With very early Minis now attracting serious money, especially ones with the desirable Cooper badge on the bonnet, it’s worth checking out variants built in the 1990s if you fancy one offering better value for money. Minis from this decade can often be picked up for a fraction of what it would cost to buy a prime example built in the 1960s – with a host of specialists able to provide a full range of spares and services to help if things go wrong.

The rejuvenation of the Mini in the 1990s has its roots in the previous decade, when John Cooper approached Austin Rover bosses with a plan to revive the Mini Cooper brand. Sadly, Austin Rover bosses turned this interesting proposal down; but undeterred by the rejection, John Cooper started to offer aftermarket tuning kits for Minis and a legend was reborn.

Austin Rover was reformed as the slimmer, more premium-orientated Rover Group by 1986, and it was odds-on that the Mini would be dropped from the line-up thanks to healthy sales of the Metro. Over the years, the overall look of the Mini’s exterior had remained relatively unchanged; and although the Mini was now marketed as a standalone brand, it was being kept alive with what seemed like a never-ending number of special editions and clever advertising slogans. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1989, with John Cooper being officially welcomed back into the fold the following year, when the limited edition RSP (Rover Special Products) Mini Cooper joined the line-up.

The Mini was lightly revised so that the 1275cc engine could be fitted on the production line, creating the Mk6 range – generally regarded as the first of the ‘Rover Minis’, with the Cooper becoming a regular production model. The latest versions were warmly welcomed and gave the Mini a stay of execution, with the 998cc A-Series engine being gradually phased out in favour of the Cooper’s 1275cc unit throughout the range. The base model was now rebadged as the Mini Sprite, while the plusher Mayfair maintained its place at the top of the standard range.

The revival of the Mini’s fortunes was truly international, with Japan and Germany becoming two of the most enthusiastic markets to embrace the car in the 90s. Sales in these two countries boomed, and overall Mini sales were higher in the mid-1990s than they had been a decade earlier. The Rover Group was now under the control of BMW, and plans announced by BMW chief Bernd Pischetsrieder (a distant cousin of Alex Issigonis), included keeping the Mini in production for the foreseeable future.

To capitalise on the brand’s success, a new Mini would soon be on the drawing board. Meanwhile, BMW invested in upgrades for the classic model, with the old-timer being pushed further upmarket; the specification of the car was increased along with list prices, while production volumes were reduced to minimise the costs associated with what was effectively a hand-built car in the age of roboticised mass production.