Sep 6, 2010 Frank Parker
Mini Cooper 'S': successful rally car - AnderWith the launch of the BMW Mini Countryman in September 2010, Suite101 looks at the history of this example of British 1960s design innovation
Launched in 1959 the BMC Mini was arguably the ancestor of all modern small cars. The British Motor Corporation had been formed 7 years earlier by the amalgamation of Austin and Morris. Alec Issigonis, chief Design Engineer at Morris was charged with the task of designing a new and innovative product that would give the corporation a design lead over its rivals.
Front Wheel Drive
With its tiny (848 cc) engine mounted across the front of the car body and the gearbox in the sump driving the front wheels the Mini was fundamentally different from anything previously seen in a car showroom. There were other innovations too. The small wheels, mounted in each corner with no overhang at either front or back and the “Hydrolastic” suspension which, with those small wheels, kept the car body close to the road are two examples. (Alec Issigonis Automotive Designer (1906-1988) Design Museum 2006, accessed 6 Sept 2010.)
Whilst Issigonis is, rightly, credited for the concept it is often forgotten that his friend, another highly original and innovative designer, Alex Moulton, was responsible for the suspension design. Moulton’s great grand father had founded a successful rubber business. After a wartime stint in aircraft engine research Moulton joined the family firm as Technical Director and specialised in researching rubber suspension systems for motor vehicles. (Taken from “The Originator” on Moulton Bicycle Company website Heritage page, accessed 6 September 2010)
Read more at Suite101: Mini: Classic Example of Innovative Product Design http://www.suite101.com/content/mini-classic-example-of-innovative-product-design-a282915#ixzz1D1FoMyM8
