Mini Yours Customised: The British car gets personal

The ‘new’ Mini kick-started something of a revolution when the first example rolled off the Plant Oxford production line in 2001. But this time around it wasn’t the car’s clever monocoque construction, its space-efficient front-wheel drive layout or even the fact it was sensational to drive that set a new trend. Instead, it was about giving buyers the opportunity to stamp their own personal identity on the car.

Of course, companies such as Rolls-Royce have always been happy to sew hand-cut diamonds into the roof lining of your latest purchase or craft a matching luggage set out of ostrich skin from your own personal herd. But Mini brought a taste of this lifestyle to the high street and, since then, customisation has become big business for small hatchbacks. The average Mini now leaves the factory with options worth upwards of £3,500, while the rise of online car configurators has given buyers endless possibilities to tweak and tinker with their ideal specification.