When the sheet was pulled off, wows could be heard from an audience. Even the most jaded automotive journalists seemed to be stunned at what BMW and the Rover team had pulled off. That’s what we’ve been told by more than one person who attended the new MINI premiere on that autumn Thursday at the 2000 Paris Motor Show.

Note: Over the next few weeks we’re going to be looking back at the original R50 generation of MINIs. From the launch to the first reviews to how they’re rising in value as we speak we’re going to take a fresh look at the car that started it all.

But the R50 didn’t just debut at Paris on September 28, 2000—it was also streamed in one of the earliest online automotive debuts ever. Here’s how MINI described it themselves:

In response to overwhelming consumer demand for more information about the 
MINI COOPER, we are going to give enthusiasts a first look at the unveiling of 
the new car. Live webcast technology is ideal to reach our target audience for the MINI. Research shows they embrace what’s cutting-edge and are hungry for the latest news — a perfect fit for what MINI is all about.

Richard Steinberg, MINI Brand Manager for the US. 

That last sentence remains quite true 24 years later. To go back even further, we’ve also unearthed the original press release published when the car debuted in Paris. It’s a fascinating read—especially knowing how the brand has grown. It even includes a great quote from the R50’s chief designer, Frank Stephenson:

“The MINI is a piece of automotive history. Our mission was to combine the emotional power of the original model with the technology of the future”

Frank Stephenson, Chief Designer of the R50

Another interesting fact buried in the release was BMW’s modest sales goal of only 100,000 units for the MINI brand in total. Clearly, MINI has been a massive success over the last two decades, but looking back helps put that into perspective.

So grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and enjoy a trip back in time to the R50 MINI’s original MINI launch photos and press release.

Original MINI Cooper Press Photos (Production Intent)

Original BMW Release Launching the MINI Cooper

28.09.2000 | MINI COOPER: A Modern Interpretation Of An Automotive Legend

The MINI COOPER, debuted worldwide at the Paris International 
auto show on September 28th, represents the car’s first total design evolution 
since Mini’s introduction in 1959.

“The MINI is a piece of automotive history. Our mission was to combine the emotional power of the original model with the technology of the future”

Frank Stephenson, Chief Designer of the R50

The MINI is a 21st century development of a genuine classic. While it reflects 
the styling cues of the old Mini it also offers the very latest technology 
available, easily making it the most advanced car of its size in the market. 
At the same time its performance and handling on the road make it a car that 
real enthusiasts will love driving.

The MINI is set to rekindle the same enthusiasm the buying public felt for the 
original car, amongst 21st century customers. It is designed to appeal across 
boundaries of age, class and nationality.

MINI Cooper Concept

When Sir Alec Issigonis, the father of the original Mini, presented his car to 
the world in 1959, it set entirely new standards in design and was destined to 
become a motoring icon, lasting decades in virtually its original form. 

The concept was simple but ingenious, combining compact external dimensions 
with maximum space inside. It was a car for everybody and during its life 
crossed all cultural and social boundaries.

Two years after the first Mini, in 1961, the Mini Cooper was launched, 
developed by racing and rally car expert John Cooper. The Cooper name has been 
closely associated with performance Minis ever since and remains a vital 
element of the new MINI. It is the MINI COOPER which is the first car in the 
MINI range to be unveiled.

“The MINI COOPER is not a retro design car, but an evolution of the original. 
It has the genes and many of the key characteristics of its predecessor, but is 
larger, more powerful, more muscular and more exciting than its predecessor 
ever was”, says Frank Stephenson, the Chief Designer of the MINI. 

A concept version of the new car was first seen in 1997 at the Frankfurt Motor 
Show and after going through the development process the final production car 
will be shown at the Paris Motor Show in September 2000.

The MINI Cooper Exterior

The MINI COOPER’s styling immediately grabs the attention with its clean, 
muscular lines. It is a shape which crouches low to the ground, hugging the 
road and is instantly recognizable as a Mini.

It was vital to follow the wheel-at-each-corner principles of the original car 
to recreate the classic Mini look. But this is more than just a design 
feature. It gives the car real dynamic advantages on the road with excellent 
handling and road-holding, making it both inherently safe and also great fun to 
drive.

At the front, the bonnet, lights and grille give the car its unique, friendly 
face, while at the back, the wide, steeply raked body with its flared wheel 
arches gives the car a compact, dynamic, glued-to-the-road look which is 100 
per cent MINI.

