Picked up Stanley last friday. First real opportunity to post this morning.
All I can say is: Oh, My, God.... This car is amazing.
After the excitement of accepting delivery in Monterey, I took it very easily on Friday & Saturday with the car. It wasn't until Sunday that I'd calmed down enough to trust myself on some serious twisties. Did a run on some tight, tight roads on the San Francisco peninsula. Been on them with before with Ollie Sr & Jr. (a Cooper & a Cooper S, respectively). With my prior cars, you had to push yourself (and the car) to get maximum enjoyment of the ride. The GP is so dialed in that it just cruised down CA Hwy 84 at speeds that put my prior experiences to shame. To put a face on it, at the end of that particular stretch, Stan seemed to say to me. "Is that the best you can throw at me? Let's do it again, only even faster." Unfortunately, dinner plans 90 miles down CA Hwy 1 called.
Looks-wise--the wheels, aerokit & spoiler do not photograph nearly as well as they appear in person. In photos, the pieces seem to be tacked on afterthoughts. In person, they add a muscularity to the appearance of the car that has to be seen to be understood. A couple of interior touches seemed under-done--the storage bins that take the place of the rear seat and the loosely-fitted plastic storage cover latch are disappointing. On the other hand, having a dashboard autographed by Mike Cooper is way cool.
Overall, the car is dialed in to perfection--with a broad power band and a road feel that's 3 or 4 notches above what I expected. The suspension is tight & seriously grounded. I haven't found the limits of its capabilities, yet. Power seems to be available immediately, in any gear. I think it's a combination of the revised Works kit, the LSD & the 06 spec Getrag gearbox. Whatever the reason, it's a noticeable improvement over my '04
MCS. Throwing out the anchor is a blast, too--the
JCW brakes have some serious stopping power for a street-based driver.
The sound of the exhaust is rumbly, but smooth and truly enjoyable. The supercharger whine we're all familiar with has changed, too--it's a deeper, throaty growl that rises in a scream to a full-throated war cry that would do a Scotsman proud. It's a joyous and seriously addictive sound. Ultimately,there's a focus to the car that can't be described until you've experienced hitting the apex of a downhill left-hand hairpin turn & can just squirt the car into the next corner.
In balance, I'd say MINI hit the bulls-eye with the GP. It's been stripped of anything you don't really need. Trust me on this one--
DSC has saved my @rse on any number of occasions. I won't do without AC, either--not when the average summer temp around my house is 90+ F. The GP has been enhanced performance-wise in a number of subtle ways that add up to a great deal more than the sum of the parts.
Aug 21st, 2006, 03:57 PM
) Just waiting to get my hands on mine now........ 
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