By ROB HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LONDON(AP) -- More than 40 years after it burst on the scene, a
new incarnation of the Mini is returning to the international
rallying circuit.
For the first time since BMW acquired the brand in 1994, the
German automaker is investing in a new model in a bid to
replicate the 1960s heyday when Minis won the prestigious Monte
Carlo Rally three times.
The Countryman will begin a phased entry to the World Rally
Championship next year before contesting the entire championship
from 2012 for "several years," BMW said.
Much will be expected from the car that established itself as a
fierce racer despite being conceived with cost and fuel
efficiency in mind after the 1956 Suez Crisis triggered fears of
an oil shortage amid gasoline rationing.
Riding on 10-inch tires, the first models produced by the
British Motor Corp. were only 10 feet long, 4 feet tall and 4
feet wide, and sold for as little as $725 in Britain.
Despite their simplicity, they came to symbolize the "Swinging
60s" in Britain after wowing celebrities, including the Beatles
and actor Peter Sellers, who drove customized versions.
And it was the Cooper S victories at the Monte Carlo Rally in
1964, '65 and '67 that earned the car its cult global status.
"The success enjoyed on the rally circuit has made a vital
contribution to the image of the brand," BMW executive Ian
Robertson said. "I am convinced we will add a few more chapters
to our success story in rallying."
Red, white and blue models raced through Turin as getaway
vehicles for bank robbers in the 1969 movie "The Italian Job"
with Michael Caine.
That starring role came just as the cars drifted from the
rallying circuit. While the classic Mini has made occasional,
unofficial rallying appearances since the '60s, Tuesday's
announcement signaled a full-scale return to the sport.
British manufacturer Prodrive has been working with BMW since
last year to create a 1.6-liter rallying car based on its
Countryman model to compete in the 13 three-day events that make
up the World Rally Championship.
Cars must be able to race on a range of terrain - from gravel to
ice.
"This is a very exciting new motor sport program," Prodrive
chairman David Richards said in a statement. "During the 1960s,
Mini captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car
took on the might of V-8 powered Fords and won what was then one
of the toughest motor sport events, the 4,000km Monte Carlo
Rally.
"I believe our new Mini will become a firm favorite of the
latest generation of rally fans, just as it is adored by its
millions of owners across the world."
In Prodrive, BMW has hired a company with a long-standing
pedigree developing rallying cars.
The company, based near Oxford, helped Subaru win the
constructors' title three times in the 1990s, while Colin McRae
won the drivers' title in 1995 and Richard Burns and Petter
Solberg added further triumphs in 2001 and 2003, respectively.