The MINI: Celebrating 50 Years of a Modern Motoring IconThe MINI: Celebrating 50 Years of a Modern Motoring Icon

Brian Laban might be the most prolific writer on the MINI.  We have already featured two of his other books: The Little Book of MINI and The MINI: The Making of a Modern Icon.

Shown is his most recent book from 2009.  From the book jacket:

The most innovative, fun-filled and spectacularly successful British car ever built, the Mini has come to be regarded as far more than just an automobile. This book is a celebration of the Mini and all that it stands for. It tells the story of the car’s development, from Issigonis’ original right up to BMW’s MINI of today, explaining the car’s enduring appeal.

Using original and contemporary photographs and with tales from the famous, the good and the infamous who have known and loved Minis, this is the only book on the Mini that every motoring enthusiast and Mini lover could ever want.

To many thousands of people around the world the Mini is a way of life. Since it first rolled off the production line in August 1959, the car remained essentially the same for 40 years while revolutionising the motor industry, inspiring artists, starring in films and winning numerous racing trophies. When change did eventually come with BMW’s new MINI, the style of the original car mixed with the up-to-date technology proved a winning combination that has continued to thrill Mini fans everywhere. Broken into sections dealing with Size – why no other ‘small’ car comes close; Class – how it was eagerly adopted by Lords and call-girls; Sex – the Swinging Sixties would have merely swayed without it; Speed – how it ate Jags for tea; Money – it never made any; Love – why it won the hearts of millions; Faith – how BMW came to the rescue; and, Rebirth – how it came back to life.

The 208 page hardcover book has forward by Jeremy Clarkson and Frank Stephenson, the designer of the original new MINI.  Chapters are one-word names including Size, Style, Class, Sex, Taste, Speed, Speed 2, Money, Love, Faith, Rebirth, and Success.

This edition is an update to his original The Mini: Forty Years of Fun published in 1999.

Laban Brian, Forward by Jeremy Clarkson
The MINI: Celebrating 50 Years of a Modern Motoring Icon
Carlton Books, 2009
208 p.
ISBN-10: 1847323731, ISBN-13: 978-1847323736