Mini Countryman MKII Almond Green Tommy Sopwith and Roy Salvadori

Tommy Sopwith and Roy Salvadori

This illustration shows a chrome-bumper roadster from 1973-74 with 14" wire wheels and honeycomb grille

Charcoal Grey and Platinum Silver

Sadly the car earned a reputation for poor handling

The GT provided a more practical alternative to the roadster

Mini Countryman MKII Almond Green Tommy Sopwith and Roy SalvadoriThe Mini was arguably the most influential British car of the 20th century. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and launched in 1959, the mini was in production for over 40 years. In the wake of the Suez crisis in 1956, the market for German bubble cars increased dramatically but Leonard Lord, the head of the British Motor Corporation, hated them so much he laid down the basic specification for the Mini. Over the many years that the car was in production,