John Cooper is the father of much of what we love about MINIs. He’s the man who almost literally invented the idea of taking small cars, tuning them up to 11 and hitting the track. But he was so much more than that. He became a car racing legend with his rear-engine chassis design that would eventually change the face of the sport at its highest levels, from Formula One to the Indianapolis 500.

Cooper was so interested in the idea that he took time away from his winning Formula 1 team to invent the first Mini Cooper and eventually the Mini Cooper S. These were cars that weren’t just the daily drivers of Formula 1 drivers but soon became champion touring and rally cars worldwide.

Produced by Sky Sports and brought to us by MINI USA, this is the story of John Cooper and how it all began. And it’s one hell of a story for those of us who love MINIs. If there’s one video you watch today, make this the one.