The most famous Minis in the world: Super Cooper that became a legend

Levi's, Ray-Ban, Fred Perry and Dr. Martens: all of them were designed with prosaic intent, but achieved a much more premium position in the market when they reached the pinnacle of fashion.

The same could be said of MINI, which – admittedly in the wake of BMW’s once controversial reinvention in the early 2000s – has evolved from a groundbreaking small car to a premium fashion accessory that has brilliantly retained key elements of the original’s charismatic appeal.

Over time, the Mini has carved its way into history thanks to its success in motorsports and a host of famous (and sometimes infamous) owners. To celebrate our first drive in the all-new MINI Cooper, we've compiled a list of some of the most legendary Minis and Mini drivers of the past few decades.

The Italian job: Mini Cooper S

While we at Auto Express can't condone theft, we also can't hide our admiration for the cult classic The Italian Job and the three Mini Cooper S getaway cars. Although almost all of the models used in filming were destroyed, an interesting fact is that in real life, the gold stored in the boot would weigh more than a tonne. Considering Minis of this era weigh just over 600kg, this means each car would have had to lug around more than one and a half times its own weight.

Rowan Atkinson: Mr. Bean's Mini

Almost as iconic as the bumbling Mr Bean himself is his Austin Citron Green Mini 1000, complete with black bonnet and locked doors. As part of the 50th anniversary of the Goodwood Revival in 2009, Rowan Atkinson recreated the iconic scene from the Mr Bean series, driving the car from the comfort of a chair on the roof. Although in reality the car was secretly controlled by a driver hiding in the back seats, we still believe the best way to drive a Mini is with a mop and rope.

Paul Smith: MINI Stripes

Designer Paul Smith is famous for his suits and stripes – and sometimes even striped suits – and also for his Mini artwork. While the 1999 Signature Stripe Mini probably springs to mind first, the British fashion icon has also collaborated with the MINI brand several times, most recently in 2021. The result was the one-off “MINI Strip” concept: essentially a stripped-down MINI Electric, outfitted with sustainable materials and featuring a unique all-glass roof.

Enzo Ferrari: Mini Cooper 1100 S

It's safe to say that Enzo Ferrari was quite fond of Minis; in fact, he loved the car's racy characteristics so much that, according to John Cooper, Ferrari owned as many as three of them during his lifetime. Legend has it that one of these was an 1100 S, which was originally painted bright red. However, after Enzo complained that “only a Ferrari could be red,” it was later repainted grey. That's not the only modification the Italian made; he also repositioned the fog lights below the headlights and increased his Mini's top speed from 150 km/h to 153 km/h.

The Beatles: Psychedelic Mini

“Baby, you can drive my car. Yes, I'm going to be a star” – it's hard to decide who's the bigger star here: the Mini or the Beatles. Each of the Fab Four owned a Mini at some point, but perhaps the most famous of all is George Harrison's 1965 Austin Cooper S, which featured in the film Magical Mystery Tour. After owning his car for two years, the lead guitarist painted it with psychedelic artwork, taking inspiration from the book Tantra Art: Its Philosophy and Physics.

Madonna: MINI Cooper S

Madonna's love for her MINI Cooper is well documented. The title track of her ninth album, American Life, mentions the car by name. In fact, she even drove a souped-up, camouflaged MINI onto a catwalk in a censored music video for the song. Her personal MINI, on the other hand, was painted a much more understated black and was once shared with her then-partner, famous film director Guy Ritchie. The car was put up for sale in 2018 for a staggering £55,000, with just 25,000 miles on the clock.

Simon Cowell: Mini eMastered

What do you get when you spend £125,000 on a classic Mini? Well, foul-mouthed music producer Simon Cowell found out last year when he took delivery of the first-ever Mini eMastered from David Brown Automotive. Based on an original Mini donor car, the eMastered is fitted with a number of modern touches, including LED lights, a touchscreen infotainment system and, most importantly, an all-electric drivetrain with a range of up to 110 miles.

Twiggy: “You never forget your first Mini”

“You never forget your first Mini” was the slogan of the 1989 advertising campaign, which featured fashion icon Twiggy reflecting on her first car. The advert itself focused on the Rover Mini Thirty, which, as its name suggests, was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Mini's production in 1959. A total of 3,000 examples were made – two-thirds of which were red – and each example was accompanied by a leather-bound book documenting the car's history up to that point.

Paddy Hopkirk Mini Cooper S: Winner of the Monte Carlo Rally

Arguably the most famous Mini of all time, Paddy Hopkirk's 1964 Monte Carlo Rally-winning car cemented the British icon's place among the most famous rally cars of all time. The Cooper S, now on display at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, was dwarfed by the competition in terms of power and size, but the snowy weather and Hopkirk's skills behind the wheel allowed the Mini to win.