The Mini Cooper was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), as well as its successors, between 1959 and 2000. This small economy car was designed in answer to a fuel shortage caused by an oil crisis in 1956 that was dubbed the Suez Crisis. Fuel had been rationed in the United Kingdom and small cars were in demand. There was a huge boom in the sale of the small German bubble cars, while the sale of large cars slumped.

Leonard Lord, the head of BMC, disliked the bubble cars and decided to design a proper mini car. He gave the design team some basic requirements that indicated what size the car should be and how many passengers it should hold.

The original Mini Cooper is often considered to be a British icon and was especially revered in the 1960s. The space-saving layout and ingenious use of a small space that could hold passengers comfortably, has hugely influenced several generations of car manufacturers. In the year 1999, the British Mini Cooper was voted as the second most influential car, second only to the Ford Model T, of the entire 20th century. The car enjoyed tremendous popularity in the UK and several other countries. It was produced at the Longbridge and Cowley auto plants in the UK, as well as plants in Australia, Belgium, Chile, Italy, Malta, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay, Yugoslavia and Venezuela.

The Mini had several updates during its years of manufacture. There were several versions that included an estate car, a van and a pickup truck. There was even a jeep-like buggy that was known as the Mini Moke. There were a couple of sportier Mini versions that were successfully used as rally cars. The T and S versions of the Mini won the Monte Carlo Rally from 1964 to 1967. In 1966, the Mini, along with several other British cars, was disqualified under a controversial ruling.

In 1969, the Mini became a brand in its own right after first being marketed under the Morris and Austin names with the titles the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven. In the 1980s, the car was again marketed under the Austin name. A new version of the Mini is now manufactured and sold by BMW.