"Who came up with the mad idea of sticking a second engine in the back of a Mini – doubling the power and the driven wheels – isn’t clear, but there’s a good case for maverick engineer Paul Emery. The man who ran front-wheel-drive F3 cars in the early ’50s, and fitted the first disc brake on a racing car in Europe, was always non-conformist. By the ’60s, this ingenious specials builder had moved away from racing and focused on Minis. As well as the Dart, he designed a ‘Twini’ but gear-linkage problems handicapped its progress and Emery’s Fulham workshop switched to tuning Hillman Imps. “Good traction, but that’s about all,” was how Emery dismissed the failure, yet his concept soon set others off on the same track. First, Alec Issigonis developed the ultimate Mini Moke, whose four-wheel drive and doubled torque proved highly impressive on winter snow trails in 1962."
"During a visit to the Longbridge factory, John Cooper got a chance to drive the Twini Moke. The BMC design team relished any opportunity to demonstrate its four-wheel-drive toy and the motor sport legend was hugely impressed by its power and dramatic traction. The test sowed a seed, and he tore back to his Surbiton factory with the idea of building a Mini road car with a similar layout. While his single-seaters struggled to deliver, Cooper became obsessed with the Mini project and talked of nothing else. Mini parts were scattered over the workshop floor, and within six weeks a running prototype had been built up from a bare shell and was soon scaring motorists around the Hollyfield Road works......"
Mini Twini: twin-engined, four-wheel-drive concept tested in full:
http://www.classican...-tested-in-full
