Although the MINI was officially launched on August 26th 1959, many MINI fans have been celebrating the birth of this most iconic of motor cars this very weekend.  On Friday 8th May 1959, trusted engineer Albert Green laid out each and every component comprising the first production Morris Mini Minor and began a one-man build.  By Monday morning 621 AOK was alive and undergoing testing.

Although there is much debate about whether this little car is really the first production MINI, this is without doubt the first Morris model.  It is also the first car to ever bear the ‘Mini’ name and the first to be built at Cowley which as we all know is home to the current generation of the car.

This first MINI is preserved in pristine condition at the British Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon and is far from a ’static display’.  At least once a year the car is allowed out to play and usually leads a convoy of MINI’s from Longbridge to Gaydon as part of the annual Gaydon MINI Festival.

Dr Jurgen Hedrich, Plant Oxford’s Managing Director, said: “Little did anyone know just how popular Sir Alec Issigonis’s car for the people would be – or that half a century later it would be reborn as the MINI and once again be built in Oxford.  This is a momentous day in the plant and car’s history. Everyone at the plant is proud to be part of both the heritage and the future of this car.”