1960s Mini Cooper Christmas Cars — Handmade Metal Model, Set of 2

Two classic Minis in hand-formed iron, hand-painted in festive livery with trees on the roof.

Sold as a pair — which works better on a mantelpiece or shelf than a single car, and gives you the option of splitting them across two rooms.

Details

• Set of two handcrafted iron models
• Metal wheels that roll
• Hand-painted festive finish with roof-mounted trees
• Grille, lamp and bumper detail
• Ready to display

The car

Alec Issigonis designed the Mini in response to the 1956 Suez crisis and the fuel rationing that followed. His solution was to turn the engine sideways and put the gearbox underneath it in the sump, which freed up so much space that 80 percent of the car's floorplan could be given to passengers.

Every transverse-engined front-wheel-drive car since — which is to say almost every small car in the world — uses his layout.