1999 Rover Mini Cooper '40' 2 Door Saloon

Description

The legendary Mini Cooper was first announced more than forty years ago, in October 1961, a collaboration between BMC and John Cooper, already famous as a race car constructor whose cars had won the Formula One Championship in the hands of Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren. Cooper took Alec Issigonis' Mini and added the necessary ingredients to properly exploit the inherent abilities of the Mini's superb chassis. Blessed with more power and better braking thanks to discs up front, the Mini Cooper embarked on a stellar motor sport career that culminated in outright victories in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967. The original Cooper (and subsequent 'S' version) remained in production until British Leyland rationalized the range in 1971 although a version built under licence by Innocenti in Italy remained on sale for several years. After a 21-year absence, the famous Cooper name was revived in 1990-1991 by Rover Special Products, using a 1275cc engine and was sold in three colours; Flame Red, Black and British Racing Green. Lavishly equipped by 1960s standards, the new Coopers boasted leather upholstery, a leather steering wheel, full carpets, a sunroof, twin driving lights, wide alloy Minilite-style rims under wheelarch extensions and an oil cooler. In 1997 the Cooper received new multi-point injection, plus a front-mounted radiator and several safety upgrades and numerous special editions were sold until production finally drew to a close in 2000, proving particularly popular in export markets like Japan. The ultimate '40th Anniversary' edition Mini Cooper was released in April 1999, adding a CD player, twin spot lights, 13-inch Sportspack wheels under specially enlarged arches, special colour-matched leather trim, an alloy dash with chrome accents and special anniversary badging. The combination of retro style, modern performance, safety and convenience has seen demand for the final Mini Coopers remain strong.