RC Mini Cooper
The Mini was the British icon car of the 1960's. The RC Mini Cooper most often is modeled after the sporty racing version of this popular car.
The Mini began production in 1959. It was noted for its simplicity and economy and was often called the British version of the Volkswagen Beatle. It was first developed and produced by the British Motor Corporation and rapidly became an icon car of the 1960's. The most notable feature of the Mini was its remarkable use of space with more than 80% being devoted to the passenger area. The Mini Cooper was a sporty version developed for road rally racing and it enjoyed some success winning the Monte Carlo Rally three different times. The RC Mini Cooper models are mostly based on this award winning race car version of the Mini.
The Mini never reached the popularity of the VW in the United States because it was only a limited number were produced with left hand steering wheels. When the United States passed its tough emission standards, the British Motor Corporation decided that the expense of converting the Mini's engine to make it compliant would be too high. So, exportation to the United States virtually ceased. Since vehicles older than 25 years were exempt from the emission standards, a small group of collectors began importing older Minis from places like Australia and New Zealand where the climate had retarded rust.
In 2000, production of the Mini stopped. A couple of years later, BMW Corporation began to produce a new version called the MINI, spelled with capital letters. This new line included a MINI Cooper which enjoyed reasonable sales in the United States market. Old time fans and collectors of the classic Minis greeted this newcomer with a mixed reaction. Some have rejected it as not being a true successor to the original, while others have embraced it as a natural follow-up to the classic. BMW produced its one millionth MINI faster than British Motor Corporation reached this same mark with the original.
Among the RC Mini Cooper models available are some really nice and relatively inexpensive 1/6 scale models. One model reviewed for this article was available for less than $60 and really was remarkable for the amount of realistic detail. The detail included the interiors, working doors, headlights, and suspension systems that make the rather box like looking Mini Cooper a very fast and stable model race car. This nice little kit came ready to run and even includes the 4 AA batteries needed for the 3 speed controller.
The RC Mini Cooper is an example of the remote control vehicle hobby's variety. By recreating this old classic with such attention to the fine detail, it shows the marriage between performance and modeling that has made the RC vehicle field so popular. The 1/6 scale RC Mini Cooper flat out performs and yet the attention to fine detail make it an almost museum quality model. All and all, not a bed deal for less than $60 bucks.