Before the Mini Cooper modification became the "star" of the most prestigious quarters of London, brand owner Alec Issigonis several times refused the team's proposals, referring to the fact that he made the car for a modest inhabitant.
Having made concessions to the team that had just won the Formula 1 Design Cup twice, the management of the corporation believed that it would not be able to sell more than 1000 units of the improved model.
However, over the years of production, 150,000 Mini Cooper cars have been sold. In 1963, the new Mini Cooper S appeared with an even more powerful engine. It was this car that became a real motorsport legend. In 1964, Mini Cooper won one of the most challenging tracks on the planet, in Monte Carlo.
The drivers of Paddy Hopkirk and Henry Liddon were honored as heroes, and a car that defied larger rivals entered the history of auto racing. The victory was not accidental: the next year the team of Timo Mäkinen and Paul Easter also climbed the highest step of the podium, and in 1967 the Mini Cooper S, led by Rauno Aaltonen and Henry Liddon, again won the Monte Carlo rally.
