How to Sell a Mini in 1978
Car buying has evolved significantly in the past decade, even since the MINI as we know it came into being. Yet one thing remains the same, the cars still have to be sold. MINI holds training sessions for its dealers to this day, but the chaps at Jalopnik found this highly entertaining training video talking all about the fine points of what made a Mini the car to buy in 1978.
What’s ironic is all the comparisons made to “The Fiesta” — something happening still today, be it a very different comparison these days.
<p>My Mini would have been sold in the May following the production of this video. Unfortunately someone ripped the handy little ticket pocket from the sun visor!</p>
<p>Ford’s all new front-wheel-drive Fiesta, was launched throughout Europe in 1976, seventeen years after the launch of the revolutionary Mini. It was an instant success, and quickly became the UK’s best selling car. The Fiesta, however, had little impact on Mini sales and, ironically, it was competition from within, from the all new Austin Mini-Metro launched in late 1980, which had the greatest impact, and which also stole the Fiesta’s ‘Number One’ crown on the UK’s sales chart. Looking at the Mini’s annual production figures below, it can be seen that Mini sales peaked in 1971, and declined dramatically after 1980.</p>
<ol>
<li>19,749. 1970. 278,950 1980 150,067 1990. 46,045</li>
<li>116,677. 1971. 318,475 1981. 69,986 1991. 35,007</li>
<li>157,059. 1972. 306,937 1982. 56,297 1992. 26,195</li>
<li>216,087. 1973. 295,186 1983. 49,986 1993. 20,468</li>
<li>236,713. 1974. 255,336 1984. 35,038 1994. 20,417</li>
<li>244,359. 1975 200,293 1985. 34,974 1995. 20,378</li>
<li>221,974. 1976. 203,575 1986. 33,720 1996. 15,638</li>
<li>213,694. 1977. 212,323 1987. 37,210 1997. 16,938</li>
<li>237,227. 1978. 196,799 1988. 36,554 1998. 14,311</li>
<li>246,066. 1979. 165,502 1989. 40,998 1999. 11,738</li>
<li>254,957.
Total 5,498,804</li>
</ol>
<p>The gentleman in the video, by the way, was none other than Raymond Baxter OBE, who was an RAF Spitfire pilot of some merit during the Second World War, and was mentioned in dispatches more than once for his gallantry. He joined the BBC in 1950, where he became a well known TV presenter. He was also an accomplished rally driver, and competed in the Monte Carlo Rally twelve times, six of them as a driver for the BMC Works Rally Team. He was the BBC’s Formula One commentator from 1950 to 1966. This is just a tiny snapshot of a man who enjoyed a most extraordinary life and career. He died in 2006 aged 84.</p>
<p>Wow. You has me at Spitfire.</p>
<p>Am I misreading the headline or is it supposed to be “How to Sell Minis in 1978”?</p>
<p>How could any other car expect to compete without a Ticket Pocket?!</p>
<p>What a fun video this is! Thanks for the perspective! I wonder how today’s promotions will look in 2050 AD.</p>