“Mini Cooper” is pretty-much synonymous with the BMW-owned British carmaker Mini these days, but that would not have been the case if a certain collaboration between Mini and the Cooper Car Company did not happen in 1961. So to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the marked partnership, Mini has introduced a special Anniversary Edition for the three-door Mini Cooper.
The Special Anniversary Edition is made in tribute to John Cooper Sr, who passed away in 2000. It’ll be available in Mini Cooper, Cooper S, and Cooper JCW guises, but only 740 units will be made globally, in reference to the starting number 74 which the classic Mini Cooper wore on its first successful racetrack appearance.
Announced on what would’ve been John Cooper Sr’s 98th birthday, the Anniversary Edition features quite a number of bespoke touches, including a British Racing Green, Midnight Black, or Rebel Green exterior, contrasted by a white roof, mirror caps, door handles, and surrounds for the head and tail lights.
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The Anniversary Edition also features the original Cooper Car Company logo on the C-pillars and side scuttles. Finishing off the bespoke exterior look are the white racing stripes on the hood, as well as the ’74’ numbering decal on the doors, in honour of the aforementioned original Mini Cooper race car.
Inside, the Mini Cooper Anniversary Edition is outfitted with a black Dinamica leather upholstery for the seats, which complements the Piano Black trim of the dashboard. Other touches include the Cooper badge on the steering wheel and side sill plates.
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Each Anniversary Edition model will also feature the signatures of three generations of the Cooper family: John Cooper, his son John Jr, and his grandson Charlie on the dashboard, and a handwritten plaque that notes each car’s individual number of the 740-strong run, accompanied by the phrase “60 Years of Mini Cooper – The Unexpected Underdog”.
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