WHY ARE THEY CALLED THE MINI COOPER AND MINI COOPER S?
In 1961, legendary British race driver John Cooper re-tooled the Classic Mini to create a higher performance, racing version. He gave it a more powerful engine, higher and closer gear ratios, better brakes, wider tires, a color-contrasting roof to stand out in the crowd, and the Mini Cooper was born. A few years later, Cooper boosted his version of the Classic Mini even more, creating the purest racing car, the Mini Cooper S, in 1963. As time went on, the Mini Cooper became a racing phenomenon, winning 3 times at Monte Carlo (1964, 1965 and 1967) and taking home first place in numerous other races on the international rally circuit.
