TiCi
The TiCi is one of the strangest and most fascinating Mini-based creations ever produced in Britain. While the original Mini was already famous for its tiny footprint, the TiCi pushed the idea of compact motoring to an almost absurd extreme.
Pronounced “titchy,” the name perfectly matched the car’s character — incredibly small, slightly ridiculous, yet impossible to ignore.
The project was created by British designer Anthony Hill, a Royal College of Art graduate and industrial design consultant based in Nottinghamshire.
Before developing the TiCi, Hill had worked on everything from motorcycles and domestic appliances to wheelchairs, locomotives, and even marine projects. During the 1960s he became obsessed with the idea of a minimal urban commuter vehicle and founded TiCi Cars Ltd in 1966.
The first prototype appeared in 1968 and was reportedly assembled in Hill’s own kitchen. It was just six feet long and used a Triumph 500cc motorcycle engine combined with a highly experimental interconnected suspension system.
The tiny body consisted of three sections made from a resin-impregnated composite material similar in concept to the body construction of the Trabant. Friends and relatives helped finance the prototype, but the lack of investment prevented production.
Hill later returned to the idea with a more practical second-generation design, now known as the TiCi II. This version adopted Mini mechanical components but remained dramatically smaller than the donor car.
Measuring only 89 inches long, it was roughly three feet shorter than a standard Mini. The wheelbase and track width were both set at exactly 50 inches, creating almost square proportions unlike anything else on the road.
The TiCi used a lightweight monocoque structure with a fiberglass body supplied in three separate sections. The entire Mini front subframe, complete with the A-Series engine and transmission, was relocated to the rear of the car, effectively making it a mid-engined machine.
The front suspension was specially engineered because conventional Mini components would not fit the unusual dimensions. According to period reports, Girling motorcycle dampers and springs were used at the front.
Despite its cartoonish appearance, Hill claimed the TiCi incorporated genuine safety engineering, including a reinforced windscreen surround and integrated crash structures. The removable roof panel and optional tiny fiberglass “doorlets” added some weather protection, though the car still looked more like a futuristic toy than a conventional automobile.
Production officially began in 1972 after the TiCi debuted at the Evening News Motor Show Boat event, a floating motor show held aboard a Townsend Thoresen ferry. The launch generated enormous publicity.
British magazines including Hot Car, Cars & Car Conversions, and Car Magazine featured the vehicle, while television appearances on shows such as Tomorrow’s World, Blue Peter, and Record Breakers helped turn the TiCi into a cult sensation.
Celebrity endorsements only increased its notoriety. Racing legend Stirling Moss became closely associated with the project and was frequently photographed driving a TiCi through central London. Inventor Clive Sinclair also supported the concept. Members of the rock and roll group Showaddywaddy owned several examples, while singer Eartha Kitt even appeared in promotional photos with the car.
Around 40 TiCis are believed to have been built, with several exported overseas to Spain, Japan, and Cyprus. Most were sold as kits in yellow gelcoat finish, produced by Bourne Plastics — a company better known for manufacturing components for British Rail InterCity trains and, later, early Lotus Elise body panels. Interestingly, the TiCi’s bright yellow color reportedly matched the yellow used on InterCity train noses.
Another remarkable chapter involves former McLaren Racing mechanic Rodney Butterfield, who acquired the remaining TiCi company assets directly from Anthony Hill after the firm collapsed in 1974.
Butterfield had intended to build his own TiCi using components from an ex-McLaren Austin Mini Van previously connected to Formula One aerodynamic testing. Although the project was never completed, he retained the car and the TiCi assets for decades after relocating to the United States.
