Mini MINI Mini!

Ever since the launch of the New MINI in 2001, BMW have been keen to stress that the newest generation car retains the Go-Kart handling of the Classic Mini.  But is that just marketing speak, or does a MINI really handle like a Go-Kart?

There is only one way to find out if a MINI really handles like a Go-Kart…and that’s to see if it can beat a Go-Kart around a Go-Kart track.  Those crazy dudes at webridestv.com have taken a Clubman they have under review and decided to see if the MINI’s loudest boast is really true…

Click here to watch the video.

Lord, formerly Donald, Stokes died today at the age of 94.

As chairman and managing director of the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) from its creation in 1968 from the merger with British Motor Holdings and the Leyland Motor Corporation until its demise in a government reorganisation in 1975, Lord Stokes played a small but important role in the life of the MINI.  It was ultimatly his decision to cease production of the original Mini Cooper and replace it with the redesigned Mini Clubman.

Stokes’s career had been made as a salesman, and in running businesses which were sufficiently compact to allow for personal control. His talent lay in improvisation and personal dynamism rather than in the establishment of management systems and careful long-term planning.  Although he worked hard, and tried to innovate, he was unable to motivate the vast organisation to produce models to compete with those of Ford and GM.  The two most high-profile models produced on his watch, the Marina and the Allegro, were never able to compete with the Cortina and Escort.

In 1975 Stokes stepped down and handed over running of BL to the government.  After 1975 he continued as president of BL for a further four years and he remained a consultant until 1981. He was chairman, KBH Communications, from 1987 to 1995.

Stokes was married in 1939 to Laura Elizabeth Courteney Lamb.  She died in 1995.  They had one son. Stokes was married to Patricia June Pascall in 2000.

The new John Cooper Works MINI has just gone on sale in the UK. Priced at £20,995 on the road, this 211bhp ‘pocket rocket’ delivers 260 Nm of torque (280 Nm on Overboost) which is the highest peak torque figure of any production MINI. From a standing start, the car will hit 62mph inside of 6.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 148mph. However, the extensive performance tuning means the car can deliver a combined fuel consumption of 40.9 miles per gallon.

Watch JCW MINI video footage

To ensure power is transferred to the wheels with minimal fuss and maximum dynamic performance, every MINI John Cooper Works car is supplied with Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) as standard. ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Hill Assist complete the line-up of chassis management technologies fitted to the John Cooper Works cars.

Watch JCW MINI video footage

Making the MINI John Cooper Works stand out from a standard MINI Cooper S is a range of specific styling and performance features. An aerodynamic kit, bespoke 17” alloy wheels, John Cooper Works badges, large disc brakes with upgraded bright red performance calipers and large twin tailpipes denote this car has something special under the metal. A full range of John Cooper Works styling accessories is available from all MINI dealers.

Watch JCW MINI video footage

John Cooper’s achievements in world motor sport laid the foundations for the John Cooper Works brand. Now in 2008, fans of MINI and the John Cooper Works brand have something new to lust after: the new MINI John Cooper Works, hot off the production line at MINI Plant Oxford!

Watch JCW MINI video footage

Car Magazine reviews the JCW MINI here
Top Gear reviews the JCW MINI here
Motortorque.com reviews the JCW MINI here
Fifth Gear reviews the JCW MINI here
Honest John reviews the JCW MINI here

There are several reports circulating (most notably here and here) that MINI may be considering letting Fiat sell Alfa Romeo cars through the MINI dealer network in the US. This may sound odd, but it’s fairly common knowledge that MINI and Fiat are cooperating on developing the chassis technology for the next generation of the MINI. It is also worth remembering that Frank Stephenson, the man who designed the New MINI, also designed the latest-generation Fiat 500.

The following is from the article published on www.autonews.com: Fiat said today that BMW will provide support in launching Alfa Romeo in North America. “Mini US dealers would have the possibility to also sell Alfa Romeo cars,” a Fiat spokesman told Automotive News Europe today.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Whilst there is no talk of MINI helping Fiat launch it’s small cars into the exceedingly profitable North American market, the Alfa Romeo brand sits very nicely between the MINI and main BMW brands.

Keep watching this space for more developments!

I am actually quite surprised that I’ve beaten Keith to this one!

According to Automotive News BMW are going to supply 500 electic Minis to California. Built in the factory at Cowley in Oxford, they will be shipped to Munich, Germany to have their electric power trains fitted and then shipped on to California.

490 will be sold retail and 10 will be used for auto shows. The electric Minis will help BMW to meet new California regulations that will require carmakers selling cars in the state to offer zero emission vehicles.

Unfortunately I have been unable to locate any specs for the electric cars. If I find any I will update the post. Likewise, if you find any specs then please let us know in comments.

I have been hearing just recently about people bitching and whining about their Mini club, other clubs and members within those clubs. I feel bound to write something about this as it is creating a big fuss within the Mini and MINI communities.

First up, remember why we belong to a Mini Club.

Because we love Minis and MINIS.

Now, some people say that there are far too many Mini Clubs. I disagree. The more clubs there are then the more it shows that we care about our cars. Some clubs are national (BMC, MCR etc), some are for an area (P&SMOC for example), some support a specific model (The Clubman Estate Register etc) while others are started due to disagreements, personality clashes, changes of interest or many other reasons. The reasons are not important.

