Best cars & vans

3. Mini Cooper - The Italian Job

The success of the Mini showed no signs of slowing down during the sixties – not only was it a fashion icon owned by celebrities, but it was cheap and practical enough to be popular with families.

by: Auto Express team

8 Feb 2017

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The success of the Mini showed no signs of slowing down during the sixties – not only was it a fashion icon owned by celebrities, but it was cheap and practical enough to be popular with families.

The Mini is one of the most iconic British cars in automotive history, and its reputation was cemented when three Minis starred in the classic movie, The Italian Job.

Used as tools for an enormous gold heist in Turin, the red, white and blue Mini Coopers dip and dive through streets, a shopping arcade and even an enormous sewer to escape the police. The fast paced action and amazing capabilities of the little Italian Job Minis only increased the level of cool attached to the production cars.

The genius of the Mini’s design knew no bounds. The Mini was one of the first cars to fit an engine transversely, which created more space for people and things inside. The dashboard was simple, the body panels were thin and the car was light. This recipe meant the Mini was brilliant at almost any type of racing it was entered into; it would beat V8 muscle cars in touring car races and go on to become one of the most successful Monte Carlo rally cars ever.