Original Mini Up for Vote in List of Great British Innovations

A group of British non-profit organizations including the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering are allowing people to vote on the top British innovations of the past and future. Among the technology to vote for are two cars - the BMC MiniAustin Mini Gen.1 [Mark I]United Kingdom, 1961 > 19677 versions
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and Thrust SSC. 

As of this writing, the Mini is in fourth place with 8% of the votes. Just above it are the Mallard train also with 8% of the vote, Alan Turing's Universal Machine with 9% of the votes and the X-ray crystallography technique with 9% that showed the atomic structure of crystals in a series of experiments in 1912 and 1913.

The Mini was created by engineer Alec Issigonis in 1959 and pioneered the concept of a front-wheel drive car with a transverse engine and transmission mounted below it. The concept revolutionized automotive design by making cars cheaper and increasing interior room. It has been the norm for front-wheel drive cars since.

Other than that they both have wheels, the Mini and Thrust SSC have almost nothing in common. The car set the land speed record in 1997 and was the first car to break the sound barrier. Power came from two Rolls-RoyceRolls-RoyceUnited Kingdom, 1904 > present31 models
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jet engines.

There is also a separate vote for future innovations, which includes technology that has just been discovered like the Higgs Boson. The Raspberry Pi computer is winning that category, as of this writing, with 12% of the votes.

Voting for the contest ends on March 24. You can view the entire list and vote for your favorite here.