names Cooper and Cooper S echo the names used for the sportier version of the classic Mini which in turn come from the involvement of John Cooper and the Cooper Car Company. The Cooper heritage is further emphasised with the John Cooper Works (JCW) range of tuning options that are available with the Mini. John Cooper also created a one-off racing model of the Mini Cooper S named the Mini Cooper S Works. This car features many extras which help to improve performance, such as a racing exhaust and air filter as well as uprated suspension. The car also has one-of-a-kind 17-inch (430 mm) racing wheels.[9]The “Mk I” Mini One, Cooper and Cooper S used a Brazilian-built Chrysler-designed Tritec engine, while the Mini One D used a Toyota-built diesel engine. In August 2006, BMW announced that engines would in future be built in the UK, making the car essentially British-built again, with final assembly at Cowley and the body pressings being made in nearby Swindon at BMW’s Swindon Pressings Ltd subsidiary.

It uses a transversely-mounted four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. All four wheels are pushed to the corners of the body. The styling of the car, like that of the Volkswagen New Beetle, is a retro design that is deliberately reminiscent of the original Mini with contrasting roof colours, optional bonnet stripes, optional rally lights and with black trim around the wheel arches and rocker panels that mimic the wide wheel flares found on many classic Minis.

The Mini One and Mini Cooper were available with a continuously variable transmission or with a conventional Midlands five-speed manual transmission (model year 2001-2004), later replaced with a Getrag five-speed unit for 2005 onwards. The Cooper S comes with a six-speed Getrag manual or (from the 2005 model year onwards) a fully automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

As standard, the Mini had a drive by wire electronic throttle, electronic brakeforce distribution, cornering brake control and electronic stability control (standard or optional, depending on model and region) to improve control and handling in adverse conditions.

Adding a supercharger to the 1st generation Cooper S model required that the battery be relocated into the rear of the car - leaving no room for a spare tyre. Hence this model comes with run flat tyres as standard.

British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The name of the car’s brand, MINI, is all-capitalized to distinguish it from its predecessor.
2003 Mini Cooper S and Mk III classic Mini.

The development of the first generation had been done between 1995 and 2001 by Rover Group in Gaydon, United Kingdom and BMW AG in Munich, Germany and was accompanied by continual contention between Rover and BMW. Especially the positioning of the car was contended. Rover wanted an economy car, whilst BMW supported a small sporting car and finally prevailed. In 1999 BMW assumed control over the whole project after BMW’s CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder had left the company. [3] When BMW divested itself of Rover in 2000, BMW decided to keep the Mini project and to build the car, which was originally to be built at Rover’s Longbridge plant, [3] the former production plant of the traditional Mini, at BMW’s Oxford plant in Cowley, Oxford, United Kingdom, in what was historically the Pressed Steel Company body plant.

The 2001 to 2006 model years included four hatchback models: the basic “Mini One”, the diesel-engined “Mini One/D”, the sportier “Mini Cooper” and the supercharged “Mini Cooper S”. In 2005 a convertible roof option was added. In November 2006 BMW released a re-engineered version of the Mini which is unofficially known as the “Mk II Mini”.[5] The Mk II is currently[update] available as a hatchback and a wagon (Clubman). The convertible was still based on the MK 1 until January 2009. Now, it is based on the MK 2.

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