History of the Mini Cooper S.
The Cooper S
was launched in April 1963 as a higher performance version of the standard
Cooper on which it was based. It was, as with the standard Coopers, available in
both Austin & Morris versions. In Mk 1 form it first of all used a 1071cc
version of the BMC A series engine, which developed a full 15 bhp more than the
standard 998cc Cooper. The Cooper S also benefited from other improvements
including larger front disc brakes. In March & June 1964 two new engines were
added to the range these being the 1275cc and 970cc respectively. This was to
enable the Cooper S take part in the under 1000cc and under 1300cc categories in
motor sport, and it was in 1964 that a Cooper S driven by Paddy Hopkirk achieved
an outright victory in the Monte Carlo rally.
Hydrolastic suspension was fitted to all Mini's (except estates) from September 1964 including all Cooper models, and other minor detail changes were made at this time such as a combined ignition / starter switch to replace the floor mounted starter button of earlier models. Cooper S models were also fitted with 120 mph and later 130 mph speedometers. After production of just over 4000 cars, the 1071cc model was discontinued in August 1964, with production of the 970cc version being ceased in April 1965 after less than 1000 of them were produced, making this a particularly rare and desirable model today. The remaining 1275cc Cooper S had its formerly optional twin fuel tanks fitted as standard from January 1966.
The Mk II version of the Austin & Morris Mini Cooper was launched in October 1967 and these models featured many cosmetic changes, but most notably a larger rear window and revised rear lights. An all synchromesh gearbox came in 1968. The Mark III Cooper S arrived in March 1970, and was in appearance little different to the standard Mini 1000. The Mk III bodyshells were heavier than those used on the previous models, so performance was a bit down. This coupled with the fact that the Mini Clubman based 1275 GT had been introduced in 1969 - which in effect it was now competing with - meant that sales were slow. The Mk III Cooper was discontinued in June 1971 after just over 1500 were made.