Click to enlarge.
The last MINI Clubman rolled off the production line at MINI Plant Oxford today 55 years after the model’s debut with rear swinging doors in 1969. Since its introduction more than 1.1 million MINI Clubman models have been built, with half of these made at MINI Plant Oxford. Exported to more than 50 countries, the Clubman darts around the globe if they haven’t rusted into premature oblivion. During 2023, the Clubman was pushed with the launch of The Final Edition. It had an edition-specific Shimmer Copper radiator grille and side scuttles, 18” Final Edition 2-tone alloy wheels and exclusive ‘Final Edition’ lettering on the rear. Limited to 1969 units, the Final Edition noted the launch year of the original.
“We are incredibly proud to have built the MINI Clubman at Plants Oxford and Swindon over the last 18 years for customers all over the world,” said Dr. Markus Grüneisl, CEO of Plants Oxford and Swindon, said of the British brand now owned by German BMW. “With its departure, we look ahead to welcoming members of the new MINI family to our Oxford and Swindon lines, including a new convertible model which we will start to produce at the end of this year.”
Mini Clubman
The Clubman goes back to the early 1960s, when Mini’s then owner, British Motor Corporation (BMC), introduced two estate versions (station wagon, Yank.) of the original Mini: the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini Traveler with a longer chassis and barn-style rear doors. Alongside the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet – which were longer, more luxurious saloon versions of the Mini – these cars pointed the way for the first Mini Clubman. In 1967, British Motor Holdings (previously BMC) set out to streamline the Mini portfolio, hiring designer Roy Haynes to combine attributes from all four models into a single car. This became the Mini Clubman, which was more angular and 10cm longer than the original Mini.
Ultimately, three production vehicles were based on the Clubman, with the first car debuting in 1969 as a Sedan (saloon), followed by the Clubman Estate a year later. The third was the 1275 GT, which did not bear the Clubman name but did share its distinctive nose and was famed for its motorsport career.
The seventies saw changes including a more powerful, 45 bhp engine and side stripes. Proceeding to dominate the UK automotive market for a decade, almost 600,000 Mini Clubman were produced, including 197,000 Estates, before it finished production in 1982 as the 1000HL Estate.
The Revived MINI Clubman
Following a 25-year-hiatus, Clubman was reborn in 2007. While freshened, it retained styling cues from its predecessors – including the signature, split rear doors. However, reinstating them into a modern-day vehicle was an engineering task at MINI Plant Oxford. “We needed to ensure that both doors would always open fully without obscuring the rear lights, which was a legal requirement. Achieving this required fine tuning and developing the gas strut system to ensure the doors functioned correctly in all climatic conditions” said Lead Quality Engineer, Guy Elliott, who was part of the development team for Door Systems at the time.
As the first MINI to offer five seats, the Clubman introduced a unique Clubdoor (sic) for easy access for rear passengers – which was hinged at the rear, and asymmetrically positioned on the one side of the car. “The Clubdoor was pillarless, meaning two moving parts were coming together. We had to ensure the front door and Clubdoor were flush to minimize wind noise when driving. The two glass systems had to be carefully controlled and most importantly, it needed to be watertight, which required precise control measures,” said Elliot.”
Clubman to Clubvan
Inspired by the Morris Mini Van, MINI introduced the world’s first premium compact delivery van in 2013, dubbed the MINI Clubvan. Retaining five doors but with only two seats, the model offered businesses a larger, easily accessible loading area with a completely flat floor. With a bulkhead to protect the driver and passenger, the Clubvan cargo area could be loaded roof high, with a maximum payload capacity of 500 kg. Recessed into the floor were six heavy duty attachment loops, which prevented objects from moving around in transit, while multiple 12-volt sockets could be used to power electrical equipment.
Four Full-Sized Doors
With the third generation in 2015 the Clubman grew, offering a boot capacity of up to 1,250 liters, enhanced usability with four full-sized doors and an 8-speed Steptronic transmission, a first for the MINI brand. Numerous other items debuted on the Clubman, including an electric parking brake, full electric seat adjustment and the optional MINI Yours Interior Styles with backlit door bezels. Its launch was followed by the introduction of the Clubman ALL-4, the brand’s first all-wheel drive model, in 2016.
“As the final of three consecutive launches in less than three years (3-Door, 5-Door, Clubman), the Clubman presented special challenges to the Manufacturing Launch team. In the Pressings and Body -in-White factories, new subassembly facilities unique to Clubman were installed, enabling frames from all three MINI models to feed the final lines in any sequence or batch size. In Assembly, a new door build process for the split doors was implemented,” said then Project Lead Dr. Ernst Fricke.
