Mini Cooper S - A Modest Classic Film Star

The Italian Job came out in 1969, the epitome of cool clothes, snappy attitudes and even cooler cars, now translates into sixties chic for our modern times. In a decade which saw the first heart transplant, Vietnam and the cult of Charles Manson, the film now sits nicely alongside such iconic films as Performance and Blow Up as a snapshot into trendy sixties and early seventies culture.

You can't think of James Bond without thinking of the Aston Martin DB5, and equally, The Italian Job inspires vivid thoughts blowing the doors off an anonymous van – or the Mini car chase.

As a small boy we didn't have fireworks, they were expensive and didn't last long, they went up in a puff of smoke, literally. So each Bonfire Night, I used to get to choose a toy. It saved my parents money of course, but they put a classic spin on things by telling me – quite rightly – that it would last longer. Indeed, I still have my Mini Cooper Rally bought from the local post office (which I also still have, I'm pleased to say) which was inspired not only by World of Sport (remember Dickie Davies?) but also that iconic film.

Seeing the remake the other night left me wondering, what exactly were those cars that raced through the streets in The Italian Job? So I looked into it a little.

The film features three Austin Mark 1 Mini Cooper S models, which were the sporty versions of these motors and the ones used for rallying. Indeed, so successful, that they won the Monte Carlo Rally from 1964 to 1967. Though in '66 the little auto' was apparently disqualified for using an illegal combination of spotlights and headlamps. It was a controversial decision.

While researching this subject, curiously I was drawn to the Mini Moke, which was used on The Italian Job for filming. The camera would be set on the back of the Moke for a no doubt hair-raising ride for the camera operator. The vehicle, like the Mini, was designed by British Motor Corporation (BMC). It looked rather like a cross between a mini Jeep and a Beetle-based Beach Buggy with it's roll bar, open top and sides and wheels spaced as far apart as they could possibly sit. You may have heard of this oddity as the Austin Mini Moke, Leyland Moke or Morris Mini Moke. The original used the same transmission and engine as the basic Mini and was was originally intended for the British Army.

The 3 Mini Cooper S's in the movie, liveried in red, white and blue, and driven by L'Equipe Remy Julienne's stunt drivers, were pulled from a selection of 16 Mini Cooper classics that were used on set. On closer scrutiny, the cars reveal they had a three-point roll cage installed and the rear seats removed. The automobile used for climbing had a BMC 1800cc B series engine and Landcrab gear box for the extra torque to get up the steps with consummate ease.

Michael Caine has said that, rather surprisingly, BMC refused to give any help with the production. In a world now governed by marketing spiel and Apprentice wannabes, one can only try to imagine what they were thinking back then.

I must say though, that I was a little disappointed to find that there was very little modification to the cars used in the film, which I guess says a lot for the race-bred Cooper S in it's original form with it's natural low weight and low centre of gravity.

But for all you romantics out there, a nice subscript to this piece is that Ken Morris was said to be one of the last of the production crew to leave Turin after filming. He said there were 6 remaining Mini's and about 30 sets of mag wheels in the crew's lock up garage.
Before heading back to the UK, after the hustle and bustle of filming had drifted off into the Italian wind, Ken made sure the garage was locked as usual, then set off home. No-one has any record of Paramount or Oakhurst going back to collect them..

So if you're holidaying in Italy this year, you just never know. Stranger things have happened. Just prepare your classic mini car insurance info' in advance and buy a metal detector – just google mini metal detector..