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HERITAGE.
The Definitive List of MINI Special Editions.
MINI has a long and storied history of special editions. Starting from 1976 there has been rarely a year where we didn’t present a special version of a MINI. These cars sometimes introduced features that would become a mainstay in regular production cars soon after, and always made our fans’ hearts beat a little faster. Check out our extensive list – featuring the cars that were available worldwide and were built by MINI – below.
''The first Editions.''
The very first special edition MINI was the Mini Limited Edition 1000, also known as „Stripey”. At the time, special editions were not common, but that would quickly change, with 16 further special editions produced in the next thirteen years.The Mini Limited Edition 1000 wasn’t just a special car because it got the ball rolling, but also because it served an important function: most of its unique features – it was the first round-nosed Mini with eye-ball air vents, twin chrome door mirrors and reclining front seats – were quickly adopted for standard car production.
Many special edition cars would follow – usually in unique and head-turning paint jobs – such as the successful Mini 25, celebrating the brands 25th anniversary, the beautiful sparkling silver Mini Ritz, or the golden Mini Piccadilly. The latter two, along with the Mini Chelsea, were named after areas of London and became affectionately known as “Posh Minis”.
As we approached the brand’s 30th anniversary we released the Mini Sky, Flame, Racing and Rose, which were the first production Minis with contrast roofs since the 1960s. This helped influence car design for Mini in the 1990s, as well as the new MINIs at the turn of the millenium.
''Everything old is new again.''
In the 1990s, the special editions breathed new life into Mini, keeping it fresh and relevant throughout the decade. One of the first important exclusive cars of this era was the Mini Cooper RSP (Rover Special Products) from 1990. It was the first Cooper in 21 years, and when it sold out before even hitting show rooms it was a clear message that there was demand for a new Mini Cooper.
But at this time there were also more Minis inspired by the world outside of car manufacturing, such as the golf-inspired Mini British Open Classic, or the Mini Italian Job, which of course celebrated the classic 1965 caper movie. But there were also cars celebrating important elements of Mini’s car history, such as the Mini Cooper Monte Carlo from 1994, which celebrated Paddy Hopkirk returning to the Monte Carlo Rally, 30 years after his original win, famously achieved in a Mini Cooper.
Similarly, The Mini Cooper Sports LE commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Mini Cooper’s victory in four Saloon Car Championship races in 1968, while the Mini John Cooper LE reminded fans of the 40th anniversary of the 1959 Brabham/Cooper Formula One World Championship win.
This decade also marked multiple collaborations with British designer Paul Smith, with the One-Off Designer Paul Smith (LINK) as well as the Mini Paul Smith in 1998.
''The new MINI era.''
After the 2001 launch of the “new” MINI, it took a few years for the first limited edition cars to appear. Indeed, you could say that the new MINI’s original production models took the world so much by storm and were so unique in themselves that it took time to figure out how special editions could add to and enhance their burgeoning reputation. By 2005 it was time to put a fresh spin on the first generation MINI models, and that’s exactly what we did with the MINI Seven, MINI Cooper Checkmate and MINI Cooper Park Lane, and a couple of years later with the MINI Sidewalk, which was aimed at convertible-lovers.
The next wave of special edition models – as well as a whole host of car concepts – were released to coincide with MINI’s 50th birthday. Two prominent cars were first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show and later at the MINI United Festival at the legendary British racetrack of Silverstone in May 2009. The Mini 50 Mayfair and MINI 50 Camden came with multiple upgrades and were appropriately sporty for the occasions and the venue, with the MINI Cooper S versions of the vehicles available with a four-cylinder, twin-scroll turbocharger engine offering 172 hp (126 kW). The same year, we released the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50, which also celebrated John Cooper’s racing team’s Formula One title victory 50 years before.
''Big occasions, big style.''
By this time, MINI had reached the point where the brand could draw upon a very rich and exciting heritage, whether with regards to its racing achievements, earlier models, or the brand identity. A good example of the latter are the MINI Green Park and MINI High Park, from 2012.
On the other hand, there was also an eagerness for models to be forward-thinking and push the boundaries of what a MINI and a MINI Special Edition could offer in terms of car style and progressiveness. Special Edition models, such as the MINI Inspired by Goodwood, the MINI Convertible Highgate and The MINI Clubman Bond Street, brought an increased element of luxury to the brand. There were also editions celebrating special occasions, like the 2012 London Olympic Games in our home country, the MINI Baker Street and MINI Bayswater.
''GOOD TODAY, BETTER TOMORROW.''
