The MINI Cooper S has been named What Car? 2009 Green Car of the Year in the sports car category.

The iconic hot hatch held onto its crown having received the same award in 2008 thanks to BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology.

In keeping against the need to broadcast through each and every medium about green initiatives, BMW have gone about their eco friendly business almost under the radar.

It’s one of the most iconic cars in the world, but how did the Mini Cooper come to fruition? The inventor of the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, had always intended on the Mini being the car for the everyman, but his good friend John Cooper, who owned the Cooper Car Company specialising in Formula 1 and rally car design, had the foresight to see that the Mini would be suited to motorsport so Cooper approached Issigonis with his ideas, but Issigonis was reluctant as he had never intended his brain child for racing.