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The Mystique of Coopers
by Dave Bennett of the A.C.T. Mini Club.
How can a six letter word on its own or with the addition of a single letter evoke such emotion?
Feelings of desirability, unbridled passion, willingness to covet and a general surrendering to one's baser instincts in a headlong pursuit of physical and emotional euphoria all spring to mind. And yet, I am not referring to another human as the object of our desires. I am of course referring to the word Cooper and the letter S representing something special. A mechanical device, a small motor vehicle designed in its most basic form over 40 years ago. Although it has remained in continuous production since 1959, it has been well and truly surpassed in sophistication, power and comfort by modern vehicles.
The Mini Cooper, like its cousins, is, in a physical sense, a collection of steel, rubber, glass, plastic, oil and grease which are organised in such a way as to provide reasonably rapid transport for a maximum of four persons with no real luggage capacity. It was not designed with layback seats, lumbar adjustment, electric mirrors and windows, central locking, air-conditioning, cruise control, alloy wheels and the like, yet!
The Cooper versions are still the most desirable of all variants including the much more refined LS, the last of the large-engined Minis sold in Australia.
"Why is it so?" as Professor Julius Sumnar Miller often asked. There are Minis in excellent and sometimes as-new condition which exist in far less numbers than the Coopers and, by their rarity, should command high prices. But they don't in relation to the Coopers. Why? Because they don't have John Cooper's name on them, that's why. A desirable name associated with the marketing of a product can dramatically improve demand and therefore sales. Michael Jordan of international fame is regarded, believe it or not, as bigger than the game of basketball itself. To a lot of Miniacs, the Cooper is the one and only.
It also goes beyond the mere name. Numerous sporting successes such as Monte Carlo and even Bathurst, the traditional domain of V8s, and all the local sporting events in between in this country and overseas have all contributed to the desirability of the "quick brick" as it has become affectionately known.
It represents everything we would like to be and cannot: a sporting success. Imagine the thrill of the chequered flag as we flash past to the adulation of the crowd. Being mobbed by the media and made to feel almost like a God because of the "giant killer" reputation of the Cooper. Even when not racing, the same sort of thrill can be experienced when the Cooper is put through its paces on long winding sections of road, its true element. In my little pretend way, I have absolutely astounded other drivers when my "K" leaves them almost standing still in the corners.
The Coopers do it so much better and the drivers have the bonus of Cooper badges on their cars. When you park a Cooper, it invariably draws a crowd. When that occurs, people are reliving memories and desires of days gone by, some printable, some not. When they do relate their stories and express their admiration of your Cooper, its a nice feeling isn't it?
The Cooper models were designed with sporting type performance in mind. Normal production Coopers were developed in engine size from 997cc through 998cc, 1071cc to 1275cc in its final form. I am only referring to the "real" Minis of course, not the latest ones with fuel injection, airbags and a general refinement designed for modern traffic conditions. These models are "mere shadows" of their earlier less sophisticated relatives.
When we, the more mature members of clubs were much, much younger in the 60s and early 70s, the Cooper was the "in" car. Some of us owned them, most of us rode in them and everyone knew them. They were and still are, "cool" cars to own and be seen in. They were good enough for the celebrities and Royalty and were purchased in astonishing quantities by the masses because they were affordable. I have never owned or even driven a Cooper (hint, hint!), but I still understand why it is the "one and only" to some.
Long Live JC's creation, the Mini Cooper!
Dave
PS. In case you haven't realised it yet, 1999 is the last full year of production of the Mini shape as we know it. As time goes on after 2000, the "real" Coopers will be in even greater demand. My advice at this stage, if you are smitten by the Cooper bug, is to rush out and buy one. If you do not have enough in you bank account (and most of us don't because we are Mini owners), borrow some and purchase the nicest Cooper you can afford. It will be an excellent medium to long term investment.
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