50th Monte Carlo Victory of the Morris Mini Cooper S

At 2014 Essen Techno Classica a piece of Rally History.

Small car, big victory: 2014 is the 50th anniversary of one of the most spectacular successes in the history of international motor sport. On 21 January 1964, the Mini Cooper "S" with registration number 33 EJB and start number 37 gained the first victory for the MINI brand in the Monte Carlo Rally. The Irish driver "Paddy" Hopkirk and his co-pilot Henry Lidden succeeded in archieving the miracle of driving this small British car to victory against the apparently overwhelming opposition of much more powerful vehicles. The Classic Mini continues to dominate the Monte Carlo Rally in subsequent years. Hopkirk's Finnish teammates Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen added two more "Monte" overall victories to the collection of titlles in 1965 and 1967.

Today the car is conserved at Heritage Motor Center, Gaydon UK (www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk).

AUTOMOTIVE MASTERPIECES exhibition lab has planned the following virtual exhibitions: in 2019 the 60th anniversary of Mini 1959-2019 and in 2021 the 90th anniversary of Rally Monte Carlo 1911-2021.