[ChrisMG]

Go

I've looked everywhere including the BMW website and wilkipedia but I can't find anything.

All I know is that it was a british man and he also designed the Range Rover

Trust BMW to give any credit of british design :guns4:
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Lamborghini lm004 specifications

 

[MikeM]

have you tried Keith's site, www.austin-rover.co.uk ?

 

[Atmos]

All I know is that it was a british man and he also designed the Range Rover

No. The MINI was designed by the American Frank Stephenson at the BMW Munich headquarter.

You find him by wikipedia too, a quote "Stephenson spent 11 years at BMW, where he worked on the BMW X5. He is best known for the design of the 2001 BMW MINI."

 

[MGROVERnut]

No. The MINI was designed by the American Frank Stephenson at the BMW Munich headquarter.

You find him by wikipedia too, a quote "Stephenson spent 11 years at BMW, where he worked on the BMW X5. He is best known for the design of the 2001 BMW MINI."

Yes but it's important to distinguish between engineering and design. As far as I know the engineering was mostly caried out by Rover under the supervision of BMW...

 

[Atmos]

Have you read the austin-rover.co.uk MINI development story? It´s really worth reading. There were some twists and turns (for example BMW created the MINI platform, they handed it to Rover who "were hamstrung by the fact that they needed to learn the new (to them) chassis using a R&D centre that was miniscule in comparison with BMW’s" - and so on). Keith says it right that the MINI was "a BMW first and a Rover second".

 

[iburnley]

And whos designed the revised one due out later in the year, presumably B*W people,

From what ive seen of the spyshots, the new dash is much better but the front end looks more like a grand punto than a mini.

In many respects I think the new Mini is the ultimate disgrace and humiliation of this country the fact that it is owned by the Germans

 

[bmc1275]

And whos designed the revised one due out later in the year, presumably B*W people,

From what ive seen of the spyshots, the new dash is much better but the front end looks more like a grand punto than a mini.

In many respects I think the new Mini is the ultimate disgrace and humiliation of this country the fact that it is owned by the Germans

If I remember correctly new-new Mini is developed by Ricardo. I think I read this in Autocar. Which means Mini is still British?

 

[ChrisMG]

Go

In many respects I think the new Mini is the ultimate disgrace and humiliation of this country the fact that it is owned by the Germans

Theres worse,

Truimph SPITFIRE is owned by them too. What a joke.:sad3:
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FORD WIKI PICTURE

 

[Atmos]

The new MINI is developed by BMW at Munich (possible that they gave away subcontracts to a company like Ricardo, but those will only cover a limited task).

The MINI design centre is located at Munich too:

BMW Group to establish new MINI design center in Munich
By Giancarlo Perini

17 April 2001 – Early this year, BMW has established a separate MINI design centre in Munich, under the direction of Gert Volker Hildebrand, a graduate of the Royal College of Art who in recent years has been the director of Seat design. Hildebrand joined the BMW Group Design centre early this year and reports to Chris Bangle, Design director of the BMW Group.

Late this year, the Mini Design team, currently located within the BMW Design Centre, will move to its new premises being built at Hufeland Strasse, around the corner from BMW’s FIZ building. The move is motivated by philosophical and practical reasons: on one side BMW Group wants as much brand separation as possible. On the other side, the FIZ is crowded and some space must be made free.

The Mini Design Team is currently made up of 7 people. With Gert Hildebrand work Frank Stephenson, designer of the new Mini, Marcus Syring, 37, in charge of interior design and concept and Marisol Manso, a Spanish designer, also 37, who used to work with Hildebrand at Seat. She is in charge of colour and trim. In addition the team include a technician, one trainee and one assistant to Mrs. Manso.

Asked what the team was going to work on now that the new Mini range is complete, (One, Cooper and Cooper S) Mr. Hildebrand answered with a joke: “well,nothing... You see this is the ideal job. Like the old Mini, the new Mini will last another year 40 years so we have nothing to do.” Talking seriously he said that there is a lot of work to do... “the new kids need brothers and sisters and in the meantime we can also work at optimising the life cycle of the new Mini.

 

[ChrisMG]

Go

The new MINI is developed by BMW at Munich (possible that they gave away subcontracts to a company like Ricardo, but those will only cover a limited task).

The MINI design centre is located at Munich too:

BMW really like to take the biscut. I was going to buy a new MINI but I might as well buy a micra- its probally more British!

I see MINI's with Union flags as roofs, even on the MINI adverts. Yet the car is as british as sausages and Grolsh. What has come of this country for people not to care? Why don't they?

Im not racist or Xenophobic I just want people to be proud of their country, to support their fellow workers and people to think about the future.

BMW could so easily pull the plug on Cowley and go to somewhere like Brazil, China or Poland. Then what would be left?..... nothing what so ever.

