Mini magic! 17 special-edition models

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The classic Mini was in production from 1959 to 2000, which was plenty of time for its variously named maker (BMC at first, latterly Rover) to come up with ideas for limited editions.

At first there was no need for them, since the Mini sold well enough without any marketing trickery. By the end, it was almost as if limited editions accounted for most of the range.

Around 70 of these special models were devised over the years. In the spirit of those cars, we now present a limited-edition gallery, highlighting 17 of them.

1. Mini 25 (1984)

Limited-edition Minis began to appear in the mid 1970s, mostly for sale in non-UK markets. By 1984, the car was starting to feel rather old, even though it wasn’t much more than halfway through its production run at this point.

The Mini 25 was created to celebrate the car’s quarter-century, cleverly turning its age from a disadvantage into a selling point.

It was based on the contemporary Mini Mayfair, and had a 998cc engine, silver paintwork, an upgraded interior and several Mini 25 logos.

2. Mini Advantage (1987)

Several limited-edition Minis had a sporting theme, but the sport in question usually involved cars.

In the case of the Advantage, it was tennis. The body and wheel covers were both white, no doubt as a reference to the dress code at Wimbledon.

The 998cc car was sold both in the UK and abroad. In Germany, it was marketed as the Masters.

3. Mini 30 (1989)

Starting with the Mini 25, anniversary editions were released every five years until the end of production.

The Mini 30 once again had a 998cc engine, and there was a smattering of celebratory leather in the interior.

Two exterior colours were available: one was black, the other Cherry Red (as pictured above), which might also be described as maroon, depending on your experience of cherries.
 

4. Mini Cabriolet (1991)

The 1275cc Cabriolet was commissioned from German company Lamm Autohaus. It was heart-stoppingly expensive at £12,250, more than double the price of an entry-level Mini, but the initial run of 75 sold out within a month.

This gave Rover the confidence to develop its own drop-top Mini, which sold for the lower but still enormous sum of £11,995.

Unlike the Lamm car, it can’t be described as a limited edition, since it was part of the Mini range all the way from its launch in late 1992 until production ended in 1996.

5. Mini Cooper Monte-Carlo (1994)

The Mini’s success in motorsport during the 1960s had been largely due to the assistance of car dealership, tuning company and double Formula One World Constructors’ Champion Cooper.

The Cooper name disappeared from Mini history for 21 years before being brought back for a limited edition in 1990.

This was followed four years later by the Mini Cooper Monte-Carlo, which celebrated a certain Mr Hopkirk’s win in the Monte-Carlo Rally 30 years earlier.

6. Mini Cooper Grand Prix (1994)

Many limited-edition models are created simply by adding some extra equipment and perhaps offering a new colour scheme.

The Mini Cooper Grand Prix was a lot more serious than that. Its 1275cc engine was modified to produce 86bhp – far less than a competition version could achieve, but very muscular for a road car.

Only 35 were made, and they made the Cabriolet look cheap. The list price was £13,495, the equivalent of around £23,000 today.

7. Mini Sidewalk (1995)

In an otherwise quiet year for limited-edition Minis, 1000 examples of the Sidewalk were built in 1995.

Nothing like as powerful as the Cooper Grand Prix, its charm was in its styling, which included tartan upholstery.

8. Mini Cooper 35 (1996)

There had, of course, been a Mini 35 in 1994. Two years later, the Cooper 35 celebrated the original association between the Mini and Cooper companies, which had begun three and a half decades earlier in 1961.

The second era of Mini Coopers was by now well established, and would continue well beyond the production of the classic model. BMW maintains the connection with its MINI brand to this day.

9. Mini Paul Smith (1998)

Ten years after Mary Quant helped to create the Mini Designer limited edition, Paul Smith was asked to bring his own artistic talent to the job.

The Mini Paul Smith was painted in a distinctive shade of blue, and featured leather interior and chrome exterior trim, plus a small amount of 24-carat gold.

The car was preceded by another Smith-designed Mini which had more than 80 multi-coloured stripes. This one never made it to production.

10. Mini Cooper Sports (1998)

The Cooper Sports was a tribute to the Mini Cooper’s fabulous performances in circuit racing three decades earlier.