The roof line is angled down slightly at the rear, giving the MINI COOPER a 
powerful profile. This characteristic stance is emphasized by the lateral and 
vertical design details, from the “shoulders” (the lateral line directly below 
the side windows) to the vertical sides and down to the sills. 

The A, B and C-pillars are ‘hidden’ behind glass, giving the impression of a 
continuous window extending all round the car – a design with its roots in 
architecture, where glass walls disguise load-bearing structures. There is 
also an optional panoramic sunroof. 

MINI COOPER will be launched with 14 exterior colors available, with either 
black or white roof and exterior mirrors. Standard fifteen inch or optional 
sixteen and seventeen inch aluminum wheels are available, finished in either 
white or silver. A wide range of chrome trim will also be available.

The MINI Cooper Interior

Inside the car, the design is a modern interpretation of the simple and 
straightforward look of the original Mini with its characteristic center 
speedometer in the middle of the dashboard. All the switches, levers, buttons 
and dials have been designed with their look, feel and weight very much in 
mind. The emphasis was on making them stylish, forming an important part of 
the MINI’s personality, but easy to use and easy to understand.

Wide-opening doors, remote control central locking, an adjustable steering 
column and driver’s seat height adjustment ensure that the MINI COOPER is 
extremely practical and adaptable for driver and passengers. The boot can be 
opened remotely and 50:50 split folding rear seats increase luggage space 
dramatically. Seating will be available with either leather or leatherette 
upholstery 

A hi-fi CD sound system will be standard with a Harman Kardon speaker system 
offered as an option. The car will be available with other optional features 
such as multifunction steering wheel, and a rain sensor controlling the 
windscreen wipers.

Body, suspension and engine

The body of the MINI COOPER is exceptionally rigid offering two to three times 
the torsional stiffness of other cars the same size. This helps to give the 
car its exceptional, go-cart-like handling and makes it incredibly safe in a 
collision. It also minimizes vibration.

The suspension is highly advanced and features a multi-link design at the 
rear. Disc brakes all around are ventilated at the front and solid at the rear.
The engine is a 16 valve, 1.6 liter unit and will be available with an optional 
automatic transmission.

Setting new small car safety standards

The combination of an extremely strong passenger safety cell, crumple zones 
front and rear and side impact door beams means occupants are extremely well 
protected in an accident. Passive safety is further enhanced with a full array 
of airbags, including front and side airbags for the front passengers including 
head protection airbags too – unheard of in a car of this size!

Anti-lock brakes (ABS) come standard. Optional traction control and xenon 
headlights are also available. No other car in its class can come close to 
competing with the MINI’s safety systems.

MINI’s Target Groups

Our research has shown that MINI will appeal to a wide cross-section of 
customers – of different ages and from different backgrounds. What they share 
is an enthusiasm for driving and the look of the car. However, there are two particular groups to whom we think the MINI will appeal.

The first group is young and affluent, aged between 20-34. They are 
experimental in outlook, enjoy trying new things and tend to be spontaneous and 
active. They like standing out in a crowd and driving a car that people 
notice. They have a keen sense of style and believe a car says a lot about 
them. MINI fits their image and their attitude to life. They look for what’s 
cutting edge, and what’s fun and exciting.

The second group is slightly older – likely to be 35-50 and represent a more 
affluent, yet progressive-thinking household. The MINI COOPER will be their 
third, or possibly fourth car for those who wish to add the sporty, yet 
affordable MINI to their garage – perhaps even to “share” with their children.

The third group would include classic car aficionados and Mini enthusiasts. 
These people have a keen interest in cars and have fond memories of the classic 
cars from their youth. They like the overall design and styling of the new 
car, and the strength and character of the MINI heritage appeals to them. Some 
of these enthusiasts would find the MINI COOPER a perfect platform to further 
individualize the appearance and performance of their car.

MINI in the BMW Group

MINI is a unique, independent brand within the BMW Group, which will be sold 
globally. It will be built at the BMW Group’s Oxford plant in the UK to the 
company’s exceptional quality standards. Full production will start in 2001 
and the first cars will go on sale in the US during the first quarter of 2002.

The MINI will be sold in the US via a select group of BMW’s existing retail 
outlets. Each MINI dealer will have a sales environment and staffing 
exclusively dedicated to the franchise.

Sales of 100,000 units a year are expected worldwide when full production has 
been reached.