PART 2: THE GEARLESS CONCEPT & WORKING WITH ISSIGONIS

摘要

Sir Alec Issigonis' 9X prototype, 9X-engined Minis and gearless Minis are often remembered under the one overall banner of '9X The original concept was a hatchback car with the 9X engine which British Leyland shelved in 1969. John Bilton explains: "The whole 9X project was, of course, fairly imaginative and dramatic, even compared with Mini. It really was a very light car, it only weighed 500kg, the Mini weighed at least 600kg, most of them weighed about 630kg, that sort of level if they were Deluxe or Super Deluxe. A Cooper, for example, probably weighed 630-640kg, 500kg was the weight of a Fiat 500."