Against all odds: Paddy Hopkirk and his Mini won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, changing the course of motor racing.
I may be a little closer to this story than most, because I still own my first car, a classic Mini — a fired-up Clubman variant with all the hot cams, polished ports, Weber side drafts and other period-correct bits, including Paddy Hopkirk signature gear.
With that, I’m putting myself first in line to pay respects to the man who died on 21 July.
Paddy’s life was one tremendous achievement, ushering in significant moments in motorsport history and putting the little car with the big attitude on the map.
Cue the swinging 1960s rock, acid trips and carefree living. The car that embodied that spirit was the classic Mini. The Mini was Britain’s answer to the oil crisis. Sir Alec Issigonis invented it with the brief that it needed to seat four passengers with luggage and be light on fuel.
He did this by transversely mounting the engine and gearbox to drive the front wheels, freeing up precious cabin space. Little did he know how important that setup would be for racing.
They laughed when someone slapped race numbers on the doors at its first event, especially when the competition was mainly big four-door sedans. They weren’t laughing when it won the Monte Carlo Rally on 21 January 1964. The classic 1071cc Mini Cooper S in Tartan Red made history, beating the more powerful V8-powered Ford Falcon.
The Mini would become revered for from that moment onwards; 31 rallies, including four championships, stamped the legend status.
At the helm of many of those victories was an Irishman named Patrick “Paddy” Hopkirk.
If you’ve had the pleasure of driving one, you’ll know that its capabilities far outweigh what you see at first glance. A wheel at every corner, 50:50 weight distribution, lightweight and a low centre of gravity, thanks to the compact layout, are characteristics that make a front-wheel drive car fast.
Steer with the rear and keep your foot buried when it seems most counterintuitive. If you watch Goodwood revival footage, you’ll see the Mini practically drift around every corner. Double clutching on the upshifts and use heel and toe techniques on the downshifts to ensure the synchros do not wear out. Men like Paddy perfected those techniques, making them pioneers in the game.
The rally started in Minsk, Belarus, and made its way to Monte Carlo in the South of France. The journey of 6 400km took four days, an impressive feat even today.
It showed the grit of a determined Paddy and his co-driver, Henry Liddon. They survived ice and snow and every extreme condition that could be thrown at them. Winning the rally was big news.
Every manufacturer wanted that win. It was the little car that bludgeoned noses. It punched way above its weight. The win edged the Mini into the hall of fame.
Rallying has changed since those days but the odds in those rallies were against the Mini. When Paddy and Henry made it to Monte Carlo they were told that they may have won the rally — timing needed to be confirmed first in the analogue days — and all that remained was four laps around the Monaco F1 circuit.
There’s a picture of Juan Manuel Fangio, Alec Issigonis and Graham Hill sipping champagne and eating caviar. Paddy made history and silenced the critics.
Now, where did I put the keys to my Mini?