This was the last time this iconic Mini Cooper was produced
Any one who grew up watching Mr. Bean will immediately recognize this beautiful piece of history as soon as they see it, we know it as Mr. Bean’s car, but the world knows it as the Mk2 Mini Cooper 998 and on 12 November 1969, the last of these iconic cars emerged from Longbridge.
So 53 years ago, the last of this memorable cinematic automobile was sent out into the world while the Mini Cooper 1275 S continued production before this car went on to evolve into the Mk3 version of the car which was produced from March 1970 and marked the end of an icon.
Moreover, the Mini Cooper began production at Longbridge from 11 July 1963 and before we came to know it as the Mk2 Mini Cooper 998, it was actually called the Mini Cooper 997 and this was indicative of its 997 cc engine and of course, the 998 was named after its 998 cc engine too.
This change from the 997 to the 998 Mini Cooper happened around February of 1964. This is because since 1962, the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet Mini Coopers, which were seen as more ‘posh’ minis used a 1098 cc engine and the 998 was the short stroke version of that and made the car more popular.
And this has proven to have worked as there are many used and restored versions of the Mk2 Mini Cooper 998 on sale in the UK going for around £25,000 or more. This shows that the car is still very popular and has retained its value very well over time.
On top of that, it was around this time that the 997 cc Mini Cooper was discontinued and completely replaced with the 998 version which was equipped with the MG 1100’s engine and this same exact engine layout was maintained right up until the car was discontinued in 1969.
In case anyone was wondering the specs for the Mk2 998 Mini Cooper are as follows, it had a 0 to 100km/h time of 17 seconds, a top speed of 85mph (~137kmh) and put out 55bhp of power and 54 lb ft (~73Nm) of torque. The engine was an inline four and was paired to a 4 speed manual transmission. The car weighed 630kg.
So all in all, the Mk2 Mini Cooper 9998 did not last very long but it inclusion in the Mr. Bean series and movies ensures that this iconic Mini Cooper will forever live on in our minds and hearts, especially through the childhood nostalgia some of us feel looking at the car despite its short lived production run.
So what do you guys think of the Mk2 Mini Cooper 998? Do you love it or hate it? Did you also dream of driving a green one as a kid to be more like Mr. Bean?
