Minis returning to international rallying circuit

More than 40 years after it burst on the scene, a new incarnation of the Mini is returning to the international rallying circuit.

For the first time since BMW acquired the brand in 1994, the German automaker is investing in a new model in a bid to replicate the 1960s heyday when Minis won the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally three times.

The Countryman will begin a phased entry to the World Rally Championship next year before contesting the entire championship from 2012 for ''several years,'' BMW said.

Much will be expected from the car that established itself as a fierce racer despite being conceived with cost and fuel efficiency in mind after the 1956 Suez Crisis triggered fears of an oil shortage amid gasoline rationing.

Riding on 10-inch tires, the first models produced by the British Motor Corp. were only 10 feet long, 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and sold for as little as $725 in Britain.

Despite their simplicity, they came to symbolize the ''Swinging 60s'' in Britain after wowing celebrities, including the Beatles and actor Peter Sellers, who drove customized versions.

And it was the Cooper S victories at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, '65 and '67 that earned the car its cult global status.

''The success enjoyed on the rally circuit has made a vital contribution to the image of the brand,'' BMW executive Ian Robertson said. ''I am convinced we will add a few more chapters to our success story in rallying.''

Red, white and blue models raced through Turin as getaway vehicles for bank robbers in the 1969 movie ''The Italian Job'' with Michael Caine.

That starring role came just as the cars drifted from the rallying circuit. While the classic Mini has made occasional, unofficial rallying appearances since the '60s, Tuesday's announcement signaled a full-scale return to the sport.

British manufacturer Prodrive has been working with BMW since last year to create a 1.6-liter rallying car based on its Countryman model to compete in the 13 three-day events that make up the World Rally Championship.

Cars must be able to race on a range of terrain - from gravel to ice.

''This is a very exciting new motor sport program,'' Prodrive chairman David Richards said in a statement. ''During the 1960s, Mini captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car took on the might of V-8 powered Fords and won what was then one of the toughest motor sport events, the 4,000km Monte Carlo Rally.

''I believe our new Mini will become a firm favorite of the latest generation of rally fans, just as it is adored by its millions of owners across the world.''

In Prodrive, BMW has hired a company with a long-standing pedigree developing rallying cars.

The company, based near Oxford, helped Subaru win the constructors' title three times in the 1990s, while Colin McRae won the drivers' title in 1995 and Richard Burns and Petter Solberg added further triumphs in 2001 and 2003, respectively.