<P> Issigonis' friend John Cooper, owner of the Cooper Car Company and designer and builder of Formula One and rally cars, saw the potential of the Mini for competition . Issigonis was initially reluctant to see the Mini in the role of a performance car, but after John Cooper appealed to BMC management, the two men collaborated to create the Mini Cooper . The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in September 1961 . </P> <P> The 848 cc (51.7 cu in) engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was given a longer stroke to increase capacity to 997 cc (60.8 cu in) increasing power from 34 to 55 bhp (25 to 41 kW). The car featured a race - tuned engine, twin SU carburettors, a closer - ratio gearbox and front disc brakes, uncommon at the time in a small car . One thousand units of this version were commissioned by management, intended for and designed to meet the homologation rules of Group 2 rally racing . The 997 cc engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998 cc unit in 1964 . In 1962, Rhodesian John Love became the first non-British racing driver to win the British Saloon Car Championship driving a Mini Cooper . </P> <P> A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in tandem and released in 1963 . Featuring a 1071 cc engine with a 70.61 mm bore and nitrided steel crankshaft and strengthened bottom end to allow further tuning; and larger servo - assisted disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper S cars were produced and sold until the model was updated in August 1964 . Cooper also produced two S models specifically for circuit racing in the under 1,000 cc and under 1,300 cc classes respectively, rated at 970 cc (59 cu in) and a 1,275 cc (77.8 cu in), both had a 70.61 mm (2.780 in) bore and both were also offered to the public . The smaller - engine model was not well received, and only 963 had been built when the model was discontinued in 1965 . The 1,275 cc Cooper S models continued in production until 1971 . </P> <P> Sales of the Mini Cooper were as follows: 64,000 Mark I Coopers with 997 cc or 998 cc engines; 19,000 Mark I Cooper S with 970 cc, 1,071 cc or 1,275 cc engines; 16,000 Mark II Coopers with 998 cc engines; 6,300 Mark II Cooper S with 1,275 cc engines . There were no Mark III Coopers and just 1,570 Mark III Cooper S . </P>

When did the first mini cooper s come out