61 Years Ago a MINI Cooper Shocked the World by Winning the Monte Carlo Rally

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Sixty-one years ago, the little Mini Cooper pulled off one of the greatest upsets in motorsports history by winning the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally. Then it went on to do it again. And again. That three-peat has become one of the defining touchstones of MINI culture—an achievement that feels almost mythical among enthusiasts.

Sure, the story is well-known, but it’s worth repeating because it’s a triumph that still feels as improbable now as it did then. Against cars with more than double (or even triple) the power, the Mini proved what’s possible when great engineering, clever strategy, and sheer willpower come together.

Today, MINI continues to prioritize racing—and that’s something worth celebrating. Whether it’s a near-stock JCW taking on the Nürburgring or a Dakar beast storming across the desert, it’s deeply satisfying to know there are MINIs out there being driven in anger. Bonus points when they win.

But nothing quite compares to that first Monte Carlo win 61 years ago—a victory that shocked the motorsports world like no other

The History of Mini Winning The Monte Carlo Rally

On January 21, 1964, Paddy Hopkirk and co-driver Henry Liddon shocked the motorsport world when their Mini Cooper S—sporting just 90 horsepower—took first place at the Monte Carlo Rally. The victory was nothing short of miraculous, a classic David-versus-Goliath tale where the underdog didn’t just win—it redefined what a rally car could be.

With its front-wheel-drive layout, compact size, and rally-prepped engineering, the Mini Cooper S danced through the icy, narrow roads of Monte Carlo, leaving its more powerful competitors floundering. Hopkirk himself attributed the win to the Mini’s nimbleness on snow-covered roads, saying, “Although the Mini was just a little family saloon, it had a lot of technical advantages. We were lucky—everything came together at the right moment.”

Key among those moments was the infamous “Night of the Long Knives.” This grueling, snow-packed stage saw the Mini come alive, particularly on the downhill sections where it clawed back time lost to the heavy-hitting V8s like Bo Ljungfeldt’s Ford Falcon. In the end, Hopkirk’s Mini (license plate 33 EJB) took the win, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The victory wasn’t just celebrated by motorsports fans—it became a national sensation. Hopkirk received a congratulatory telegram from the British government, and even The Beatles sent him an autographed photo with the caption: “You’re one of us now, Paddy.” A proper British rockstar, only with a rally car instead of a guitar.

The triumph of the classic Mini in the Monte was lauded as a sensation by motor sport fans around the world. But this wasn’t a success that came entirely out of the blue: the small car developed by Alec Issigonis, then Deputy Technical Director at the British Motor Corporation, possessed an inherent sporting talent from birth. The first person to spot this potential was John Cooper. The sports car designer was the driving force behind construction of a more powerful version of the car. The Mini produced only 34 hp at launch, but its front-wheel drive, low weight, wide track and comparatively long wheelbase made it an extremely agile four-seater and paved the way for its forays onto race circuits and rally courses.

As early as 1960, big-name racing drivers like Graham Hill, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark were spotted testing the cornering flair of the John Cooper-tuned small car on the Silverstone Formula One track. However, the classic Mini was most at home in rally racing. Patt Moss, sister of grand prix driver Stirling Moss, piloted it to wins in the Tulip Rally and Baden-Baden Rally in 1962. And by the following year, the diminutive British car was ready to burst into the public consciousness at the Monte Carlo Rally. Preceding years had been a tough learning experience for the works team, but now they would make people sit up and take notice. Rauno Aaltonen and Paddy Hopkirk drove the 55 hp Mini Cooper to a 1-2 finish in their class, which was good enough for third and sixth places overall.

It was clear that the classic Mini was better equipped than any other car to pull off the classic David vs Goliath act. John Cooper had long suspected that the car had what it took. Back in 1959 he instructed Roy Salvadori to drive a prototype to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The journey itself turned into a race between Salvadori and fellow racing driver Reg Parnell at the wheel of an Aston Martin DB4. The result confirmed what Cooper had foreseen in his mind’s eye: the Cooper-prepared classic Mini arrived around an hour earlier than the much more powerful Aston.

Identifiable from a distance with their tartan red bodywork and white roofs, the six small racers dispatched by the BMC works team for the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964 were – at least on paper – fighting against the tide once more. The Mini Cooper S lined up at the start for the first time. Its new four-cylinder engine now had an increased 1071cc capacity and output had also been boosted to around 90 hp. This was a lot more than in previous years but still modest in the face of competition from the likes of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SE and Ford Falcon, whose six-cylinder and V8 units had three or four times more power at their disposal.

