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Article: Go by the book and produce maximum MINI performance
- Article from:
- The Scotsman
- Article date:
- February 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Scotsman. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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WHEN Sir Alex Issigonis designed the original Mini to see off the
perceived threat, mainly from German bubble cars - which, in some
cases, were little better than war surplus aircraft cockpits on
wheels - the original engine he installed proved far too powerful
for the job.
When combined with the Mini's ground-breaking levels of handling
and grip, it made what was supposed to be a four-seater family
saloon into one of the quickest sports machines on the road,
certainly on twisty roads.
So when the original Minis were launched with smaller, 850cc
engines the first thing that younger buyers did was to go in search