Its colour scheme was similar to that of the racing cars of that period, while the yellow V above the side indicators recalled the logo of British Vita, whose motorsport team campaigned Minis (among other cars) with great success.

11. Mini 40 (1999)

Limited editions became even more frequent in the last two years of Mini production.

There was, of course, a 40th-anniversary edition, the final model in a series which had begun with the Mini 25.

The latest version featured twin front fog lights, wheelarch extensions, a large exhaust tailpipe, leather upholstery and an uprated sound system with Goodman speakers.

12. John Cooper LE 40 (1999)

1959 was not only the year in which Mini production started. In motorsport terms, it was also the season when Cooper won its first F1 World Champion Constructors’ title.

The John Cooper LE 40 celebrated both anniversaries. In total, 300 were built, all with Brooklands Green paintwork, a contrasting Old English White roof and a very upmarket interior trimmed in Grenadine Red leather upholstery.

13. Mini Cooper ‘S’ Works (1999)

The outstanding feature of the Cooper ‘S’ Works was its engine, which had been modified to produce 90bhp. “This is as far as it goes,” said company boss Mike Cooper. “We now have the maximum power that can be produced without major transmission mods.”

As standard, the car had the normal gearbox and an upgraded interior. The two optional extras were a Jack Knight five-speed gearbox and the Rover Sports Pack, which included larger wheels and tyres, flared wheelarches, uprated shock absorbers, extra driving lamps and auxiliary gauges.

With both options fitted, the Cooper ‘S’ Works cost £14,595, the equivalent of around £22,000 today.

14. Mini Knightsbridge (2000)

Rover continued to exploit the sales potential of limited editions right up to the Mini’s demise.

The Knightsbridge was the last classic Mini named after an area of London. Although a right-hand-drive, UK-registered car was used for publicity shots (as seen above), nearly every version was in fact sold in left-hand-drive markets in mainland Europe.

15. Mini Seven (2000)

Seven (often written as Se7en) was frequently used as a model name right from the start of Mini history.

Fittingly, it was applied to one of the very last limited editions. Around 550 Sevens of this era were built, 374 for the UK market. Most were painted red, though white and black were also available.

16. Mini Cooper (2000)

The last classic-era Mini Cooper was deliberately made to look as close as it reasonably could to a model from the 1960s.

Its 12-inch wheels were larger than those used in earlier times, but also smaller than the 13-inch rims which had become common on the ’90s cars.

For similar reasons, the roof and door mirrors were white, contrasting with a body painted in red, black, blue or green.

17. Mini Cooper ‘S’ (2000)

Well over half of the final limited-edition cars were also the last to bear the Cooper ‘S’ name.

Similar in most ways to the Cooper, it had a more modern look, thanks to the large wheels and flared arches which had formerly been part of the Rover Sports Pack option.

This model was succeeded by the almost identical Cooper Sport 500, which had a normally optional high-level brake light fitted as standard. The 500 finally brought Mini production to an end after 41 years.

History repeating?

Mini history changed dramatically in 2000, when the classic car was replaced by the all-new (and all-capitals) BMW MINI. But while it was all-new, in some ways it was all the same and the special-edition models kept coming…

If anything, enthusiasm for limited editions became even stronger than before. Three such models were launched in 2005 alone: in ascending order of price, the £12,565 Seven, the £15,260 Park Lane (pictured) and the £17,635 Checkmate.

A new generation of MINI would arrive the following year, so this was a good way to shift old stock.
 

And it goes on…

This craze shows no sign of stopping, either. Among the latest MINI limited editions is the UK-only Shadow Edition. There are many versions, based on the Clubman and Countryman with Cooper or Cooper ‘S’ engine, or (in the case of the Countryman) the All4 Plug-In Hybrid powertrain.

Items shared by all of them include Midnight Black Metallic paintwork, a silver roof and mirror caps, 19-inch John Cooper Works Circuit Spoke alloy wheels, a John Cooper Works aero kit, LED front and rear lights, and exclusive bonnet decals.

With prices starting at £26,805, the Shadow Edition is far more expensive than any of the classic Mini limited editions, but the principle remains the same.

And we’re quite sure this won’t be the last!