Celebrating Sixty Years of the Mini in Australia
It’s a story been that’s told many times before, but it’s worth remembering that on the 23rd March this year, the Australian Mini celebrates its 60th birthday!
Faced with falling sales of their conventional Austins and Morrises, BMC Australia rather reluctantly took on the Mini, thinking it would have limited sales, rather like the Fiat 500/600, Goggomobil and Lloyd Hartnett.
Nearly two years went in to strengthening the Mini to acceptable standards so it could cope better with Australian conditions. BMC’s brilliant and very creative advertising manager, Ian Milbank conceived (pun intended) the full page ‘Births Notice’ which appeared in the nation’s morning papers.
The name ‘Mini’ was thought to have a negative impact, so Morris 850 it was. Sales, which were expected to be slow, took off at an unprecedented rate, considering front-wheel drive was relatively unknown in 1961. Within two years, the Morris 850 and Cooper were the third best selling cars in the country. The last of the sedans was made in 1978 and the Moke finished up in 1981. It is estimated just over 200,000 of all types were produced here in Australia, some with local content as high as 75%. From the spartan Morris 850, the Mini evolved through to the ‘luxury’ 1275LS (mine is in HiHo Silver), the remarkably quick Cooper S, the fun Mokes and basic Mini-Van – they were very much part of the scene for over twenty years.
Extract from The Courier Mail, Thursday, 23 March 1961
Zoom in of the extract from The Courier Mail, Thursday, 23 March 1961
Advertising material for the new Morris 850
More Morris 850 advertising material
Of course, the black and white version….
An original 1964 Morris 850 at All British a few years ago.
One of the very last Mini sedans built in Australia, this is Nairn Hindhaugh’s 1978 Leyland Mini 1275LS in HiHo Silver.
