MINI2

An interactive MINI advert which appeared on a newspaper internet site has landed MINI in hot water with the ASA (Advertising Standard Agency) in the UK.

The animated promotional banner showed a close-up of a man sat at the wheel of a MINI, driving down the road - including instructions for surfers to “FLOOR IT” using an interactive pedal.

When users pressed on the pedal icon the car in the graphic accelerated until the driver’s face appeared to ripple with the G-Force caused by the speeding.

And the ad finished with the words:

NOW WITH EXTRA OOMPH THE ALL NEW MINI ONE MINI COOPER MINI COOPER S AND MINI COOPER D

The ASA said it accepted that the ad was only shown to people who clicked on the pedal and not those who were just browsing the site and also took into account the fact the ad was “surreal” and that a Mini could not get up to the speeds shown in the graphic.

However, it added:

We nonetheless considered that the ad encouraged users to interact with it and cause the man to be shown travelling at excessive speeds.
We considered that the ad made speed and acceleration the predominant message and could be seen to encourage speeding.

The ASA ruled the ad had breached the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code clause 10.1 about safety that states ads should not “encourage or condone unsafe practices”.

And the ad was also deemed to breach three motoring codes.

Ad agency Glue London, responding to complaints on behalf of BMW, claimed marketing campaigns were

aimed at people who enjoyed the Mini’s sense of fun and cheekiness.

And maintained that

speed and acceleration were not the predominant message of the ad,

but that it was intended to

generate interest in the launch of the new MINI range and to promote the new MINI engine, which had improved emissions and fuel consumption.

In May of this year The Car Connection posted pictures sent in by a reader in L.A. of two disguised MINI Coopers, one an S, one a regular Cooper.

At the time it caused a little stir, what were two disguised vehicles doing out and about when the new MINI is already on sale. They were not MINI Clubman test cars, they looked for all you could see pretty regular. Much head scratching took place in the MINI Community (see this thread on the MINI2 forums for some of the conjecture at the time)…. But then they were all but forgotten.

Until now. MINI2 member ogeneo spotted and photographed the very same MINI Cooper S shown in the original Car Connection photographs (still showing on their site), on the Southern California Pacific Coast Highway.

Which once again begs the question, what is this car all about? What are MINI doing with this test Cooper S (apart from pulling off tail pipe trim!)?

Strange goings indeed!

So we’ve seen the outside, we’ve seen the inside once through the windows, and then through the doors. But there’s still questions nagging many would be MINI Clubman owners and interested MINI enthusiasts.

For example on the MINI2 forums some members took to calling the suicide door a “courtesy door”. Well, you may be intrigued to know the “suicide door” has been dealt a less deathly name thanks to the bods at MINI, it’s called “the Club Door”, and there’s some very nifty mechanics involved in arranging the third rear seat safety belt, which is exclusively for smaller passengers (those weighing less than 50kg) but we’ll come to that later.

Obviously, extra MINI means extra weight. Our sources have revealed the Clubman Cooper Diesel weighs in at 80kg more than it’s hatchback brother, the Cooper S puts on 75kg in Cooper S form, whereas the base Cooper at 1220kg also gains 80kg. These are all based on a 75kg driver and 90% tank of fuel.

In terms of performance, the Cooper is .7 seconds slower in the 0-62mph drag, whereas the Cooper S and D are impressively only half a second slower, this despite the extra bulk. This means the Cooper S remains under 8 seconds 0-62 mph, even in with an automatic transmission.

Speaking of size, the Clubman wheel base and overall dimensions are, of course, larger than the MINI. The track remains the same, but the wheelbase is universally increased by 80mm to 2547mm. The great news here is the luggage capacity is also increased by 100 litres to 260 litres, and with the seats folded this increases to 930 litres, a full 250 litres more than the hatchback.

Also revealed to MINI2, the Clubman will include an adjustable load base which sounds like a useful piece of kit, sitting on the floor of the boot area, above the tool kit and optional compact spare tyre. All this seems quite an improvement considering the car still looks small in regular traffic, as this YouTube video demonstrates.

Our latest information also confirms that both barn doors open “fully”, including the area surrounding the rear lights (the c-pillars remain in place) to give as wide a load area as possible. This should also mean no more cursing and grazed knuckles if and when you need to change a light bulb!

While at the rear of the vehicle, the Clubman will also be available with a factory fitted tow hitch and power point with detachable ball head, as well as beefed up rear springs to deal with load-lugging duties.

When the first interior spy shots appeared, it lead to some debate and confusion over the central “seat”, how could the anchorage points work, and wont that “lump” be a little uncomfortable?

