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MINI (R50/R56)

After 41 years, the original and classic-in-its-own-lifetime Mini was replaced with a brand new car.  It was designed and engineered in the UK, after BMW insisted Rover went in the new-age Cooper direction, rather than the ‘Spiritual’ direction the British really wanted.

A few post-launch wobbles, but now in its second generation, and a huge global success that has re-affirmed MINI as the builder of desirable small cars. The R50 code demotes the first generation from 2001-2006, the second generation was known as the R56 – and was pretty much a BMW-engineered version of the original car – while the third generation was known as the F56.

It’s this car that brought BMW and MINI closer together, and away from its Rover heritage, being underpinned by a brand new German-engineered platform, known as UKL1. It’s this that spawned the Countryman and Clubman versions, and which are shared with the BMW 2-Series Active Touring.


Reviews, blogs and news stories

R50 design sketch - Frank Stephenson
Development story

The cars : MINI development story

18 August 2022 Keith Adams 38

The MINI’s development story is a tale of politics, Anglo-German disagreements, and a brilliant end product. […]

Mini R50 buying guide
Buying Guide

MINI R50 (2001-2007) : Buying guide

20 August 2023 Keith Adams 61

Welcome to the AROnline MINI R50 Buying Guide. Replacing the classic Mini should have been a tall order, but BMW managed the job in style in 2001 – and, as Keith […]

Mini 1995 design proposal by Adrian van Hooydonk
MINI (R50/R56)

Concepts and prototypes : MINI ACV30 (1995-1997)

12 April 2023 Keith Adams 5

The MINI ACV30 actually started its life as a design proposal by Adrian van Hooydonk. It was one of several concepts put forward to replace the classic Mini in 1995.  […]

Frank Stephenson
MINI (R50/R56)

People : Frank Stephenson

29 April 2021 Keith Adams 38

It’s the 20th anniversary of the MINI (R50) going on sale – how time flies – and, to mark the occasion, Keith Adams takes out 30 minutes to chat to […]

MINI (R50/R56)

Concepts and prototypes : MINI Spiritual/Spiritual Too (1995-1997)

28 April 2021 Keith Adams 33

Serious investigation into replacing the Mini begun in earnest during 1993, when Design Director Gordon Sked asked his Design Team to come up with some concept ideas for a new […]

Car of the Month

Car of the Month : May 2018 – Martin Chamberlain’s MINI One

1 May 2018 Keith Adams 6

Welcome back to the AROnline Car of the Month. For May 2018, it’s a pre-launch MINI One, which has been given a great deal of love and attention by its […]

AROnline News

News : Y-Reg MINIs – they’re getting noticed

30 March 2018 Keith Adams 42

Why so much interest in Y-reg MINIs? The R50- and onwards-generation of MINI rather neatly dovetails with AROnline in many ways. We appeared at the same time in 2001, started out […]

MINI Countryman/Paceman

News : MINI Countryman (2017) makes a giant splash

26 October 2016 Keith Adams 24

The 2017 MINI Countryman has been revealed, and just like its predecessor, it moves very much into the Austin Maxi way of thinking by being bigger, better equipped, and more distant from the original entry-level hatchback. […]

AROnline News

News : Tempted to call it the Maxi?

23 September 2014 Craig Cheetham 29

Here it is then – the proof that the MINI is no longer mini… After a series of more unusual body styles cueing people up for the era of change, […]

AROnline News

News : MINI Superleggera Vision Concept makes UK debut at Salon Privé

3 September 2014 Craig Cheetham 14

MINI’s rather unusual Superleggera Vision Concept, which was first unveiled at the world famous Concours d’Elegance at Villa d’Este last May, will make its UK debut during Salon Privé, which is being held at […]

MINI

News : MINI 5-Door Hatch opens for business

5 June 2014 Keith Adams 61

Keith Adams The latest member of the MINI family has been unveiled. The 5-Door Hatch is expected to add significant volume to the MINI’s production output from its Cowley factory, […]

AROnline News

News : MINI unveils the Superleggera at Villa d’Este

23 May 2014 Keith Adams 48

The MINI Superleggera Vision Concept has made its debut at the world-famous Concours d’Elegance at Villa d’Este – a classic car event that, during recent years, has become a popular […]

MINI

Driven : MINI Cooper S

14 April 2014 Keith Adams 0

MINI can’t be accused of not knowing what it’s doing. Nor can you say that the company doesn’t know its customer base – so when you see that the latest […]

Car Reviews

First Drive : MINI Cooper D

12 March 2014 Keith Adams 18

The MINI evolves into its fourth generation and is bigger, more efficient and driver-focused than ever. Question is, will it be good enough to continue the success story? Keith Adams […]

MINI (F56)

Blog : New MINI, too big for its boots?

11 March 2014 Keith Adams 55

Keith Adams Okay, so it’s not often that I’ll sit down halfway through a new car launch and commit my thoughts on it so early in the proceedings but, in […]

MINI

News : New MINI One and One D unveiled at Geneva

4 March 2014 Keith Adams 7

The entry-level MINI One and One D made their world debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The new cars, which see the appeal of the latest generation of the Hatch […]

MINI

News : MINI Clubman Concept shown at Geneva

4 March 2014 Keith Adams 51

John Slavin The MINI Clubman Concept has been shown at the Geneva Motor Show. The show concept features production-ready styling that chimes perfectly with the new F56 hatch. A production […]

MINI (F56)

News : MINI JCW Concept confirmed for Detroit

19 December 2013 Keith Adams 11

Keith Adams The John Cooper Works Concept will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show, and previews how the next-generation go-faster MINI is going to look, even before the standard […]

MINI

Blog : MINI – Car of the Decade, 2000-2010, four years on

4 December 2013 Keith Adams 34

It’s interesting to revisit this decision almost four years on – especially as the F56-generation MINI has just been launched. Will we be saying the same thing in 2020? Okay, so MG Rover petered out […]

MINI

News : MINI marks the end of the R56’s production

29 November 2013 Keith Adams 19

The last R56 MINI has driven off the production line at Cowley. No less than 1,041,412 of the outgoing MINI have been produced at the high-tech facility, which has built […]

MINI

News : New MINI – a growing legend…

18 November 2013 Keith Adams 52

Keith Adams MINI has produced a series of interesting images which, by way of introduction, put the new F56 alongside the previous three generations of cars to wear the Mini […]

MINI

News : Larger, lighter, faster MINI F56 breaks cover

18 November 2013 Keith Adams 63

Keith Adams MINI has unveiled its all-new, fourth-generation hatchback in Cooper and Cooper S form and both versions are scheduled to go on sale early in 2014. The new car […]

MINI

News : Join in with the MINI F56 launch liveblog

18 November 2013 Keith Adams 30

Keith Adams Ahead of its arrival here next year, we’re reporting LIVE from the official unveiling of the next-generation MINI at Cowley today, bringing you all the key information about […]

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