The MINI is one of the most recognisable cars on the road, and the brand brings with it an awesome backstory.

It’s a classic story that saw a small, seemingly insignificant little car successfully leave behind a whole pack of far more powerful Goliaths.

When John Cooper first entered the iconic classic Mini (later rebranded MINI) into competitive racing, it wowed the motor racing world, using its nimble handling and revolutionary engine and wheel layout to take on the field.

You can see the little car in action here:

The John Cooper Works story actually begins in 1946. Charles Cooper and his son John founded the Cooper Car Company, and built their first racing cars in a garage in Surbiton, England.

The Cooper Car Company first built single-seat Formula Three racing cars. These were hugely successful in the 500cc class due to their revolutionary rear engine. This stroke of genius soon made the Cooper Car Company the choice for aspiring young drivers. John Cooper went on to win both the Formula One World Championship and Constructors Championship.

John Cooper became fascinated by the classic Mini, which was initially intended solely for everyday road use. John Cooper envisioned it as a champion racer. With the addition of a more powerful engine, new brakes and sharper steering, he had soon transformed this everyday family car into a giant slaying racing car.

In 1961, the first Mini Cooper was born.

By 1964, Mini Cooper was a globally renowned marque. It won almost every competition imaginable – including historic wins at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967. Mini and John Cooper had developed the classic Mini into a winner that was vastly superior to its competitors.

The Sky documentary about John Cooper Works captures the MINI’s journey through time is a great look back in time, and offers a more in-depth backstory:

In 2001, ‘Mini’ joined the BMW group and was rebranded as MINI.

In 2007, BMW acquired the John Cooper Works brand name, engineering and development resources. And one year later, the first two new MINI John Cooper Works models were launched: a totally updated version of the John Cooper Works Hatch and the John Cooper Works Clubman.

These powerhouses were equipped with a 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger and an output of 211 hp (155 kW). A testament to John Cooper’s pioneering spirit and commitment to driving performance.

Five years later, in 2013, the limited edition MINI John Cooper Works GP was released, boasting a 218 hp turbo-charged, four-cylinder engine. Once again, just 2,000 of these highly sought-after models were produced.

The racing spirit at the heart of MINI‘s history and John Cooper’s legacy lives on in the models that have just hit the streets.

They all share the same high-performance DNA and racing-grade tuning to deliver a potent combination of precise handling and acceleration. Furthermore, our MINI John Cooper Works Racing Team is conquering the competition, too. It recently took the chequered flag at Daytona – beating some of the world’s premier sports cars. And after winning the Dakar Rally four years in succession with MINI ALL4 Racing, the X-raid MINI John Cooper Works Rally team had a successful start to the Dakar Rally.

Keen to become part of the legend? Visit MINI and have a look around their showroom.

See you on the road.