At its launch the Austin Se7en and Morris Mini Minor were available in two levels of trim – basic and deluxe. There were also just three colours per model for the first three years.

For the Austin: Speedwell Blue, Tartan Red and Farina Grey
For the Morris - Clipper Blue, Cherry Red and Old English White

Another distinction between the two models were the grilles: Austin versions had eight horizontal wavy bars, which were chromed, and the Morris models had seven vertical and eleven horizontal bars painted white.

The basic car had fixed rear quarter windows, , rubber floor mats, a fixed passenger seat, cloth upholstery, one sun visor, no screen washers and very little else. But what more could you expect for just £497?

For an extra £40 you could buy the deluxe version and not surprisingly a large percentage of Mini buyers opted for the trim and equipment of this model.

At £497 the Mini was a cheap car, possibly too cheap. At the time the cheapest mass produced car was the Ford Popular at £419 on the road. The Mini also undercut its stable mates in the shape of the A35 by £41 and the Morris Minor by £93.

More dramatically it knocked the foreign competition into touch by being £116 cheaper than the Fiat 600 and undercutting the Renault Dauphine and Volkswagen Beetle by a whopping £219.

The Mini was superior to all other small cars for a number of reasons. It was small, spacious, affordable, clever, nippy, easy to park, comfortable – and it looked good! As a result, it quickly became fashionable to own and the word Mini passed into everyday language.

Arguably, the Mini’s main rival was the Volkswagen Beetle. The Mini made the Beetle look expensive and slow. The Beetle was 1200cc, which gave 34bhp, the same as the Mini’s quieter 850cc engine. The Beetle was 4mph slower than the Mini, with a top speed of 68mph, and acceleration was about the same.

On the road the Mini handled better than any rival (and most sports cars) and boasted ‘penny a mile’ running costs. Nippy, easy to park, it quickly became fashionable to own and the word Mini passed into everyday language.

Subframes later allowed a huge variety of Mini derivatives: pick-up, estate, van, long boot Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet, the Mini Moke and the Mini Cabriolet. However, it was the legendary Mini Cooper, launched in 1961 that sealed the Mini’s reputation among enthusiasts.

More than 40 years on, the Mini has a passionate a following as ever and was recently voted car of the Century by motoring pundits. It’s a technical triumph, a packaging masterpiece, and as Britain’s best selling car ever, a runaway sales success.

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