More than 56 years have passed, but memories of the giant-slaying ‘little car that could’ with the starting number 37 have hardly faded.
In 1964, the classic Mini Cooper S clinched the first of three overall victories at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. At the wheel: the then 30-year-old Northern Irish rally driver Patrick “Paddy” Hopkirk.
Over mountain passes, through ice snow, round tight hairpins and down steep slopes, Hopkirk and his co-driver Henry Liddon exploited the Mini Cooper S’ agility to overcome the odds against competitors with significantly greater power outputs.
Televised to racing fans all over the world, this legendary win made Paddy Hopkirk an overnight rally celebrity; the classic red Mini with auxiliary fog lights was also seared into the collective hearts of racing fans everywhere.
The little Mini Cooper S went on to dominate at the Monte Carlo Rally, with Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen adding two more outright victories to the trophy cabinet in 1965 and 1967.
To commemorate this first and sweetest victory, MINI is proud to present the Paddy Hopkirk Edition to mark one of the most spectacular achievements in the history of motor racing, available in 3-door Hatch, 5-door Hatch and John Cooper Works variants.
Like the famous giant-slaying rally car, the body finish of the MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition is available exclusively in Chili Red with a White roof, with Black rally-style auxiliary headlights matched perfectly to the car’s Piano Black exterior package.
Cooper S variants get a special 17-inch John Cooper Works ‘Track’ wheels finished in black, while John Cooper Works models get a unique 18-inch ‘Style 506’ wheels finished in gloss black.
The unmistakable motif of Hopkirk’s coup in the classic Mini Cooper S was without doubt the winning car’s start number, emblazoned across its sides: #37. The MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition reimagines this in stylised form on the driver and passenger doors, as well as side scuttles.
Other edition-specific enhancements include the famous number and letter combination ‘33 EJB’ off the number plate of the 1964 Monte Carlo winning car on the bonnet strip in 3D effect graphics, stickers with the inscription “Paddy Hopkirk Monte Carlo” and a single white bonnet stripe on the driver’s side, which bears the signature of the 1964 “Monte” winner.
“MINI’s spectacular winning streak at the Monte Carlo Rally continues to inspire MINI fans all over the world to this day,” comments Brett Waudby, General Manager for MINI Australia and New Zealand. “With the MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition, MINI fans now have the opportunity to express their passion for the brand’s rallying roots in a particularly authentic way.”
The MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition will be made in Cooper S 3-door, MINI Cooper S 5 door and MINI John Cooper Works variants, with strictly limited numbers of each variant earmarked for New Zealand.
Feature packed and brimming with exclusive touches both inside and out, the MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition is priced from $61,000*.
Interested fans can reserve a unit online via the MINI New Zealand website now.