Yesterday was John Cooper’s birthday. Did you forget? The man behind the iconic Mini Cooper was born in 1923 who would eventually go on to become an integral part of the MINI’s creation and this is why The Mini Cooper is named after him.
John Cooper owned the Cooper Car Company and was also a designer and builder for Formula One and rally car, which was responsible for incorporating race-like performance inside original MINI Cooper S in 1963. With a top speed of 130 km/h, the MINI Cooper S went on to win the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964.