MORE than 56 years have passed, but memories of the giant-slaying ‘little car that could’ with the number 37 on its doors have hardly faded. In 1964, the classic MINI Cooper S clinched the first of three overall victories at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally.
At the wheel, the then 30-year-old Northern Irish rally driver Patrick ‘Paddy’ Hopkirk. Over mountain passes, through ice and snow, round tight hairpins and down steep slopes, Hopkirk and his co-driver Henry Liddon exploited the MINI Cooper S’ agility.
It led the number 37 car to overcome the odds against competitors with significantly greater power outputs. Televised to racing fans all over the world, this legendary win made Paddy Hopkirk an overnight rally celebrity.
It also seared the classic red MINI with auxiliary fog lights into the collective hearts of racing fans everywhere. The little MINI Cooper S went on to dominate at Monte Carlo, with Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen adding two more outright victories.
To commemorate this first and sweetest victory, MINI is proud to present the Paddy Hopkirk Edition, to mark one of the most spectacular achievements in the history of motor racing.
Available in 3-door hatch, 5-door hatch and John Cooper Works variants, the limited edition model, like the famous giant-slaying rally car, is available exclusively in Chili Red with a white roof.
It comes with black rally-style auxiliary headlights matched perfectly to the car’s Piano Black exterior package. Cooper S variants get special 17-inch John Cooper Works ‘Track’ wheels, finished in black.
The John Cooper Works models get a unique 18-inch ‘Style 506’ wheels finished in gloss black. The unmistakable motif of Hopkirk’s coup was without doubt the winning car’s race number, with the number 37 emblazoned across its sides.
The 2021 MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition reimagines this in stylised form on the driver and passenger doors, as well as side scuttles. The famous number and letter combination ‘33 EJB’ off the number plate of the 1964 Monte Carlo winning car is also here.
It can be found on the bonnet strip in 3D effect graphics, along with stickers with the inscription ‘Paddy Hopkirk Monte Carlo’. A single white bonnet stripe on the driver’s side, which bears the signature of the 1964 ‘Monte’ winner also features.
In addition, Hopkirk’s signature also appears on the tailgate and decorative trim strip on the passenger side, and special MINI LED entry sills also bear his name.
The MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition will be available in strictly limited numbers. Feature packed and brimming with exclusive touches both inside and out, it’s priced from $54,800 (plus on-roads).
Interested fans can reserve a unit online via the MINI Australia website now.
