Innocenti Mini - Daihatsu Era

Daihatsu Era

In April 1982, at the same time as the engines were changed for Daihatsu units, the Mini's original rubber suspension was changed to a more conventional (and comfortable) independently developed layout with MacPherson struts up front and an independent, leaf-sprung rear suspension with lower wishbones. To indicate the new engines, the cars were renamed Innocenti Tre Cilindri, or simply "Tre" (three). The new engines and suspension carried with them a weight penalty of about 55 kg (121 lb). The new Innocentis were nearly indistinguishable from their predecessors, the external changes being limited to badging and a chin spoiler. In January 1984, along with a light facelift, they were renamed Minitre (sometimes written "Mini 3"). Most of the new parts came straight from the Daihatsu Charade. European exports, which had hitherto been managed by local British Leyland affiliates, were either halted or generally slowed down. For the first year or two, Minitres were limited to exporting to France, Belgium, and Switzerland. In 1983, the German Daihatsu importer Walter Hagen took over sales there, after a hiatus of over a year. The old Leyland-engined versions continued to be sold until stocks ran out. In spite of the new model, production dropped steadily: from 23,187 in 1981 to 21,646 the next year to 13,688 in 1983, the first year in which all cars were Daihatsu-engined. During 1984, sales shot up again as the car had regained its credibility.

Aside from the sporting turbocharged version, the Minitre was originally only available with a carburetted 52 PS (38 kW) petrol engine, in three different levels of trim: S, SL, and SE. While usually fitted with a five-speed manual transmission rather than the four-speed unit used in the earlier four-cylinder cars, a two-speed semiautomatic also became available in July 1984, sold as the "Minimatic". This was the same unit as the one marketed as the "Daimatic" by Daihatsu themselves. The Matic's gearbox has the same dimensions as does the manual transmission, and is fitted with a torque converter and a planetary gear train with two gear ratios which are selected by a traditional, floor-mounted gear lever.

While the Daihatsu powertrains were considerably more expensive than the British units, Alejandro DeTomaso stated that this was more than paid for by lowered warranty claims. In 1984 he said that warranty repairs were down by 70% when Japanese-engined Minis were compared with the BL-engined ones. His biggest problem was that his service network had become overstaffed as a result of the higher quality engines. To be honest, this surfeit of servicing staff may have also been a result of steadily declining production numbers (down from the forty-thousands in the late seventies to the mid-teens by 1984/1985), something which De Tomaso tried to ameliorate by offering a more luxurious and customizable product than did their main competitor Fiat.

The three-cylinder (and some two-cylinder versions as well) continued in production until 1993, and this range was also available with a 37 PS (27 kW) diesel version of the 1-litre engine. The diesel looked the same, inside and out, as did the regular Minitre. At the time of introduction (April 1984), this engine was not only the smalllest passenger car diesel in the world, but also had the highest specific output of any naturally aspirated diesel engine in series production - it thus made for a surprisingly spirited performer. Introduced as part of an effort to bring Innocenti production above the threshold of profitability, around 20,000 cars annually, the Minidiesel sold very well right out of the box. The diesel took thirty percent of the overall production with nearly no negative effect on sales of the petrol versions, a considerably bigger share than the expected twenty percent.

In Turin 1986, the longer 990 was presented - this version had a wheelbase which was extended by 16 cm (6 in) and was available with either the naturally aspirated petrol or diesel 1 L engines. In addition to a more useful backseat, the 990 also had a more sloped windshield for somewhat better aerodynamics. A well balanced design, the longer wheelbase version can be hard to identify, if it wasn't for the missing pillar in the glass of the door, and the forward placement of the rear view mirrors. The luggage space also increased somewhat, with 295 L (10.4 cu ft) rather than 280 L (9.9 cu ft). The 990 was an adaptation of a 1982 concept executed by the Embo carrozzeria, using the longer chassis of the Mini Traveller. Excepting the turbo, the shorter 1-litre versions were taken out of production in July 1987. The 990 was available as the SL, and as a better-equipped SE version.