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Annals of Marketing – RIP MINI Clubman
Click to enlarge.
The last MINI Clubman rolled off the production line at MINI Plant Oxford today 55 years after the model’s debut with rear swinging doors in 1969. Since its introduction more than 1.1 million MINI Clubman models have been built, with half of these made at MINI Plant Oxford. Exported to more than 50 countries, the Clubman darts around the globe if they haven’t rusted into premature oblivion. During 2023, the Clubman was pushed with the launch of The Final Edition. It had an edition-specific Shimmer Copper radiator grille and side scuttles, 18” Final Edition 2-tone alloy wheels and exclusive ‘Final Edition’ lettering on the rear. Limited to 1969 units, the Final Edition noted the launch year of the original.
“We are incredibly proud to have built the MINI Clubman at Plants Oxford and Swindon over the last 18 years for customers all over the world,” said Dr. Markus Grüneisl, CEO of Plants Oxford and Swindon, said of the British brand now owned by German BMW. “With its departure, we look ahead to welcoming members of the new MINI family to our Oxford and Swindon lines, including a new convertible model which we will start to produce at the end of this year.”
Mini Clubman
The Clubman goes back to the early 1960s, when Mini’s then owner, British Motor Corporation (BMC), introduced two estate versions (station wagon, Yank.) of the original Mini: the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini Traveler with a longer chassis and barn-style rear doors. Alongside the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet – which were longer, more luxurious saloon versions of the Mini – these cars pointed the way for the first Mini Clubman. In 1967, British Motor Holdings (previously BMC) set out to streamline the Mini portfolio, hiring designer Roy Haynes to combine attributes from all four models into a single car. This became the Mini Clubman, which was more angular and 10cm longer than the original Mini.
Ultimately, three production vehicles were based on the Clubman, with the first car debuting in 1969 as a Sedan (saloon), followed by the Clubman Estate a year later. The third was the 1275 GT, which did not bear the Clubman name but did share its distinctive nose and was famed for its motorsport career.
The seventies saw changes including a more powerful, 45 bhp engine and side stripes. Proceeding to dominate the UK automotive market for a decade, almost 600,000 Mini Clubman were produced, including 197,000 Estates, before it finished production in 1982 as the 1000HL Estate.
The Revived MINI Clubman
Following a 25-year-hiatus, Clubman was reborn in 2007. While freshened, it retained styling cues from its predecessors – including the signature, split rear doors. However, reinstating them into a modern-day vehicle was an engineering task at MINI Plant Oxford. “We needed to ensure that both doors would always open fully without obscuring the rear lights, which was a legal requirement. Achieving this required fine tuning and developing the gas strut system to ensure the doors functioned correctly in all climatic conditions” said Lead Quality Engineer, Guy Elliott, who was part of the development team for Door Systems at the time.
As the first MINI to offer five seats, the Clubman introduced a unique Clubdoor (sic) for easy access for rear passengers – which was hinged at the rear, and asymmetrically positioned on the one side of the car. “The Clubdoor was pillarless, meaning two moving parts were coming together. We had to ensure the front door and Clubdoor were flush to minimize wind noise when driving. The two glass systems had to be carefully controlled and most importantly, it needed to be watertight, which required precise control measures,” said Elliot.”
Clubman to Clubvan
Inspired by the Morris Mini Van, MINI introduced the world’s first premium compact delivery van in 2013, dubbed the MINI Clubvan. Retaining five doors but with only two seats, the model offered businesses a larger, easily accessible loading area with a completely flat floor. With a bulkhead to protect the driver and passenger, the Clubvan cargo area could be loaded roof high, with a maximum payload capacity of 500 kg. Recessed into the floor were six heavy duty attachment loops, which prevented objects from moving around in transit, while multiple 12-volt sockets could be used to power electrical equipment.
Four Full-Sized Doors
With the third generation in 2015 the Clubman grew, offering a boot capacity of up to 1,250 liters, enhanced usability with four full-sized doors and an 8-speed Steptronic transmission, a first for the MINI brand. Numerous other items debuted on the Clubman, including an electric parking brake, full electric seat adjustment and the optional MINI Yours Interior Styles with backlit door bezels. Its launch was followed by the introduction of the Clubman ALL-4, the brand’s first all-wheel drive model, in 2016.
“As the final of three consecutive launches in less than three years (3-Door, 5-Door, Clubman), the Clubman presented special challenges to the Manufacturing Launch team. In the Pressings and Body -in-White factories, new subassembly facilities unique to Clubman were installed, enabling frames from all three MINI models to feed the final lines in any sequence or batch size. In Assembly, a new door build process for the split doors was implemented,” said then Project Lead Dr. Ernst Fricke.
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