Mini

Mini is a British car manufacturer found in Gran Turismo. An arm of German car maker BMW, Mini traces its roots back to the original 1959 Mini, which revolutionized the British car industry and made motoring available to a greater audience.
The Mini was originally produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC). In 1969, Mini production was taken over by the British Leyland Motor Corporation after BMC merged with Leyland Motors, and in 1988 British Leyland became the Rover Group. Times changed soon after; BMW bought out Rover in 1994, and six years later Rover bar Mini was sold off. Minis continue to be produced in the UK to this day, especially after a new-look model debuted in 2001, though its headquarters has been moved to Germany where it becomes one with BMW.
The company has appeared in every Gran Turismo game to date since Gran Turismo 2, with the exception of Gran Turismo 4 Prologue and Gran Turismo HD Concept.
==A brief history of the Mini==
The original Mini debuted in August 1959 as the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven (not to be confused with the popular pre-war vehicle) and from the start was an exceptional vehicle. Powered by a transversely-mounted 850cc BMC A-Series four-cylinder engine, the Mini was a lightweight car that could perform well on the track thanks to its handling. As time went on, the Mini recieved many changes.
In September 1961 the first Mini Cooper models arrived on the scene. Built initially as a homologation special these Minis had an enlarged 998cc A-Series engine, boosting power from 34BHP (25kW) to 55BHP (41kW), and combined with disc brakes and two SU carburettors the Cooper could blitz its competition. The more powerful 1071cc (later enlarged to 1275cc) Cooper S debuted in 1963 and a year later the car won its first rally event: the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally. The Mini would win two more titles in 1965 and 1967; it would have won the 1966 one had not French judges disqualified the car because of its variable-resistance headlamp dimming circuit. Other rally wins include the Circuit of Ireland, Tulip Rally, Rally Sweden, 1000 Lakes Rally, Belgium Ypres Westhoek, Rally Poland, RAC Rally, Isle of Man Rally Isle of Man, Acropolis Rally, Alpine Rally and Rally New Zealand.
Minis dominated all of the first 9 positions in the 1966 Gallaher 500 at Bathurst. The car also won the 1961, 1962, 1969, 1978 and 1979 British Saloon Car Championship season.
More updates appeared on the Mini soon after, including a change to Hydrolastic suspension (1964), a squared-off facelift (1969), fuel injection (1991), and also a driver's airbag (1996). The Mini Cooper 1.3i featured in Gran Turismo 2, 3 and 5 as well as Gran Turismo PSP is an example of the last original Minis (the Mark VII model) ever to come out of Longbridge before production ceased in 2000 to make way for the BMW-designed Mini.
And that BMW-designed Mini did come. In 2001 the Mini One, Cooper and Cooper S models came out-with new styling, a powerful 1.4 or 1.6L Tritec four-cylinder engine (only the 1.6L engines-in Cooper or Cooper S trim-were available in markets such as Australia and the US), and many technological advancements, the new Mini was also an excellent performer. A revised Mini arrived in 2007, and today with an expanded Mini line, BMW is still working on its little British supermini. A 4WD version of the Mini Countryman won the Dakar Rally in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
==List of Cars==
<tabber>
|-|GT7=
|-|GT Sport=
|-|GT6=
===Detailed cars===
===Simple cars===
|-|GT5=
===Premium cars===
Note that cars marked are only available with the purchase of now-delisted DLC.
===Standard cars===
|-|GTPSP=
|-|GT5P=
|-|GT4=
|-|GT Concept=
Note that the MINI COOPER S Rally Car '02 is hidden in the game files of NTSC versions but is not playable in any version.
|-|GT3=
|-|GT2=
</tabber>
==List of Events==
*Gran Turismo 4: Mini Sports Meeting
*Gran Turismo 5: Mini Challenge
==Trivia==
*Mini is the only manufacturer in the Gran Turismo series to have different countries of origin in different games: From its debut in Gran Turismo 2 up to Gran Turismo 4, Mini was listed as a British brand, while starting from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Mini would be listed as a German brand, despite its British origins, ostensibly to reflect the brand's BMW ownership. This change of nationality (which also applies on Mini models made before BMW's buyout) meant Mini cars lost eligibility for UK-based events, but were made eligible to compete in German-based events.
==Notes==
==See Also==
Category:GT2 Manufacturers
Category:GT3 Manufacturers
Category:GT Concept Manufacturers
Category:GT4 Manufacturers
Category:GT5 Prologue Manufacturers
Category:GT PSP Manufacturers
Category:GT5 Manufacturers
Category:GT6 Manufacturers
Category:GT Sport Manufacturers
Category:GT7 Manufacturers
Category:British Manufacturers
Category:German Manufacturers