Can't see it myself, the Mini, yes, that was a phenomena, but the minor wasn't an exciting vehicle. Solid, yes, and dependable, but very much a mum-and-dad car, and that's not the sort of thing that sells these days when it comes to neoclassics.
There's a fair bit of nostalgia around the Minor, and I could see someone trying to exploit that. But the target market wouldn't be the same as the Fiat 500 and MINI, it would have to be aimed at the mid-life crisis group who want to relive their youth. That means you're competing with things like Porsches - and means that the New Minor has to be a retro-styled 'hot hatch'. The original Minor was known for its' handling, so this makes some degree of sense.You also need the Minor itself to be well thought of, which will be something of a challenge considering it was the lower-end car to 1100, 1300 and 1800.
Certainly something in the Golf/Fiesta class.So...something like a VW Golf R32? It even has the characteristic dodgy VW electrical components for extra authenticity.
(BTW, VW in North America has a reputation for electricals that are prone to failure (and thus a disadvantage against the Japanese) and expensive to replace (and thus a disadvantage against the Americans). It's less of a thing in Europe though for some reason.)
Thing is though, all that nostalgia was also applied to its successor the Mini, which in many ways was the Minor's good qualities accentuated. It'd like asking people to become excited about the Fiat 500 "Topolino", not a bad car overall, but it's just not going to work.There's a fair bit of nostalgia around the Minor, and I could see someone trying to exploit that. But the target market wouldn't be the same as the Fiat 500 and MINI, it would have to be aimed at the mid-life crisis group who want to relive their youth. That means you're competing with things like Porsches - and means that the New Minor has to be a retro-styled 'hot hatch'. The original Minor was known for its' handling, so this makes some degree of sense.
Probably better than Leyland cars which were almost universally famous for badly made electrics (the common supplier, Lucas Industries was commonly known as "Prince of Darkness").So...something like a VW Golf R32? It even has the characteristic dodgy VW electrical components for extra authenticity.
(BTW, VW in North America has a reputation for electricals that are prone to failure (and thus a disadvantage against the Japanese) and expensive to replace (and thus a disadvantage against the Americans). It's less of a thing in Europe though for some reason.)
Lucas Industries was commonly known as "Prince of Darkness").
True enough; the only way I can see someone trying it is as a 'me too'. BMW launches the MINI in 2001, having sold on Austin Rover, and the new owners of the marque decide that they want to compete in that market. Given Phoenix Group's performance, I think I'm safe in saying that it will crash and burn financially, regardless of the qualities of the car.Thing is though, all that nostalgia was also applied to its successor the Mini, which in many ways was the Minor's good qualities accentuated. It'd like asking people to become excited about the Fiat 500 "Topolino", not a bad car overall, but it's just not going to work.