In 2016, we launched the MINI Seven, taking its name from the very first MINI, the 1959 Austin Seven. It was the first Special Edition based on the newest generation of MINIs. The latest MINI John Cooper Works GP, or the MINI GP3, was released with north of 300 hp (220 kW), making it the fastest MINI ever approved for public roads.
It also didn’t take long for the MINI Electric to receive its own special edition, in the shape of the MINI Electric Collection for the MINI Cooper SE.
2022 began with quite a bang, with the release of three different Special Editions all celebrating different aspects of MINI’s personality. The MINI Countryman Untamed was designed for the off-road, as much as the tarmac. The MINI Clubman Untold, meanwhile, represented mature elegance, while the MINI Clubman Resolute stood for quite the opposite, celebrating optimistic, colourful youthfulness and energy.
And what will the future bring? As we start to approach a time where the entire MINI line-up will be fully electric, and with the constant change in car culture, we can only speculate as to how that will influence the types of special edition models we will be able to develop. We can’t wait, and we hope you can’t either!
Hinweis (English disclaimers below):
Die offiziellen Angaben zu Kraftstoffverbrauch, CO2-Emissionen und Stromverbrauch wurden nach dem vorgeschriebenen Messverfahren VO (EU) 715/2007 in der jeweils geltenden Fassung ermittelt. Die Angaben berücksichtigen bei Spannbreiten Unterschiede in der gewählten Rad- und Reifengröße. Die Werte der Fahrzeuge basieren bereits auf der neuen WLTP-Verordnung und werden in NEFZ-Äquivalenzwerte zurückgerechnet, um den Vergleich zwischen den Fahrzeugen zu gewährleisten. Bei diesen Fahrzeugen können die CO2-Werte für fahrzeugbezogene Steuern oder andere Abgaben, die (zumindest unter anderem) auf CO2-Emissionen basieren, von den hier angegebenen Werten abweichen. Die CO2-Effizienz-Spezifikationen werden gemäß der Richtlinie 1999/94/EG und der Europäischen Verordnung in der jeweils gültigen Fassung festgelegt. Die angegebenen Werte basieren auf dem Kraftstoffverbrauch, den CO2-Werten und dem Energieverbrauch nach dem NEFZ-Zyklus für die Klassifizierung. Weitere Informationen über den offiziellen Kraftstoffverbrauch und die spezifischen CO2-Emissionen neuer Personenkraftwagen können dem "Handbuch über den Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer Personenkraftwagen" entnommen werden, das an allen Verkaufsstellen und unter https://www.dat.de/angebote/verlagsprodukte/leitfaden-kraftstoffverbrauch.html erhältlich ist.
Disclaimer:
The values of fuel consumptions, CO2 emissions and energy consumptions shown were determined according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version applicable at the time of type approval. The figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown considers optional equipment and the different size of wheels and tires available on the selected model. The values of the vehicles are already based on the new WLTP regulation and are translated back into NEDC-equivalent values in order to ensure the comparison between the vehicles. [With respect to these vehicles, for vehicle related taxes or other duties based (at least inter alia) on CO2-emissions the CO2 values may differ to the values stated here.] The CO2 efficiency specifications are determined according to Directive 1999/94/EC and the European Regulation in its current version applicable. The values shown are based on the fuel consumption, CO2 values and energy consumptions according to the NEDC cycle for the classification. For further information about the official fuel consumption and the specific CO2 emission of new passenger cars can be taken out of the „handbook of fuel consumption, the CO2 emission and power consumption of new passenger cars“, which is available at all selling points and at https://www.dat.de/angebote/verlagsprodukte/leitfaden-kraftstoffverbrauch.html
MINI Cooper S Clubman:
Fuel consumption combined in l/100km: - (NEDC); 6.8 – 6.3 (WLTP), CO2 emissions combined in g/km: - (NEDC); 154 – 143 (WLTP). The values shown for fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are calculated in accordance with the measurement method prescribed in the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version applicable at the time of approval. The ranges shown take into consideration the differences in the wheel and tyres sizes selected. The values are already based on the new WLTP test cycle and have been translated back into NEDC-equivalent values for the purpose of comparison. For these models, different values to those shown here apply when calculating taxes and other vehicle-related duties that (also) focus on the CO2 emissions. Depending on the environmental conditions, a temporary peak of the combustion engine power is provided, which can be approx. 10% above the rated power. The duration of the peak performance increases with falling ambient temperature (approx. 5 s at + 25 ° C, approx. 40 s at -20 ° C). For further information about the official fuel consumption and the specific CO2 emission of new passenger cars can be taken out of the “handbook of fuel consumption, the CO2 emission and power consumption of new passenger cars“, which is available at all selling points and at https://www.dat.de/angebote/verlagsprodukte/leitfaden-kraftstoffverbrauch.html.