40 Years Ago…

Sections: Uncategorized Jan 25th, 2004 6 Comments

40 years ago Paddy Hopkirk and his co-driver Henry Liddon, to the astonishment of the entire racing community, won the famous Monte Carlo rally in a Mini Cooper S. To commemorate this amazing achievment MINI is both releasing a limited edition MINI Cooper S (US only) and has chronicled this win at their international home MINI.com.

You can check out the history of the event now at MINI.com and you can check out the limited edition MINI right here February 4th around 8pm.

Written By: MF Staff

http://bridger.us/mini Gabe

You can find out more about the special edition MINI here.
Vanwall
Back when a world-class rally car was essentially a carefully built “stock” vehicle, with very limited mods, the Mini was extremely formidable, especially in the snow, with Paddy and the Finns. Even on dry tarmac, the Mini was competetive, and a well-driven 1275s was just about unbeatable. Little known now was the almost Neubauer-like organization that Stuart Turner had when he ran the BMC Rally arm. They were simply the best organized rally team of the day, with revolutionary Finnish drivers, and with the best car for the conditions, even as off-the-showroom floor models. Even in '66, when they were DQ'd, the Mini was much closer to it's street version than anything racing today. They were the best rally car overall for four years running, and if the snow had kept up at the Monte for the next few years, they might have won a couple more times. Wonder what would happen if the rules were rolled back to a more stock iteration. Now I'm gettin' interested in this special model….Hmmmm.
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     BCNU,
  Rob in Dago
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Frank

Today I am wearing my official MINI “37-T” shirt to conmmemorate Paddy Horpkin's Monetcarlo victory 40 years ago.

Would love to see BMW putting the new MINI back into the WRC action.
Vanwall
I would like to see it Rally, but I understand it's too short for WRC! Go figure!
```
       BCNU,
      Rob in Dago
```
Stuart

The current car is too short, it would have to be grown by a good bit, and we'd hav to make 5000 to that spec , in order to fulfil the rules and regs of homologation and type approval, aerodynamic aids could, if built in to the body be the answer, So if 5000 of you want to volunteer to be owners of MINI WRC cars, then it might be possible I guess. Oh yes they might cost a little more then a current 'S'.
mark

The current Mini might be too short for WRC, but it could run in the JUNIOR World Rally Cars championship at the same time as the WRC.

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