The answer apparently lies in another bit of unique packaging MINI have devised for the Clubman. The Clubman does have three rear seats, but as stated previously the rear seat is for lightweights only. The buckle arrangement seems a little complex, locking away in it’s mount in the roof, it pulls down, into one buckle, then across to the other creating a three point middle harness. The odd thing is it seems the buckles for the main seatbelts remain almost in their “regular” MINI location, putting them between the mounting points for the middle belt. Could be an uncomfortable ride?!

We hope that’s given a little further insight into the intriguing world of the MINI Clubman. Coupled with the previously shown photos and videos we’re very close to a complete picture ahead of the official public unveiling at the Frankfurt Motorshow in September. All that really remains to be seen is how well the Clubman actually drives and handles. Rumour is that it’s a winner in that department, but we’ll just have to wait and see a little longer yet…

This weekend the MINI Challenge moves to the Nurburgring in Germany, where it will feature as an official support race for the Forumla 1 Grand Prix of Europe.

The racing MINIs will be on track Friday (Qualifying Session 12:50 - 13:20) Saturday (First Race, 8 Laps or 25 Mins, 09:50 - 10:20) and Sunday (Second Race, 8 Laps or 25 Mins, 11:05 - 11:35) in support of the official Formula 1 race.  More details can be found on the F1 Website and MINI Challenge Website.

All in all it should make for an excellent weekend for MINI fans and race fans alike!

We’re starting to get the impression you can’t go out in the UK now without bumping into a semi-clad MINI Clubman driving about. This time, Richard22b caught and photographed this Lightning Blue example, managing to photograph both sides, one with two doors, the other with one.

Keep up the good work folks, and if you find and photograph a Clubman (or any other future MINI for that matter!) be sure to send them in or post them on the forums!

We’re hearing rumours here at MINI2 that the planned “hot” factory MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works tuning kit may be in full production and on sale as early as September next year.

According to sources, the hot MINI Cooper S will output around 212 bhp, come fitted with uprated suspension, gearbox with LSD and and an aggressive body kit to aid cooling and style.

Estimates on price suggest a premium of around €3,500 (around £2,500). If that proves to be accurate, it sounds a bit of a bargain for the bundled extras and factory warranty that will support the hottest second generation MINI Cooper S to come from the factory.

Cars.com have listed the MINI Cooper S featured in the Italian Job movie at number 10 in their “Top 10 Movie Cars” rankings for the second consecutive year.

Of the MINI Cooper S Cars.com say:

The Mini Cooper holds the No. 10 spot on the list for the second year in a row likely due to its slender physique, which allows the vehicle to escape captors on congested streets, parks and subway tunnels. Computer-rigged signals aid the getaway, stopping cross traffic at red lights. Larger cars could not have achieved the maneuverability demonstrated by the Mini as it weaves through traffic, drives down stairs and speeds along sidewalks.

The top ten list has been voted for by readers of Cars who rank the time travelling DeLorean DMC-12 from “Back to the Future” as their number one Movie Star Car.

We’ve not noticed this new MINI Cooper S trailer we found posted on YouTube before. It’s a stylish and slick presentation that shows the MINI zipping about the country on amazing roads and heading through town to a rather swanky looking establishment, where “Mr Cool” exits the vehicle to meet with his date. It’s a very smart advert which makes the new Cooper S look very cool indeed.

Compare that, however, with this MINI UK advert, originally from 2002. Instead of “Mr Cool”, we have “Mr and Mrs Nakedoldpeople”, and instead of trashing around town to a posh bar, they’re cruising the countryside, well, you’ll see.

Both very good commercials for MINI in their own right, but thought the comparison just begged to be made. (The eagle eyed among you may notice the exterior of the MINI has been “face-lifted” with CGI, whereas the interior is “original”.

What’s more limited than a limited edition MINI? How about a limited edition laser etched glass block with a (your) John Cooper Works GP captured inside it?

That’s what MINI2 member Tonyt3 has managed to come up with, and he’s making them available as a truly one off collectable item for GP owners, people looking to buy GP owners a unique and personal gift, in fact any MINI enthusiast who fancies something out of the ordinary in their collection.

Continue reading Limited Edition Works GP Collectable

Presumably wishing to do anything BUT recreate that 80s classic “National Lampoon’s European Vacation“, Robert Apon is currently on tour of Europe in his 2004 John Cooper Works MINI Cooper S.

As if it wasn’t enough of an experience to fly over from the US to attend MINI United, it seems Robert wanted to do the trip in style, so had is MINI Cooper S shipped over to rendezvous with him in The Netherlands.  This alone seems to have been quite an adventure!

At MINI United Robert met MINI icons such as Rauno Aaltonen and Mike Cooper and had a chorus of “Happy Birthday” sung to him on stage before being showered with MINI gifts.  Makes you think that it really was worth all the effort!

You can keep track of Robert’s adventures in Europe on his blog, and maybe you can hook up if he’s in your area?