Unfortunately they updated the look
so it looked cool.

slinkey inc wrote:
I've never really read anywhere that the roundy was 'cool' looking in it's time, it's so understlyed that today it looks as good as it did back then.

What are you on about? The mini was the ultimate vehiclular fashion accessory of the sixties. Bought by supermodels and superstars...
Fashion style and good looks are very differnt. I should have worded that better. Yes the mini was cool but not because what it looked like as such, but because of what it was.
I have read many accounts describing that the roundnose, as Alec Issigonis intended was not a styled car. Also I read a quote of his towards Bertone, it went something like this "Your cars, like a new dress will go out of style within two years, my cars will still look good for years after I die." Alec Issigonis was adamant on understlying as many car makers have gone wrong today (just about all new cars!!!! scary I know but good looks in cars today is only for the rich, many will argue but IMHO opinion 90% of new cars are ugly). Yes the roundy was a cool car but it didn't look, in the 60s as cool as the clubby did in the 70s. It was a normal looking small car. It didn't have fins, or huge amounts of chrome, or even a wooden dash. It didn't have chrome striping, fancy paint or a hood ornament. It was just a small car, but it represented the 60s and freedom. That is why it was seen as cool. BTW I wasn't around then, and neither were you, I'm just taking on quotes and writing that i have read.
Read this
http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/greatest11f.htmQuote:
It cannot be described as "styled" as such, because it wasn't. However, because it was so small, there were no excesses, no fat, and this allowed it to be timeless. Fashion applied to car styling eventually allows it to become dated - just look at the Hillman Imp or Triumph Herald to see what I mean.
That's what went wrong with the clubby, but then again, would it have sold so well it weren't styled like the roundnose?
Which wasn't a good looking car, just wasn't ugly and due to this it never went ugly!