2000 | Rover Mini "Knightsbridge"

Pocket-sized style icon – the 2000 Mini Knightsbridge

When the Suez Crisis breaks out in 1956, petrol becomes scarce in the UK. The British Motor Corporation needs a new small yet affordable car to serve a growing middle class. Engineer Alec Issigonis is given free rein. He pulls the axles as far apart as possible, mounts the engine transversely and the gearbox just below it. The result is a space-saving wonder – a car that measures just three metres in length accommodating four adults. The doors feature wide compartments for milk or beer bottles, Issigonis's design having veered away from traditional hand crank windows.

The Mini is well received in general, not to mention by a whole host of celebrities; Princess Margaret and model Twiggy drive one, as does Paul McCartney. Formula 1 racing car builder John Cooper adds more glamour to the style icon, fine-tuning the engine and retrofitting disc brakes. In the 1960s, not only does the Mini Cooper win the Monte Carlo Rally three times, it also goes into series production.

The smallest becomes the biggest; the biggest often becomes the fastest. If the Mini is one thing, it's unconventional. In a time of social upheaval, it's a car that women and men of all classes can identify with. The model is so popular that it even outlives its successor, the Mini Metro, and is built right up until the year 2000. As is often the case with successful models, a few special editions of the Mini roll off the production line to give sales a final boost for its grand finale. The special Knightsbridge edition from 2000 features a walnut dashboard and leather interior. This year may mark the end of the line for the Mini, but the last 5.3 million units are all true to the same promise; delivering unadulterated joy. The steering response is immediate like a go-kart, the road holding is uncompromising (as is the suspension) and the engine is present and powerful in each of the four gears – let's not forget that the Mini weighs only around 690 kg.

Cherished by its first owner for 20 years, our auction vehicle is one of the few remaining that were first registered in Switzerland. It's been in the hands of the current owner since 2020. This is an exceptional car with a full service history. The shock absorbers were replaced a few months ago. A car with cult status at a fair price.