1-193-982 - National Motor Museum/Heritage Images

Austin Seven Countryman, c1961. In 1957 BMC commissioned Alec Issigonis to design a new small car, following his success with the Morris Minor. Popularly known as the Mini, this innovative model popularised many design features still common today. Driving the front wheels, its transverse mounted engine, with the gearbox beneath, removed the space-consuming transmission tunnel. Styling was minimalist, in sharp contrast to the transatlantic fins and chrome of the fifties. The Countryman, as pictured here, was an estate version of the car.