Mini

It was the British Mini, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and sold under both Austin and Morris names, that pioneered the front-drive concept as it is now known. Issigonis was attempting to gain the greatest space efficiency in a small car. In order to achieve this he pushed the…

…Volkswagen Beetle, he introduced the Mini. The boxy, inexpensive, fuel-efficient Mini used a transverse engine to power its front wheels—a radical design at the time—and thus could comfortably seat four passengers despite being only 10 feet (3 m) long. Its practicality and affordability made it immediately popular; by the time…