Mini Repair and Service PDF Manuals

In 1958, the British Motor Corp. founded the Mini automobile brand. The history of the company dates back to 1956, when the Suez crisis clearly demonstrated the problems of the global fuel supply system, leading to the introduction of gas coupons in the UK. At this time, the head of British Motors, Leonard Lord, created a team of engineers, instructing them to create a car so compact that fuel consumption would be the lowest possible values, while retaining the ability to accommodate 4 adults and the necessary luggage in the cabin.

For two years there were continuous works, and after the registration of the "Mini" trademark, the start of production of the first model of the brand was announced. However, the start of sales was delayed by several months, due to the fact that it took a long time to create a large stock of Mini for dealers throughout the UK. Under the hood of the model is a 0.8-liter power unit, developed by another company within the British Motor company - Morris, which also established the production of Mini cars at its factories under the name Morris Mini Minor.

Sales of Mini cars started in August 1959, and in 5 months more than 20 thousand Mini cars were sold. However, the first batches also showed the company's engineers a number of technical flaws that had to be solved by making changes during the final pre-sale preparation. However, since 1960 more than 3 thousand copies of Mini have been produced weekly every week, and on the wave of success Leonard Lord set about creating a Mini dealer network in India, and also instructed his company's design bureau to start a new project.

In 1961, the Cooper brothers, leaders of the Formula 1 team of the same name, presented their version of the highly popular Mini, equipping it with a more powerful power unit. The car turned out to be very successful, and the Mini Cooper in the S modification, presented in 1963, began to take part in the World Rally Championship, as a car of the newly formed Cooper team. Already in the second year of participation, a victory was won in the most prestigious touring car race - the Monte Carlo Rally, and in 1966 the Mini Cooper became a champion car, allowing its drivers to win 6 out of 7 possible victories on the tracks of the World Rally Championship.

In 1966, Jaguar became part of the British Motor Corporation. Jaguar engineers were sent to the Mini design bureau, where they took part in the work on the new Mini Clubman model. It is worth noting that thanks to the release of a number of Mini modifications, the total number of copies exceeded 1 million in 1969. However, due to a serious outflow of funds from the most successful and profitable project "BMC", the modernization of "Mini" cars was completely stopped. In 1986, the five millionth Mini came off the assembly line. However, this was the end of the original history of the Mini company, which was part of the Rover concern until 1994, after which it came under the control of the German brand BMW.

Six years later, after the division of the Land Rover brand, when BMW sold its off-road division to the American concern Ford, the question arose of how to deal with the successful but forgotten Mini brand. The management of the Bavarian company decided to revive the company, and at the same time test new developments. The first Mini to move back to the UK was the Mini Coupe in 2001, equipped with a 1.6 liter 115 horsepower engine.

This was followed by a whole range of Mini cars, which were still in demand in the European car market. In the wake of the success, it was decided to start delivering Mini cars to the United States of America, Russia and China in 2004. However, the presence of many modifications of one model, albeit a super successful one, did not please the management of the parent company, which led to the start of work on the first all-wheel drive Mini.

So in 2010, the Mini Countryman was presented, built on the basis of the first generation BMW X3. In addition to the original design in the style of classic Mini cars and a bright palette of body colors, it was decided to keep the technical component of the X3. Under the hood is a 1.6-liter power unit with 122 and 164 horsepower. In addition, Mini began to take part in the Paris-Dakar rally-raid, winning its first title in 2012 and defending the title of the best all-wheel drive crossover in 2013.

In 2012, Mini acquired its own tuning studio, named Cooper. So gradually the lineup was replenished with modifications of each of the Mini versions performed by Cooper, who developed an original aerodynamic body kit, and also modernized the existing power units together with BMW minders.

In 2013, the company continued to develop in several directions - racing, serial production and holding tournaments. In addition, in order to expand the boundaries of influence, she established a flow of new models to China. In the fall, the company carried out a three-day tour of its new products in the main cities of the world: London, Los Angeles and Shanghai.

In early 2014, the Mini Paceman and Countryman in Austria announced the discontinuance for 2016. This is due to the termination of the contract between Mini and BMW. However, the company's management assured that the production capacity in the Netherlands and England will be sufficient for a stable car production.

In 2015, Mini continued to update the existing model range and develop new products. In addition, the company continues to participate in various social and cultural events, and also tries its hand at new technologies.