What is important is that Clubs get along. We exist to support each other, the car and the members. If there’s inter-club arguing it does nobody (in the whole community) any good. I know of two clubs “oop North” that “hate” each other - simply due to petty squabbles between members.

I also understand that for the same reasons new clubs start, members change clubs. Of course, this is your decision and you are quite free to do so. However. Rather than join the new club and bad-mouth the one you’ve just left, how about being mature and discuss the problem with the team that runs the club. I know some clubs say they have no “Committee” but certainly there is nearly always a natural leader that shines through that people will look to for answers.

I have been talking to the “management” of a couple of clubs just recently and we all agree that petty squabbles between members should be utterly ignored for the greater good. There is a limit to that of course. I banned someone from a forum today. The person concerned was heard at a meet bad-mouthing one club (having just joined another) and was trying to poach members for their new club. This, in the eyes of everybody that I have mentioned it to (with just as much detail as you read in the previous sentence) have agreed that this is entirely unacceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated by anybody.

So, please can everybody in every club treat people with a little respect and dignity?

If you love your club, tell the world (like we all do anyway!). If you don’t love your club or have a huge problem then talk to the club and perhaps the problem can be resolved. If you still feel you want to join another club, please do so, but don’t bitch about the old club in public (including forums, blogs and in person) or you will find you will be ridiculed in no uncertain terms.

This last week, The Times has opened up it’s archive.  Every article from every paper from 1785 to 1985 is now available to search, read, download, email and print.  This little gem is from the edition printed August 26th 1959…

So, the voting for Project Clubby is still on in the sidebar, still no car (my fault, nobody else’s) and information gathering is still going on too.

I think have found the style that I want to build. The car will probably be a four seat roadster, something like this:

I just love the clean lines and the white interior really sets it off. Whether the interior of project clubby will be white is still up for debate. The unsurety of the style is because I need to see the donor car and make an informed decision from there. We might still end up going shorty, it’s all dependent on the state of the bodywork when it arrives.

While we were at Brighton last weekend there was a gorgeous shorty parked on a stand:

Just look at the work that’s gone into those seats! Of course mine won’t be pink, won’t have the sportpack arches and will run on 10s, not 13s.

Whatever happens to the car it’s going to be this colour (or something very close to it!):

So, next step is to get hold of the donor clubby, assess and then plan from there. With a bit of luck I should be able to get my hands on it within a few weeks… … … …

If I ever suggest that people meet at 0630 to go to a show, please will somebody slap me very very hard? It’s too damned early!

I am told that 2,100 cars were scheduled to attend the event, some 1,900 at Crystal Palace to do the run to Brighton on Sunday and a couple of hundred (including 6 cars from P&S MOC) went straight to Brighton to set up club stands on Madeira Drive.

The first cars were released from Crystal Palace at 0830 and I am sure that they must have broken speed limits as we saw the first runners appear at Brighton about an hour later!

The usual awesome organisation from London & Surrey Mini Owners’ Club saw the whole event run with only the minor hiccup, not even worth mentioning. During the day there were auto testing displays, dog control, a charity auction (from which I believe there was just over £3,000 raised) and of course, the soap box derby.

Ten teams entered, one came out victorious. 4 gokarts broke wheels or body work. The event was won by Modified Mini Owners’ Club, beating P&S MOC by just three tenths of a second over three heats. Damn that was close! We had a great giggle and although there was lots of puffing and panting for two smokers and an old bloke we were (and are!) pleased that we gave the nippers a run for their trophy. A few photos from the day:

P&S and the Mini Heroes tractor. The heaviest go-kart at the event and we still got second place!

If anyone can identify the paint code for the purple Mini in the last picture it would be much appreciated!

I had to put this one in! Me and my unmistakeable trousers sat in Wayne’s hot rod. I just love the suicide doors and the the original seats and their cracked leather just suit it perfectly. I am hearing rumours that the car might get a mag feature. Keep my fingers crossed for you buddy!

Bring on next year - we’ll beat the MMOC!

More piccies are available from the flickr set for the event.

Please allow me to apologise for my tardiness with this report - no excuses I’m afraid.

60 Minis, 60s dress code and lovely bright sunshine. What more could be asked for when you’re going to a Mini show. 11 May saw us all gather at the D-Day Museum on Southsea seafront to convoy into Gunwharf QUays where we would be displaying the cars in the shopping centre for the day.

Breakfast underneath the Spinnaker Tower (in the cafe!) and then all the cars were carefully marshalled in and parked.

A fantastic day with lots of exposure for the cars, raising money for charity through the Italian Job. I have no idea how much was raised but I saw donations dropped into the pot all day. I was even handed some change by the waitress in Pizza Express to put in.

So, a few photos:

There are 50 photos in my Flickr set for the event.

Following the Gunwharf Quays event, the organisers had us all return to Southsea Common. We were try attempt to break the record for the longest queue of moving Minis, currently standing at 273. Unfortunately we were a little short with only 165 cars in attendance - we brought Southsea to a standstill though, probably the biggest traffic jam they’ve ever seen!

I am told that we will be attempting the record again - we need this record back in the home of the Mini - taking it back off the Americans. Details will be published as soon as we have them.