The film opens with John Cooper, the legendary figure who helped an unsuspecting little family car write racing history in Monte Carlo, as he was having the idea of putting an unreasonably powerful engine in the tiny, yet maneuvrable Mini. Sir Alec Issigonis himself, the famous designer of the Mini, expresses his disbelief in Mr. Cooper’s over-ambitious project. We are then transported to the start line of Rallye Monte-Carlo. The press and the spectators share Issigonis’ distrust. Comments like “Sweet little tin can” and “Big dreams with small chances” become lyrics in an intricate, tension-filled soundtrack that picks up pace as John Cooper’s Mini starts to overtake opponent after opponent in the hairpins above Monte Carlo. The symphony of naysayers is promptly silenced as the sweet little tin can crosses the finish line first. A modern MINI John Cooper Works overtakes it and powers on through the city’s streets.

The film was shot entirely on location in Monte Carlo. We painstakingly recreated the original race using car models and even advertising billboards from the original rally in 1964. The crew used also actual cameras from the early ‘60s.

At 1964, at the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo, everyone doubted the Mini, echoing Sir Alec Issigonis, the designer of the Mini himself who had warned John Cooper when the latter had the bold idea of putting a powerful engine in the tiny family car:”John, this will never work”. As the car sets off in Monte Carlo, Issigonis’ comment is joined by others words of disbelief from the press and the spectactors. All these testimonies of disbelief become interwoven in an intricate, tension-filled soundtrack that picks up pace as John Cooper’s Mini starts to overtake opponent after opponent in the hairpins above Monte Carlo. The symphony of naysayers is promptly silenced as the sweet little tin can crosses the finish line first. The biggest challenge for the sound designers was ballancing the voices so that the entire composition has a thrilling, haunting feel, rather than a repetitive one.