Happy birthday Mini! 10 top wacky variants as the model hits 60

Six decades of inspiration

When the Mini was launched 60 years ago today, it was undoubtedly an inspired exercise in design and packaging, but within a short space of time others were taking the basic platform and reinventing the small car. 

With a lack of regulation surrounding the act of rebodying a vehicle at the time, the Mini spawned all sorts of weird and wonderful creations – some rather better-known and more accepted than others.

But it is also true that for every design that went further than the prototype stage, there were another dozen that were just too wacky to stand a chance!

Click on to see 10 of the best… or worst. You decide!

1. Mini Midas

The Midas began life in 1978 and was touted as ‘the Economy Supercar’ thanks to impressive handling and performance figures.

The MkII was restyled by none other than F1 technical guru Gordon Murray – something that the advertising department took full advantage of!

2. Mini Marcos

The Mini Marcos was born from the ashes of the DART project with the basic shell being offered at just £199.

Powered by the Mini’s A-Series engine, it was ripe for competition and after a debut at Castle Combe in 1965, it competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours the following year and was the only British car to finish in 1966, in the hands of Jean-Louis Marnat and Claude Ballot-Léna.

3. Hustler

It was as a freelance designer that William Towns devised the Hustler in 1978 – using the subframes and mechanical components from Issigonis’ Mini.

With both four- and six-wheeled versions available, Towns and his design studio, Interstyl, launched the initial model at the 1981 Earls Court Motor Show before going on to expand the range to include the Hustler Sport and Sprint (two-seater drophead and coupé respectively), Hellcat (jeep clone), Harrier (with high roof to accommodate a wheelchair), Rag top and the six-wheeled, Jaguar V12-powered Hustler Highlander.

4. Minissima

The Minissima was another William Towns creation – in comparison to the Hustler, however, this was a proposed replacement for the Mini in 1972, and British Leyland even went as far as buying the prototype and displaying it at the London Motor Show the following year.

If you thought the Mini was small, then the Minissima was even more impressive at taking up less space at the kerb, being 75cm shorter than its inspiration.

After failing to capture the imagination, the project stalled and was eventually resurrected as a potential vehicle for the disabled. This incarnation allowed for wheelchair access through the rear door and featured a central driving position.

5. Terrapin

Allan Staniforth, a reporter for the Daily Mirror, was a keen racer and forged an impressive pastime competing at the wheel of a Mini in hillclimbs in the early 1960s.

Along with Richard Blackmore, Staniforth embarked on a mission to build a Mini-based racer, and eventually set upon a single-seater.

The result was the Terrapin – a square-tubed chassis fitted with a 997cc Mini Cooper engine and four uprights and hubs from the same source.

And it’s fair to say that it was a success – one incarnation being clocked at 140mph.

6. Deep Sanderson

The brainchild of Chris Lawrence, the Deep Sanderson 301 featured a Mini engine at the rear of a sheet metal backbone chassis and, as with many other Mini derivatives, also made use of the hubs and wheels.

Although the prototype featured an aluminium body made by Williams & Pritchard, production cars were glassfibre and in 1963, the 301 was entered into the Le Mans 24 Hours with Chris Lawrence and Chris Spender sharing driving duties.

Regrettably, the Deep Sanderson was disqualified after ending up in a sand trap – a delay that resulted in it being behind the minimum average time necessary.

7. Ogle SX1000

Unlike many of the Mini-based variants that seemed to pick relatively sparingly from Issigonis’ creation, the SX1000 used all of the Mini’s mechanicals, floorpan, inner wings, engine, gearbox, subframes, steering and suspension.

David Ogle’s creation did, however, feature an all-new glassfibre body shell and instantly transformed the Mini into a small GT car – and one that boasted a quality finish and purposeful design, something that arguably distanced it from other transformations that adopted a more DIY approach.

8. Unipower GT

Without doubt one of the best-looking of the Mini-based cars, the Unipower GT was the brainchild of Elva racing team manager Ernie Unger and designer Val Dare-Bryan, although it was only with the financial backing of Tim Powell, a powerboat-racing champion, that saw the vehicle – originally named the Hustler GT, brought into production.

In 1966, the first cars left the factory bearing the ‘Unipower GT’ moniker and offering a choice of either a 998cc Cooper engine, or 1275cc Cooper S alternative.

60 cars had been built by the end of 1968, but the project was sold to a new owner soon after – a move that gave rise to the MkII before production ended in 1969.

9. Stimson Safari

The Stimson Safari Six was a 12-foot long, six-wheeler, powered by an 850cc A-Series engine.

Around 20 were made before the company went into receivership, but it’s fair to say that the Safari was an acquired taste with its roots firmly placed in the 1970s.

It was available in kit form from around £270 and in the region of £800 for a completed vehicle.

10. Mini Jem

Using Mini subframes and running gear, the Mini Jem was one of a handful of Mini-based cars that was born from the earlier DART project.

Racer, Jeremy Delmar-Morgan, bought the plans and put the car into production, naming it the Mini Jem, supposedly referencing his own nickname, and the first example was completed in 1966, but officially made its debut at the Racing Car Show in 1967.

The Jem was available either as a monocoque shell, or as a complete, finished vehicle, but at under £200 for the bodyshell and £500 for the finished vehicle, many preferred to carry out the build themselves.

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