This chapter was a new contribution to an earlier work of mine on Alec Issigonis which was updated and re-issued in 2004.

The chapter looked at the design and development of the new BMW-launched MINI from a design and iconographic perspective.

The original research component consisted of interviews with Frank Stephenson (today Head of Design at Fiat) who, while at BMW, came up with the original renderings which were developed to create the new MINI, and with Gert Hildebrand, today Head of Design at MINI headquarters in Munich. This was also supplemented by historical readings in a range of secondary sources.

The additional chapter also considers the challenges of creating new models based on famous design icons of the past and discusses some reasons for success and failure in 'retro' styling. In addition, I analysed BMW's detailed design philosophy for the vehicle, whereby headlights, handles, trim features and so on are given enormous design attention, becoming, in BMW language, 'jewellery icons'.

My research also analysed BMW's astute appreciation that it was not the Issigonis connection alone which had made the Mini celebrated in its heyday, but also its customisation from the slightly austere Issigonis economy package to a capable sporting variant (winning the Monte Carlo rally repeatedly) when reworked by specialist performance tuners like Cooper, but also by a range of individuals. This insight, which has not been explored by other writers, helps to explain how BMW was able to relaunch the new MINI at both a 'luxury basic' level and simultaneously in 'performance' Cooper variants, thus ensuring a wide initial potential market.