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HERITAGE.
The MINI ACV 30 – or The Big “What If”.
Moments in history that singularly decide the future of a brand are exceptionally rare. Usually, it’s a long series of discussions and deliberations that shape how things move forward. But in MINI’s case, there was such an occasion, right in the middle of the 1990s, where designers and decision-makers sat down to choose how the MINI for the next century would look. The car that we know today as the 2001 MINI was there, but so were others, most notably among them the radical ACV 30, a car made to turn heads. Looking at it today, you probably couldn’t even imagine the ACV 30 as the new MINI. But you’d be surprised just how big of an influence it still has on our brand to this day.
The year 1994 might be one of the most important years in the history of MINI. This was the year BMW acquired the Rover Group, the British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate. At the time, the Rover Group owned brands such as Rover, Land Rover and MG (a marque sports car brand), as well as Mini. There was anticipation that a new Mini would follow the purchase soon. The idea for a new generation of the iconic car had actually been floating around since the end of the 1960s but never really got off the ground. This was mainly thanks to opposing public opinion. But everything changed quickly once the new owners came onboard.
BMW naturally had big ambitions, and just a year later, the wheels for the creation of a new generation of MINIs were set in motion. Crucially, BMW had a different vision on how to take the classic car into the future. On the one hand, Rover would have maintained the path set out by original designer, Sir Alec Issigonis. On the other, BMW wanted the car to become a sporty premium small car, while maintaining the characteristics – its clever use of space and that unmistakable go-kart feeling – that made it an icon of the 20th century.
Naturally, this strategy meant a complete reimagining of the classic Mini. BMW tasked both Rover and BMW design teams to come up with their own concepts for this new generation. The teams went to work, and in October 1995 at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust’s centre at Gaydon, they presented their work. While the Rover team’s proposals adhered to the size and simplicity of the original Mini, in the end the one of the BMW team’s designs was chosen, as it was more akin to the premium image BMW had in mind. That design – created by Frank Stephenson – would form the basis of the new MINI, but the other cars from that fateful meeting are also important in the history of the brand.
The most famous of these design concepts was the first MINI designed by Adrian van Hooydonk (then an automotive exterior designer, now the current Senior Vice President BMW Group Design). It drew inspiration from the company’s sporty past to point towards its future. While the concept was rejected in 1995, it was further developed and released as a full concept vehicle, premiering to the public under the name of Anniversary Concept Vehicle, or ACV 30, in January 1997. The name referred to Mini’s spectacular victories at the Monte Carlo Rally 30 years prior (1964, 1965 and 1967). The car was actually not planned to be shown to audiences, but the anniversary – and the fact that the ACV 30 could prime the public for Mini’s evolution into MINI – changed BMW’s and Rover’s mind.
The ACV 30 at first glance bears little resemblance to the new MINI that would ring in the new millennium, but on closer inspection there are many similarities. At the time, the car was presented as the contemporary version of a rally supercar, paying homage to Mini’s past. It was based upon the chassis and 1.8 litre powertrain of the mid-engined MG F roadster (remember, MG was also part of the Rover Group). So, not only was the ACV 30 not front-engined like the classic Mini, but it was also rear wheel drive. This was never meant to be a permanent change and was probably just the result of using the MG F for the functioning concept vehicle. The final production MINI is of course front-engined, front-wheel driven, just like the original Mini.
But enough about what underpins the ACV 30. Let’s look at the truly exciting elements of the car, its exterior and interior. Importantly, the ACV 30 showed that distinctive features, such as the classic Mini’s hexagonal radiator grille and round headlights, could be carried over into a future model. Being a rally car, the concept also received four extra lights on its front. These extra lights – while not making it into the standard version final urban MINI – were actually available for purchase from MINI, and you could get them fitted as well. The bulbous wheel arches also made their influence known, although the ones featured on the final MINI would be more reserved. The bulbous wheel arches also made their influence known, although the ones featured on the final MINI would be more reserved. The chunky arches were not entirely forgotten, however; one only needs to look at the Mini Vision Next 100 from 2016 to spot the similarities.
There were other elements that became part of the first new MINI. Most notably it had the large headlights, a hatchback boot format and the floating roof with the iconic black pillars. The red body and white top were directly taken from the 1967 Monte Carlo winning Mini, which just goes to show how ageless some elements of the Mini design are. The white bonnet stripes were just the icing on the cake. Just as important was the car’s interior, which was almost production ready, and would unsurprisingly form the basis of the production MINI’s interior design, with its prominent centrally mounted speedometer.
At the ACV 30’s premiere, BMW made it clear that the car was not meant to be a prototype for the coming new MINI, but represented some of the ideas the company wanted the new MINI to make its own. The actual MINI prototype was to be unveiled eight months later, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1997, drawing attention from everyone who saw it. But nobody forgot the confident, sporty and stunning car that came just a couple of months before it.
At its premiere, the ACV 30 led a parade lap before the start of the 1997 Monte Carlo Rally, along with the three winning cars from the 1960s, connecting past to the future. In a way, we’re still taking cues and celebrating its ideas to this day.
The MINI One-Off Series.
Our history is enriched by a long list of one-off cars. Whether they were created for movies, noble causes, or designed by celebrities to show the world the many faces of MINI’s personality, we love them all equally. That is why we wanted to look back at these cars, and share their unique stories.
Check out other cars in the series:
The groovy Union Jack clad MINI Cooper Austin Powers.
The blacker than black MINI Calvin Klein.
The classic Designer MINI Kate Moss.
Mr. Bean's legendary, broom driven MINI.
The shiny MINI designed by David Bowie.
The unforgettable MINI motorhome, the shapeshifting Wildgoose.
The coolest, Batman-inspired pink MINI, the MINI Ice Cream Van.
The all-conquering off-road MINI designed by DSQUARED2.
