Mini Cooper and S — 997 & 998 Cooper; 970, 1071 & 1275S

by Jeremy Walton

If there ever was a vision for success, it was the John Cooper brainchild - Stage 1, take an ordinary Mini with its shoe-box size and shape, its exaggerated roadholding and steering, and its already apparent popularity, and make it go faster.

Stage 2 was the good sense of BMC (as it then was) to put this "little bomb" into series production, yet retain the sales-promoting Cooper appellation.

Stage 3 was to develop the original 997 ccm engine a little more, race it, and rally it the world over.

It became a huge success for everyone concerned. The 997 became a 998. And there was the famous "S" suffix - first as a 1.100 ccm class winner at 1071, then a 1.000 ccm class winner at 971, and finally as the 1.300 ccm class (and sometimes outright) winner at 1275.

Into motoring lore came phrases such as "giant killer", "left-foot braking", and "Cooperized". Up sprang a multitude of "go-faster" tuning shops, car magazines, and a whole new breed of young aggressive drivers who learned their skill (or lack of it) at the tiny, leather-covered alloy steering wheel of their Cooper. (One never drove a Mini Cooper - it was always a Cooper.)

This is a strong, detailed development story of that famous, lovable roller-skate, the Mini Cooper. Included are contemporary, nostalgic anecdotes and a mass of interesting photographs, some specially shot in color, to pay tribute to that extrovert of extrovert Minis.

Buch, Softcover, 18,5 x 21 cm, 136 Seiten, 11 farbige und 90 s/w-Abbildungen, englischer Text
Einzelstück - Zustand: sehr gut