tale of two minis

Read ‘Mini’ by Simon Garfield. It tells the story of the original 1959 Mini and the new 2001 MINI, and it’s mostly transcripts of interviews with the people involved - so it’s delightfully direct and unmediated. What’s most interesting to people like us is the role of the brand. The original Mini was developed opportunistically - an economical car in reaction to petrol rationing after the Suez crisis. Over time, it became a brand. The new car was deliberately created by BMW to revitatise the original Mini brand - so you can read here the inside story of a model of brand-led innovation.

(Robert Jones)