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HERITAGE.
![Prototype Mini project drawing by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/stage/video-item/motion.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454208417.jpg)
MINI SPACE ODDESSY.
HOW TO GET WHAT YOU REALLY WANT AND NOT JUST WHAT YOU NEED.
![X-ray image of a classic Morris Mini-Minor.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/product_editorial/productEditorialPar/editorial_grid_row_863403029/leftPar/image_item/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454209373.jpg)
![Morris Mini-Minor parked by the water's edge at a marina and two women prepare to board a dinghy nearby.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/doubleimage/imageBack/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454209808.jpg)
![Two women studying a map standing next to a Morris Mini-Minor.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/doubleimage/imageFront/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454209967.jpg)
But how to get around the space and performance questions in such a compact design? Windows that slid open and didn't need room to hide the mechanism for wind-up windows and left extra space in the doors to provide deep pockets.
But to crack the ultimate in experience question, Issigonis performed two even more radically creative sleights of hand. Setting the wheels at the very outer edge of each corner of the car added a revolutionary go-kart feel and an impact on the cars performance that was unmistakable - the car gripped the road and took cornering with ease and confidence.
![Sir Alec Issigonis sitting inside a Mini.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/doubleimage_478404147/imageBack/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454210597.jpg)
![A Mini Cooper racing in 1965.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/doubleimage_478404147/imageFront/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454210758.jpg)
For his second trick, Issigonis rotated the engine so that it sat sideways. This increased the interior space and legroom and allowed 80% of the internal space of the car to be used by passengers. Upping the ante on comfort, it also underscored the sociable nature of the small car as more passengers could climb in for the ride.
![Prototype Mini project drawing by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/product_editorial_1789497704/productEditorialPar/editorial_grid_row_1343227152/leftPar/image_item/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454211609.jpg)
![A Morris Mini Cooper S Mk 2 – 1968 in London.](/en_MS/home/heritage/mini-space-oddessy/jcr:content/main/par/product_editorial_1789497704/productEditorialPar/editorial_grid_row_2067463349/leftPar/image_item/damImage.narrow.{width}w.j_1676454212293.jpg)