Mini - pioneering, classless and 40 - is the Automotive Management car of the century. In Las Vegas this weekend, it battles for the supreme accolade against Citroen DS, Ford Model T, Porsche 911 and VW Beetle. The award is based on public Internet votes and those of 132 automotive journalists in 32 countries.

On sale for longer than any other current model, Mini has notched 5.3m sales, and is still the inspiration behind new models. The other four are phenomenal cars but have ceased to be influential.

And Mini will extend into the Millennium, with the all-new model due in 2001. Only Beetle comes close but it is now more of a fashion icon.