What was the name of the original Austin version of the Mini?

The original Austin version of the Mini was called the Austin Seven. It was launched in Britain in 1959 alongside its mechanically similar Morris counterpart, the Morris Mini-Minor.

The name deliberately revived Austin’s famous pre-war Austin Seven, a lightweight economy car that had helped put Britain on the road in the 1920s and 1930s. BMC hoped the familiar name would give its new small car an immediate connection with Austin’s history.

The Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor were essentially badge-engineered versions of the same project, known internally as ADO15. Both used Alec Issigonis’s space-saving layout: a transverse engine, front-wheel drive and compact two-box body. The Austin and Morris cars differed mainly in branding and trim details.

The Austin name did not last long. In 1961, BMC renamed the Austin Seven as the Austin Mini, and by 1969 Mini had become a marque in its own right. Austin 850 was used in some export markets, but it was not the original British Austin name.