After a two-decade absence from the market, MINI returned to Australia in 2002 with the all new R50 generation.
Cars for Australia were unique in specification. Most significantly, a large tachometer was located in the centre of the dashboard in place of the speedometer, which was instead behind the steering wheel. This arrangement was not used anywhere else in the world.
The overall design and development story of the new MINI has been well documented by various sources, and so the history here is dedicated to an Australian perspective.
For a background on the development of MINI, you may like to consider issue 1 of The Mini Experience Reloaded.
2001
Production commences
Production of MINI officially commenced on 26 April 2001, ahead of the home market (UK) launch in July 2001. It would be several months before cars for the Australian market would begin production, with the first MINI Coopers rolling of the line from around November.
A select few Cooper examples are believed to have arrived in Australia for marketing purposes, starring in official MINI press photos.
2002
Launch weekend
MINI officially launched in Australia in a big way in March 2002.
The first customer deliveries of the MINI Cooper began on Saturday 2 March, driving out from 22 MINI Garages across the country.
At the same time, 28 specially prepared MINI Coopers made their racing debut at Foster’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne as part of the MINI Celebrity Challenge. A MINI Cooper S was also on special display at the Melbourne International Motor Show, running on the same weekend.
The Cooper was available from $32,650, or $34,850 with CVT automatic.
Cooper S arrives
The first examples of the Cooper S arrived in Australia in April 2002 as press and dealer cars, having been produced in Oxford throughout February (notably ahead of even most cars for the UK market).
The Cooper S officially joined the MINI range from June, priced at $39,900.
By the end of 2002, MINI had sold 1,450 examples of Cooper and Cooper S combined.
2003
More power with JCW
In September 2003, dealer fitted performance packages were released for both the Cooper and Cooper S. Owners could add a John Cooper Works Tuning Kit to their cars from new or as a retrofit.
2004
Commemoration of Monte Carlo
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the classic Mini’s 1964 Rallye Monte Carlo win, a limited run of just 40 cars was produced exclusively for Australia.
The Monte Carlo edition, based on the Cooper S, was available in two colours and featured unique graphics with an individually numbered steering wheel.
Mid-life update
From July 2004, a major update for the R50 generation entered production for the 2005 model year (MY05), available in Australia from September 2004. Various body changes were made, while the Cooper S received more power and revised gear ratios.
MINI Cooper Chilli and MINI Cooper S Chilli models were added to the range, providing higher specification top-of-the-range options, while the entry price for the Cooper dropped to $29,500.
At a similar time, the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit also received an update to increase power to 155kW / 245 Nm of torque. The kit could be retrofitted to any Cooper S.
2005
A new addition
Entering production in 2004, the MINI Cabrio joined the Australian MINI range in January 2005 in both Cooper and Cooper S models.
The Cooper was priced from $38,500, while the Cooper S began at $44,900.
2006
A new generation
In late 2006, the new R56 generation of MINI entered production and the last R50 hardtop rolled off the line in November. The new range was officially available in Australia from March 2007.
Having joined the R50 generation later, the R52 Cabrio was not replaced and continued in production.
2007
Exclusive luxury
Another classic name was revived in 2007, with the release of the Sidewalk edition exclusive to the MINI Cabrio (the name previously used in 1995). The special edition provided a luxury option to the range.
2008
Last of the generation
In August 2008, the last example of the R52 Cabrio rolled off the line in Oxford, marking the end of production for the R50 generation. The new R57 generation was available in Australia from 2009.
