Mini – 1959 – The Minimus (smallest) car – 5 Million(5387862) sold

In 1956, the Suez Canal problems led to an international fuel crisis, Britain had to introduce petrol rationing, car sales plummeted. Lord Leornad, Chairman of Morris Motors, Britain identified a remarkably creative engineer, Alec Issigonis, who was handed over the project to develop a low cost, low fuel consumption car, which was small and light weight and the Mini was born.

Highlights

• The first transverse engine car ever made(now Maruti, Hyundai, Honda etc. have transverse engines)
• The first car where eighty percent of the area of the car’s space utilize for passenger and luggage
• The first car to have gear box and differential in one housing in the crank case and using same grade oil for all
• Turning radius of the car was 20 feet only