MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition CELEBRATES Hopkirk’s Monte Carlo-winning Mini Cooper S

The MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition arrive as a run of 100 cars celebrating Paddy Hopkirk’s 1964 triumph at the Monte Carlo Rally in car 37.

The ground-breaking Min had already become a sales star, and perhaps the first ‘classless’ car, by 1964, but in 1964 Irishman Paddy Hopkirk drove his Mini Cooper S ‘Number 37’ to victory at the Monte Carlo Rally, against much more powerful opposition, and turned the Mini in to a Rally star as well as a budding icon.

That happened 56 years ago this year, and for some reason MINI has chosen now to commemorate the victory (wouldn’t it have made more sense to do it for the 50th?) with a limited run of 100 MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition cars.

Finished appropriately in Chilli Res with White contrast roof, the Paddy Hopkirk Edition is based on the regular MINI Cooper S with the now famous number 37 on the doors.

Also in the mix is a set of 17″ John Cooper Works light-alloy wheels in Track Spoke Black, with the frame and brace on the grille in high gloss black, as are many other trim pieces, whilst inside gets an Alcantara JCW wheel and Paddy Hopkirk’s signature on the trim strip in front of the passenger.

There’s a white stripe up the bonnet on the driver’s side complete with Hopkirk’s car’s number plate – 33 EJB – on the bonnet stripe in 3D effect graphics.

Additional goodies to make the Hopkirk Edition a long way from the bare-bones spec of the original include the MINI Navigation Pack and Comfort Pack, and twin driving lights on the grille.

The MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition starts at £27,405 with deliveries starting in November.