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?
To be honest, we were never really out of a MINI.
That’s because our family, mostly due to us leading them astray, have almost all been bitten by the MINI bug to a greater or lesser extent. This in turn meant we were very fortunate in being able to borrow a MINI while without our own means of transport.
You see, when our ill-fated Cooper S was left at the dealers for good early in 2007, we can’t deny feeling a little empty and wondering just what to do next. Since 2002 we’ve owned at least one MINI. We love the MINI, the MINI scene, MINI2! What would we do?!
Well, we’re in a quandary no more. We now have a Cooper S, but it’s not just ANY Cooper S. It’s not a new Cooper S, but it is a very special MINI Cooper S, a second hand MINI that as MINI UK would put it, is truly “Cherished”.
Continue reading Back in the MINI Saddle Again
Following on from our report that the Tritec Engine Plant had apparently produced it’s last MINI engine and shut it doors, while waiting for any kind of official response from MINI we did a little research of our own.
It turns out that Chinese billionaire Yin Mingshan has set his sights on buying the Tritec engine plant, and moving it lock stock and barrel to China! The full story follows:
It is a plan that is as simple as it is sweeping in its sheer scale and ambition, and if anyone can do it, it must be Chinese billionaire Yin Mingshan — assuming, that is, the Brazilian government will let him.
Brazil has told us we can buy the factory, but only if we agree not to move it,
said 69-year-old Yin, the founder and chairman of Chongqing Lifan Holdings, a giant in motorcycles now hoping to make money on autos too.
The plant in question is a half-billion-dollar 50-50 joint venture between DaimlerChrysler AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG located in Campo Largo, southeastern Brazil, which produces 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre Tritec engines, which feature in the first generation MINI vehicles, including the still in production Convertible range.
Continue reading Billionaire to Move Tritec Plant to China?
The Brazilian Tritec Engine factory has closed it’s doors after producing their last engine for the MINI Convertible, reports Just-Auto.com (subscription required).
Tritec Motors was launched as a joint venture between BMW and Chrysler in 1996 with an investment of $484,000,000 (USD) to supply 1.4 and 1.6 litre petrol engines to both companies, and all the first generation MINI petrol engines were produced at the Brazilian plant, including those fitted to the continuing MINI Convertible model.
The Tritec power plant, while arguably relatively inefficient and heavy by standards of Today, had been highly regarded during it’s production cycle. The Supercharged derivative which powered the first generation MINI Cooper S was crowned International Engine of the Year in 2003.
So the question (already raised on the MINI2 forums) is “What about the Convertibles?!”. We’ve asked MINI, and are awaiting an official response to the supply situation, but we’re sure this has been thought through in advance.
For this Dutch seaside town, summer has never begun quite like it did this year!
Over the course of three days, more than 8000 MINI fans from 50 different countries flooded the Circuit Park on the North Sea coast for the MINI United Festival 2007. Under the banner of ‘Friends. Festival. Challenge.’, the worldwide community of MINI fans enjoyed a unique mixture of racing atmosphere, party and lifestyle. It even exceeded the resounding success of the MINI United premiere in 2005. The event underscores the growth of the MINI community and the enjoyment of the MINI brand, lifestyle and sense of community seems to be limitless.
With the North Sea on the one side, and a sea of 3000 MINIs on the other covering the town’s roads and car parks, Zandvoort was certainly the perfect location for the biggest MINI festival ever. Many of the guests had travelled a long distance to be there and join in the action of the MINI United 2007. The longest journey of all was undertaken by Yuliya Tkachenko from Krasnodar in Russia: She left her home seven days before the festival began, travelling some 4200km in her MINI to be sure of arriving in time for the event.
Continue reading 8,000 MINI Fans from 50 Countries Invade Zandvoort for MINI United
Designer of the “original” new MINI and friend of MINI2, Frank Stephenson, appears to have landed himself another dream job in the world of car design.
While some may feel they’ve achieved enough after penning such impressive car designs such as the Maserati MC12, Ferrari F430, and of course the new MINI, Frank Stephenson is rather looking forward to having “serious fun” as Director of Design at Alfa Romeo, who aren’t exactly known for pushing out ugly tin boxes as it is! Not a bad CV for a man born in the same year as the original “Classic Mini”.
While at Fiat, Stephenson oversaw the creation of the forthcoming Cinquecento, the Lancia Delta HPE concept and headed up the development of the Fiat Punto and Bravo models.
It will certainly be interesting for us to see what Alfa come up with under his charge.
Whenever someone posts up their rolling road results on MINI2, you can almost guarantee an ensuing debate about dyno graphs, drivetrain loss, airflow, temperature, humidity and just about anything else that can affect the outcome and interpretation of such tests. The conclusion generally being that they’re a decent measure of before and after modification power, or for a bit of fun and one upmanship, but not much beyond that.
With that in mind it was interesting to read that Stockholm based Rototest have collated figures from more than 550 engine tests performed using their own unique dynamometer which bolts directly onto the wheel hub in a handy to use web format. And at the same time drawn the conclusion that the average vehicle only achieves around 90% of it’s stated output.
However, according to Rototest (and of interest to us), manufacturers providing more power than their official claims include Mazda, VW, Skoda and MINI. While three of the top five models had forced induction engines.
Continue reading MINI Performs Better Than it Should, Most Cars Dont.
A “Good Problem” for MINI as Cooper Diesel and special edition soft top demand beats expectations
We had a tip of from one of our sources inside MINI that there were plans afoot to increase production of the MINI Cooper Diesel and MINI Sidewalk Convertible. So a quick check with the press office at MINI, and we had confirmation that they are indeed doing better than expected (so much easier to get confirmation on this than rumours on future models, no surprise!).
Continue reading MINI Cooper Diesel, Sidewalk Convertible Exceeding Sales Expectations
MINI will be unveiling a new addition to its Convertible range at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), when it presents the Sidewalk model for the first time on January 6 in Detroit.
MINI Convertibles have always combined great handling characteristics with the thrill of open-top motoring, but when the Sidewalk hits MINI dealers from April 2007, MINI fans will have the opportunity to get their hands on a fresh model boasting a raft of luxurious design enhancements.
Andy Hearn, General Manager for MINI UK, said: “The MINI One Seven, Cooper Park Lane and Cooper S Checkmate editions of the MINI hatch have been hugely popular, with nearly 8,000 models sold in the UK in just 12 months. We are confident that Sidewalk will offer the same exclusivity and maximum value for Convertible customers. Undoubtedly it will reinforce MINI’s unique position as a premium small car.”
Continue reading MINI Convertible takes a walk on the style side
What’s an R56? What’s a facelift MINI? We attempt to fill in the blanks for the uninitiated.
People new to MINI2 and the MINI in general, often appear to be a little unsure over what changes and versions of MINI have been offered since it’s 2001 introduction. Those familiar with the MINI often use phrases such as facelift, R56, second generation and so on, which can be a little bewildering for others.
This is a small, visual “spotters guide” to the main changes and updates for the MINI, including all major model updates. We have not included region specific options or limited editions to try and keep this guide as clear and concise as possible. We hope you find it useful.
Continue reading The New MINI - A Brief Pictorial History (The Blagger’s Guide to MINI)
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