Over the past few years since BMW have take over MINI there has been a number of different models and designs that have come onto the market. In the past there seemed to be a lack of new MINI models but now there seems to be a variety of different types that you can purchase. The first memory I have of the MINI was when Rowan Atkinson starred in the TV series Mr Bean. Due to the fact Mr. Bean had very little sound the props were particularly important to emphasise any action required. This meant that the used MINI in yellow which was driven by Mr Bean was an integral part of the series success. Mr Bean isn’t the only series or film to be remembered by a particular vehicle though. For example the Dukes of Hazard used the Dodge Charger, you could see John Thaw and Dennis Waterman who starred in the Sweeney driving a Ford Consul GT which was similar to a Ford Granada. If you were thinking of films which are now renowned for their cars who can forget Michael J Fox in Back to the Future driving his beloved Delorean around in the future. James Bond is of course known for the various models and derivatives of the Aston Martin but over the years he has also driven numerous cars including BMW, Mercedes and Ferrari for example. Although Gran Torino is set to be the last ever film Clint Eastwood is meant to star in (if he doesn’t change his mind that is) Starsky and Hutch were the first characters really to drive this vehicle. Some of this though is down to product placement whereby certain multinational companies pay to promote their brands. These brands are usually top of the range and have a large marketing budget.
In my opinion though Mr Bean was the TV series which really made the yellow used MINI part of the show mainly because it relied so heavily on props to emphasise the humour because the series had no speech. Rowan Atkinson worked on the series probably unintentionally at the very beginning of his career when he used to do sketches on stage when he was at university. Over the years Rowan Atkinson reworked the Mr Bean character which achieved global success for the TV series and the films which were produced. The reason this series was so successful across the world was possibly because of the fact there was no speech which meant most people that like slap stick comedy would enjoy the character of Mr Bean. Nowadays the MINI looks different to the one shown in the Mr Bean series mainly because BMW purchased the brand in 2001. This allowed BMW to change the design of the vehicles but kept the cheekiness of the vehicles. This has attracted even more followers than previously. It is a fantastic vehicle which BMW have increased the number of models available in each of the ranges. The new and used MINI is here to stay.
