by On the Turbo insert No. 45, a miniature hot hatch Innocenti Mini De Tomaso 1983 is depicted. Essentially, it’s the legendary British Mini, but in Italian ‘clothing’. 
The Innocenti company specialized in compact city cars. Since 1961, they had been producing the British Mini under license.
But Italians wouldn’t be Italians if they didn’t take on the car’s design. In 1974, the Bertone studio created a completely new body for the Mini. 
Visually, the Innocenti Mini did not resemble its prototype at all. The exterior featured the fashionable edges of the 70s. However, the innards remained British for a long time.
Since 1976, Innocenti (together with Maserati, by the way) became part of the De Tomaso group. The new owners, who were dealing with supercars, decided to make the Italian Mini sportier. It was equipped with a 1.3-liter 72 horsepower engine, the suspension was improved, and a body kit was added. 
In the 80s, Daihatsu engines started to be installed in the Innocenti Mini. The hot hatch depicted on the insert relates to this series.
The Mini De Tomaso received a one-liter turbocharged engine with the same 72 horsepower. 
The car, weighing 670 kg, accelerated to a hundred in 10.8 seconds and reached a top speed of 163 km/h. This version was produced until 1990.
