Rethinking an Icon of Sixties Britain: The Mini and Its Place in the Post-War Motor Revolution. (29th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Harris, Jacob
• Is Part Of: Twentieth century British history. Volume 33:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 523
• Page End: 546
• Publication Date: 2022-03-29
• Subjects: Great Britain -- History -- 20th century -- Periodicals; History -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 941.08205
• DOI: 10.1093/tcbh/hwac006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0955-2359

Abstract

Abstract: The Mini was launched in 1959 during Britain's motor revolution. This iconic car has long been analogized with the popular iconography of the Sixties, but I argue here that this association only scratches the surface of its more complex meanings. Rather, the Mini embodied the tension arising from a motor revolution that was transformative yet limited. By looking at how the Mini was marketed, perceived, and used (and by whom), I suggest that it was a conduit through which Englishness and national decline were mediated against the backdrop of mass motorization. It also reflected the motor-car's growing importance as a public and private space. I draw on a number of historical sources to make this argument, including automotive advertising, a source that is currently underutilized by historians. In doing so, I seek to overcome the normative tendency in academic history to overlook the car's cultural significance.