Mini (Mark I)

Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis, 1959 The original Mini is a design you read from the inside out. Alec Issigonis, chief engineer at BMC, turned the engine sideways and put the gearbox in the engine's sump to save length, then pushed tiny 10-inch wheels out to the corners so almost all of the car was cabin. It went on sale on August 26, 1959, and the basic shape lasted until October 2000, with more than 5.3 million built in all its versions. Nearly every small front-wheel-drive hatchback since owes something to its layout, which makes it essential on any list about cars that changed design.