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.
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The Mini Racing Green, Mini Checkmate and Mini Flame Red, which were produced in 1990.
''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.
The very first Mini Special Edition, the 1000 Special, or the “Stripey”.
Mini 1100 Special, created to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
The Mini Sprite from 1983.
In 1984, the Mini 25 was released to celebrate our 25th or “silver” anniversary, hence the colour. Check out the red "Mini 25" decals on each side and the boot too.
The 1985 Mini Ritz. The Silver Leaf metallic paint was designed to help evoke classic Minis from decades past.
The Mini Chelsea from 1986, designed to help increase sales in Japan.
The dazzling Mini Piccadilly from 1986, with a glittering Cashmere Gold exterior.
The distinctively black Mini Park Lane, from 1987.
The Mini Advantage, which was launched in France in May 1987 for the French Open tennis championship.
The Mini Red Hot from 1988, designed to bring fresh momentum to the car, alongside….
The Mini Jet Black from 1988.
The Mini Designer was designed in 1988 by Mary Quant, who popularized the mini skirt in the 1960’s (and named it after Mini.)
The Mini Racing in green, 1989.
The Mini Flame, in red, 1989.
The Mini Rose, with a pink body, 1989.
The Mini Sky, in white, 1989.
Celebrating our 30th anniversary in 1989, the Mini Thirty with a Cherry Red body and special badges.
Introduced in 1990, following the success of the Racing and Flame, this car was developed with alloys and sporty gearing and named the Mini Racing Green.
Introduced in 1990, following the success of the Racing and Flame, this car was developed with alloys and sport transmission and named the Mini Flame Red.
The Mini Checkmate, 1990, came with Minilite wheels and a white roof.
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The legendary John Cooper sitting in the Mini John Cooper LE, sold in 1999, commemorated Mini’s 40th anniversary and Cooper's first F1 World Championship win.
The MINI Seven, available in Solar Red, represented the 2005 interpretation of the ancestor of all MINI automobiles, the Austin Seven (later renamed the Mini), designed by Alec Issigonis in 1959.
The luxurious and understated MINI Park Lane (2005), available in Royal Grey, took its name from an exclusive 1987 special edition of the same name.
The third 2005 Special Edition, the MINI Cooper (S) Checkmate, was the sportiest of the three, with many small enhancements that gave it a bit of an athletic edge.
The highest performing MINI of the new generation of models, the MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works Kit, also known as the MINI GP, offered 215 hp (158 kW) and a top speed well above 200 km/h (125 mph).
The MINI Sidewalk, from 2007, which offered an upgraded convertible experience with special premium materials and features.
Celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2009, the sporty Mini 50 Mayfair came in brown with a white roof, chrome trims, anthracite wheel arches, and special badges.
The other special model released for our 50th anniversary, the MINI 50 Camden, was similarly sporty, but came in white.
The MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50, sporting a 211-hp (155-kW) four-cylinder engine, from 2009.