Mini’s Improbable Win

The 33rd edition of the Monte Carlo Rally began – as was traditional at the time – with a nod to the origins of the event, the 277 cars starting from nine European cities before converging on the French city of Reims. The Hopkirk/Liddon partnership got their journey with the Mini Cooper S under way in Minsk, while for Rauno Aaltonen and Tony Ambrose the Monte adventure started in Oslo, and Timo Mäkinen and Patrick Vanson set off from Paris. The classic Mini successfully negotiated all these journeys and all six works cars were able to take their place in the 277-strong field in Reims. The first stage of the rally to Saint-Claude brought together the two cars which were to define the 1964 Monte from start to finish. Bo Ljungfeldt roared to the top of the time sheets in his Ford Falcon, but Paddy Hopkirk remained hot on his heels in his Mini Cooper S.

The next leg of the rally was made up largely of mile-long flat-out sections, but Hopkirk refused to let his big-engined rivals build up a decisive advantage. The “Night of the Long Knives” would become the day of reckoning; this was the classic Mini’s chance to demonstrate its talents to the full. “It was quite snowy that year, so we had done a lot of practising and preparing,” explains Hopkirk. “The Mini was particularly good downhill, and all the tests were up and downhill, so what we lost going up, I think we made up for going downhill.”

Irresistible handling, correct tire choice, Hopkirk’s gifts at the wheel and the snow – which slowed the bigger cars down – all came together and ensured that Hopkirk was able to take over the lead on the 1,607-metre (5,270 ft) Col de Turini. However, it remained a tight contest all the way to the finish, with Bo Ljungfeldt, as expected, again posting the fastest time on the final stage through Monte Carlo. However, Hopkirk was also squeezing everything from his Mini Cooper S once again and hung onto his advantage to wrap up the win. “It’s not like rallying today when you know where you are. I had to do the final circuit, then the journalists told me I had won and I couldn’t believe it. It surprised the world and us, so it was very nice,” recalls Hopkirk.

The following year Timo Mäkinen and co-driver Paul Easter ensured the classic Mini would retain its title. They were helped by a new engine with capacity increased to 1275cc, but it was the Scandinavian’s driving skill that landed the decisive blow. Mäkinen was the only driver to remain penalty-point-free throughout the rally distance, despite the fact that the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally was providing one of the most exacting tests in the history of the event. Epic levels of snow and ice made the going seriously tough, but that didn’t stop the organisers including a second night stage through the Maritime Alps in the programme. Mäkinen and his Mini Cooper S appeared impervious to the deteriorating conditions. The Finn won five of the six special stages on the final leg of the rally and finished the event with a handsome margin over the second-placed car.

The most impressive and also most dramatic Monte Carlo Rally for the “Three Musketeers” was to follow in 1966. Mäkinen, Aaltonen and Hopkirk dominated the event from the start, and it was in this order that they completed a clean sweep of the top three positions overall at the finish.

The French race commissioners had other ideas and disqualified the trio on account of lights that allegedly did not conform with official regulations. This was also the reason given for removing the fourth-placed Lotus Cortina from the classification, which meant that the Finnish Citroën driver Pauli Toivonen was crowned the winner. It was one of the most brazen cheats in motorsports history.

The dream of a Monte hat-trick lay in tatters, but the “Three Musketeers” resolved to return at the earliest opportunity. In the winter of 1967 Hopkirk, Mäkinen and Aaltonen lined up alongside two other BMC works teams for the Monte Carlo Rally. And this time neither the rules nor the other cars could stand between the Mini Cooper S and victory. Rauno Aaltonen was joined by Henry Liddon – Paddy Hopkirk’s co-driver from the successful 1964 Monte – for his latest assault on the rally.

Aaltonen guided the classic Mini to what was this time an undisputed victory with 12 seconds to spare. And nobody was more pleased for the duo than Hopkirk: “Henry Liddon was really an outstanding co-driver. But the co-drivers never got enough credit, you know. They did a fantastic job in reading the notes and they were the office manager of the car.”

Hopkirk finished the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally in sixth place and also drove the classic Mini to fifth overall the following year. Aaltonen was third in 1968. However, the era of the small car that stormed to the summit of rally racing was clearly approaching an end. Its rivals had grown just too powerful and the sporting zenith of the classic Mini was now behind it. Memories of that famous triumph in the winter of 1964 will forever burn bright and the “Three Musketeers” have written an indelible chapter into the history of motor sport. As for the distinctive lights that cost them victory in 1966, they live on today as the popular driving lights found in the MINI accessory catalog.

A Legacy That’s Not Been Forgotten

By the late ’60s, the rallying world was moving on. Cars grew larger, more powerful, and increasingly specialized. While MINI’s time at the very top came to a close, its impact on motorsports never faded. The classic Mini’s victories weren’t just about trophies—they were about changing the game.

Today, the Monte Carlo-winning spirit lives on in various forms of MINI motorsports around the world. More importantly, it lives on in the stories enthusiasts still tell, recounting how a little car from Britain took on giants—and won.

So here’s to the Mini Cooper S: small but mighty, scrappy but sophisticated, and forever an icon in motorsport history.

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