Recentally I spoke to someone who fighted in the 2nd world war for this country. He told me about all the cars he owned... Morris minor, Austin 7, mini etc. I told him I owned a BRG R25; he said "thats nice" then I asked him what car he had, and he said a pegout 207 and some Audi.

It's strange to think that even the most patrotic people choose Audis, BMW's etc. I wonder why?.. considering none of these marques have cars at good value for money... just look at the BMW 1 series......
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Continental Mark Iii

 

[Liam Olf]

Keith says it right that the MINI was "a BMW first and a Rover second".

If I needed any more reason not to buy one... :eyes:

 

[ZTalker]

I'm a real Mini enthusiast, as oposed to the BMW varient. Below is my Cooper 'S' replica.

Quite often I park next to a BMW Cooper 'S' at work and it amazing to see the massive difference in size as the Beemer towers above my Issigonis original!

 

[timekiller]

Theres worse,

Truimph SPITFIRE is owned by them too. What a joke.:sad3:

Bentley also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley

 

[iburnley]

I have to say that as much i dont like the fact that the Mini is owned by B*W thats the reality, So I do think if you like the New Mini and it meets your requirements then you should buy one. Afterall it is built here, the new revised cooper versions will have british built engines so it does provide significant employment in this country and if you want a small british built car, then with Ryton going your only choices will be the Mini or the Micra.

Of course if at some point in the future B*W move mini production abroad then that would be different but peronally despite the scare mongers unless it gets really uneconomic to make the Mini in this country I dont think B*W will do that.

Personally while an MGR ZR was available i wouldnt have considered a Mini but I would probably now go for a Mini over a Naj ZR. I have always liked the new Mini it does look like a nicely put together car, in my teens and early twenties i had a number of original Mini which were great but I would find them too small and basic today.

 

[AndrewPorter]

It is only natural that the Mini is designed in Munich it is one car in a range of 11 or so therefore a separate design centre in the UK would be an expensive luxury.

I also believe BMW understand its Britishness more than they are given credit for - not least when you consider their investment in Oxford (Cowley)

 

[xerif]

Apart from the rise of the Koreans, the Mini has been greatest motoring success of the decade. They are looking to produce 250K this year and it shows no sign of faltering. The original Mini never really dated for 20 years and this incarnation seems to be equally timeless.

 

[streetrover]

The new MINI is developed by BMW at Munich (possible that they gave away subcontracts to a company like Ricardo, but those will only cover a limited task).

The MINI design centre is located at Munich too:

Exactly what has been developed since 2001?

Re-read the AR artiicle and you will see that the quotes are unrepresentative and the 'BMW first' one taken out of context.

If we're ignoring engineering and the basic idea of having a Mini replacement in the first place, then who designed this? :-

http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/images/ado16dev_01.jpg

and this? :-

http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/images/ado17dev_03.jpg


Then again, the replacement programme got the go ahead under BMW and has stayed with them ever since, with any 'Rover Group' being under BMW and any Ricardo involvement being small, so ultimately and technically, it was BMW who designed the MINI.

Would it be fair to suggest that any Rover Group product designed under BMW's tenure is BMW designed, because it is ultimately down to BMW what is approved and what isn't?

 

[Devonshire Dave]

Bentley also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley

No, its worse than BMW, VW own Bentley!
BMW got Rolls Royce, and VW got Bentley, and their Crewe factory. so now one of britains finest and most traditional car makers is owned by a company that was resurrected after WW2 by the british.

Major Ivan Hirst of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers restarted, and ran production of the VW until Heinz Nordhoff took over in 1948-49. resurected from a bombed and burned out shell by the british, and the REME have apparently never had a word of thank from the VW company.

the design and facilitys for VW was turned down by several british manufacturers at the time, because it was too crude! if only we had got it....

also there was a plan to build the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur in the VW factory in DRESDEN, GERMANY, in the under utilised VW Phaeton factory. not only did we flatten the place, they are now building our cars there!

a bit of history for you there,
Dave

 

[xerif]

From what I've read Hirst was a hero to the company BUT as a civil servant was never able to accept any gifts which meant VW never really could give him what he deserved.

The war ended a long time ago...in fact most kids today have neither any interest or knowledge of it. and thank god. We've got to move on otherwise all our ex-colonies will still be moaning about what happened 300 odd years ago. Whoops I forgot about Ireland...

 

[Liam Olf]

Apart from the rise of the Koreans, the Mini has been greatest motoring success of the decade. They are looking to produce 250K this year and it shows no sign of faltering. The original Mini never really dated for 20 years and this incarnation seems to be equally timeless.

Yeah, that's right. The fact that they are facelifting it already is irrelevant... :eyes: