History of the Mini Cooper and its founder from Sussex - a 'motoring giant' who worked with Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham

Charlie Cooper, 41, grandson of the iconic car’s creator has donated the vehicle.

Benefactor Freddie St George MBE. who co-founded the Mini trip — known as The Italian Job — said: “In 1989, when I was a young man, I went to visit John Cooper, who was based in Ferring.

“He supported this idea I had for a yearly fundraising event to raise money for children’s charities.

“He was heavily involved in supporting us. It opened lots of doors.”

Paying tribute to John, Freddie added: “He was a huge motoring giant. He was one of those early pioneers — a nuts and bolts man who saw potential in the classic Mini. He knew he could play with it and make it a bit faster. He revolutionised that car.”

John, who would have been 98 this year, died in 2000, just as the new Mini was launching. The vehicle had been bought by German automotive company BMW.

John was a two-time F1 world champion constructor and worked alongside legendary racers such as Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Jack Brabham.

He developed the original Mini into the Mini Cooper in the 1960s.

Charlie added: “He was lucky enough to see the future of the Mini and Mini Cooper, which was great. In his last years, he saw that legacy would continue.”

Charlie also credited his father, Mike, for helping to revolutionise the car through the John Cooper Works brand.

He said: “My grandfather lived in East Preston. Formula 1 was born in South West London but he moved down in the 70s to Sussex and opened a garage business.

“My father grew up there and was heavily involved through the late 80s and 90s, relaunching the Mini Cooper when it was a classic Mini.

“The Cooper name had disappeared through the 70s.

“Subsequently when the brand was bought by the BMW group, with the launch of a new Mini, he was heavily involved in that.

“I was a small kid back then but I used to work my summers in the garage with my dad and grandad when he was still alive.

“My father had a successful car business in Sussex. It led him to launch the John Cooper Works brand, with garages in Ferring and East Preston.

“He saw the new Mini Cooper and said there was a chance to make it more special with performance exhausts and a bit more power handling.”

Mick, whose signature sits alongside that of his father and son on the dashboard of the special edition car going up for auction, started the Mini Challenge.

Charlie, who helped out while studying at university was ‘more successful than anyone imagined’.

Charlie went into a career in marketing and advertising before eventually launching an e-bike business in South East London.

However, he has kept to his family routes by working alongside the John Cooper Works brand.

“I am passionate about bicycles and cycling,” he said. “There was this opportunity when I was starting the bike business, because of the brand, that I could run the Mini Cooper brand with bicycles through Cooper Bikes.

“It all made perfect sense. I’ve worked as an ambassador and consultant with Mini as well as running my e-bike company. It’s been brilliant.”

This partnership culminated in the idea to auction off a limited edition Mini Cooper — designed by Charlie — to benefit The Italian Job.

“It has elements of the Cooper logo, which is classic Formula 1 logo,” Charlie said.

“It bears the number of the first ever race Mini, number 74, which won at Snetterton [Lombank Trophy].

“It’s pretty amazing that a special car that I’ve been involved in can raise all this money.

“I love the car. It does look cool — even more so in the flesh. Let’s hope it raised as much as possible.”

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