NEW BOOK TAKES A LOOK AT THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE SMALL CAR
Mini Scrapbook 60 years of a British icon
By Martin Port
Published by Porter Press International
Publication date: 17 June 2019
Softback ● RRP: £20.00
ISBN: 978-1-907085-94-9 ● 176 pages
Format 240mm x 300mm ● Over 400 photos
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Mini – a little car which made a big impact when it was launched in 1959. With its unique combination of aesthetics, space efficiency, engineering approach, and handling, the Mini was the brainchild of genius designer Alec Issigonis, and proved to be an instant hit – not just with the general buying public, but also with celebrities like The Beatles, Twiggy and Peter Sellers, and racers like Sir Stirling Moss. It became a much-loved staple of the British car industry – a position that it has arguably maintained for 60 years and continues to enjoy today.
In this latest addition to the Scrapbook series from Porter Press, the story of this unique little car is broken up into accessible nuggets and supported by an extensive array of archive and contemporary photographs, to illustrate just what makes the Mini so special, so loved and such fun!
Story highlights
- Setting the scene – Discovering why this charismatic little car is so loved around the world.
- From concept to reality – Revealing how Alec Issigonis and his team turned their thoughts from rough sketches to prototypes to production cars.
- The life of the Mini – Introducing each incarnation of the classic Mini, from 1959 to 2000.
- The Mini in competition – Exploring the car’s place in motorsport and the famous racers who got behind the wheel.
- Popular culture – From celebrity owners to appearances on the silver screen – including Brit cult classic movie The Italian Job.
- Tuning the Mini – Delves into a whole host of upgrades and add-ons that were available, including key tuning modifications as demonstrated by Downton, Cooper and Broadspeed.
- Mini variants – The Mini was the basis for many, many variations – from the Moke to the Midas, from the slightly strange to the downright absurd.
- BMW Mini – Brings us up to date, with a look at 21st-century incarnations, including the 60th-anniversary model – the latest in a long line of cars to wear the Mini name.
- Lots to look at – Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, documents and memorabilia that document the car’s past, present and future.
- A very different sort of book – Dip in, dip out and discover all the fun of the Mini!
The author
Author Martin Port has worked in automotive publishing for 18 years – the last 16 of these for leading classic car title, Classic & Sports Car. Over the last 27 years, he has owned a variety of classics, from a Mini Metro to a Morris Minor, a Porsche 912 to a Series II Land-Rover, and, of course, the legendary Mini. The first of these was a 1968 Morris Mini MkII Super DeLuxe, driven from Cheshire to Berkshire with a hole in one of the valves. The second was a 1980 model rescued from a hedge in Richmond the day that it was due to be scrapped. Thanks to the Mini’s unique driving experience, which always puts a smile on his face, it will always have a corner of his motoring heart.
Also out now!
As well as being the 60th anniversary of the Mini, this year also marks the 50thanniversary of British cult classic film The Italian Job, in which of course the Mini plays a starring, scene-stealing role. Fans of the iconic little car can celebrate this milestone with another new title fresh from the Porter Press fold: The Self Preservation Society – 50 Years of The Italian Job. Written by the world authority on the film, Matthew Field, this new book takes a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at how the film made its way to our screens. It is based on more than 50 in-depth interviews with the cast and crew and lavishly illustrated with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and production documents.
