Mini Clubman production ends
It was the end of an era on Monday as the last Mini Clubman rolled off the production line, 55 years after the model’s debut in 1969.
Since its initial launch, over 1.1 million Clubman vehicles have been created, over half coming from Mini’s Oxford Plant, and have been exported to more than 50 countries.
Commenting on the end of production, Dr. Markus Grüneisl, CEO of Plants Oxford and Swindon, said “We are incredibly proud to have built the MINI Clubman at Plants Oxford and Swindon over the last 18 years for customers all over the world. With its departure, we look ahead to welcoming members of the new MINI family to our Oxford and Swindon lines, including a new convertible model which we will start to produce at the end of this year.”
The Clubman silhouette comes from the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini Traveller - two estate versions of the original Mini made by Mini’s owner, British Motor Corporation (BMC), in the early 1960s. They offered more space and practicality with their longer chassis and featured distinctive barn-style rear doors.
Renowned designer Roy Haynes was hired by BMC in 1967 to streamline the Mini portfolio and subsequently take attributes from all four of its models to make a single car: the Mini Clubman. The final design featured a distinctive front nose and ended up being 10cm longer than the original Mini.
The seventies brought new features to the Clubman, including a more powerful, 45 bhp engine and side stripes and the car dominated the automotive market for over a decade. Almost 600,000 Mini Clubman were produced – including 197,000 Estates – before it finished production in 1982 under the 1000HL Estate moniker.
Following a 25 year hiatus, the Clubman returned in 2007 after Mini was consumed by BMW. More modern in style, and based on the second generation BMW Mini, it still retained features of its predecessors - most notably the signature, split rear doors. Its successor in 2015 came with traditional doors for rear passengers.
Last year, The Final Edition of the Clubman was launched. Limited to just 1,969 units, paying homage to the original’s launch year, it featured an edition-specific Shimmer Copper radiator grille and side scuttles, 18” Final Edition Spoke 2-tone alloy wheels and exclusive ‘Final Edition’ lettering on the rear
As for the future of Mini, the debut of the all-electric Mini Cooper and the new Mini Countryman are a sign of things to come as a new chapter begins for the famous British brand.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: MINI UK