Which?, the British consumer magazine, has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its motoring section by testing a 1961 Mini against a 2001 One D - this is a base model low-power diesel sold in Yurp. Clips of the article are attached, but some high points are: - even the One D has more than 2.5 times the original's 34hp; - the One D weighs exactly 2.5 times as much as the original; - the One D is quicker than the original through a slalom test, but not by a huge amount. (48 .vs. 40mph) It seems shameful that the One D on 17" modern radials is only 20% quicker than the original on cross-plies, but then it is also 20% wider than the original.
I guess the fact the 61 Mini doing so well against the modern One D goes to show what a giant killer the original was back in the days when it was new. They talked a bit about safety, but that is where there's huge advantage for the new MINI. That was an interesting read, thanks for posting it up.