The production of the famous Mini started in the year 2000. This new car, designed by BMW engineers and produced in Oxford, had actually very little in common with its predecessor: only the name and a transverse frontal positioning of the engine, delivering torque to the front wheels. The 3 door 3625 mm-long hatchback seats four people. Initially, the car came with petrol 1.6-liter engines of 90, 115 and 170 hp.

The latter is mechanically charged and available only in the Cooper S model. In 2003, another version called OneD was introduced. It has the Toyota 1.4-liter 75 hp or 88 hp diesel engine with turbo charging and common rail direct injection. The front suspension consists of McPherson struts and triangular transverse suspension arms (A-arms), while the rear design employs multi-arms with coil springs. An electro-hydraulic power steering is fitted to the petrol engine versions of the Mini One/Cooper.

A very clever and funny MINI commercial for their extended protection. Motor On!

photo: BMW

La Mini fête cette année son 50ème anniversaire avec une version contemporaine de la Mini Cooper S 1966 psychédélique de George Harrison. Cet exemplaire unique a été offert à Olivia Harrison, la veuve du Beatle décédé.

Ci-dessus, on voit à droite le modèle de 1966 et à gauche celui de 2009; ci-dessous, le modèle de 1966. À l’origine, cette dernière était noire et George Harrison l’avait fait peinturer à la mode de l’époque. Il l’avait reçue en cadeau de Brian Epstein, le gérant des Beatles, qui en avait donné une à chacun des membres du groupe. On peut voir celle de George dans le film ”Magical mystery tour”.

photo: (inconnu)

photo: (inconnu)

George Harrison est au volant de son auto.

Today a silver MINI Cooper convertible and a pepper white MINI Cooper hardtop were spotted around town. Motor On!

Ειλικρινά προσπάθησα να τον μεταπείσω, αλλά αυτός του κεφαλιού του. Ο εντιμότατος λοιπόν συγγενής και φίλος αποφάσισε να πουλήσει το στην κατοχή του άνωθεν εικονιζόμενο κόσμημα… Πρόκειται για το αυθεντικό Austin Mini Cooper στην επετειακή έκδοση του 1992, με καταλυτικό κινητήρα, 1.300 κ.εκ. και 45.000 χλμ., ενώ μετά την πλήρη αποκατάσταση του κινητήρα έχει διανύσει λιγότερα από 2.000 χλμ. Το εσωτερικό είναι ακριβώς όπως κυκλοφόρησε, σε πολύ καλή κατάσταση με καινούργια καθίσματα και ταπετσαρίες.

Πληροφορίες:

Καρδάμης Γιώργος, 697 92 28 545

Had lunch @ Urth Cafe with JP today, and we saw this tiny Mini Cooper! It’s definitely smaller than our Smart, but still cute as a button.

The owner of the car said, he picked it up because he’s doing through a “midlife crisis”.   Ha Ha.

Today a sparkling silver Mini Cooper hardtop was spotted on the streets in Michigan.

A red MINI cooper convertible and a black MINI Cooper hardtop.

O primeiro Mini foi feito em 1959 e suas gerações seguiram até 2000.

Já em 2001, para marcar os novos modelos de carros da marca, a BMW decidiu que o nome seria escrito todo em maiúsculo: MINI.

Dentre suas três variações, hatchback (MINI Cooper), conversível e Clubman, hoje vamos falar do MINI Cooper S.

Seu motor é de 1,6 litros com 4 cilindros. Os 175 cv chegam a 5000 rpm acelerando de 0 – 100 km/h em 7,1 segundos. Sua velocidade máxima é de 225 km/h.

Em miniatura foi lançado em várias marcas, sendo uma delas a Matchbox.

Sua versão especial – Superfast – vem com uma caixinha de papelão para se guardar a mini.

Como existem várias marcas com variações do MINI este post irá ter uma continuação, com minis da HW e da AA. Aguardem….

Now when Cuppy and I did this freelance gig down in Richmond, Virginia, the agency put us up in an old Victorian estate with a beautiful wrap-around porch in front.(1) The estate belonged to the agency’s ECD(2) and Cuppy and I spent eight glorious months taking full advantage of supping and drinking on that porch as often as possible.

Cuppy’s grandpa lived in Old Gun, VA and more often than not, we’d find him luxuriating on our porch – even on times when Cuppy and I were not home. He’d be smoking, drinking whiskey and even though Cuppy made him an ashtray at a Color Me Mine(3), he insisted on extinguishing his butts directly on the porch’s wavy grained cedar planks. Around the rocking chair he claimed as his own, it looked like someone had neglected to connect-the-dots.

Now to call Cuppy’s grandpa a character would be an insult to people with even the slightest inclination towards restraint and decorum. But you gotta take Grandpa TC for what he is – and that man is one ornery tin cup.

Grandpa TC, “What on God’s green earth is a ‘friend with benefits’ Cuppy? Isn’t that what you call your Cousin Ashlee? “

Cuppy, “What? No! Cousin Ashlee is my cousin. Vomit. But anyway, it’s kinda like dating a girl, but without all the bad stuff that comes with attached to that whole deal. Basically, you get to leave whenever you want, do whatever you want to whomever you want and if she ever asks you if she looks fat in her jeans you can say yes without hesitation.”

“Oh. Well we had that when I was in high school. It was called ‘HAVING A FUCKING GIRLFRIEND.’ You’d kiss girl in homeroom and by the time third period rolled around she’d have all her shit moved into your locker. When you’d walk down to lunch she’d wear your varsity jacket and all your friends would laugh and throw rocks at you. It was fucking horrible. You kids have it so easy now. Running wild and free with your STDs and what not. Back then you’d get stuck with ONE girl. And that was it. No options. No choices. No searching your little girl feelings to see if you two were meant to be. ‘Meant to be’ back then meant she was the girl that lived closest to where you lived. Shit, how do you think I ended up your Grandmother? Friends with benefits – bullshit. You should be thankful girls even look at your ugly mug.”

“Wow Grandpa. That’s the most romantic and tender love story I’ve ever heard. It’s like ‘The Notebook,’ if all the characters were drunk and angry the entire time.”

“Son, you do know you’re the reason your Father left your Mother, right?”

“Thanks Grandpa.”

And that’s basically what Grandpa TC was like – when he was mostly sober.

—

1 That porch could  have easily held five Mini Coopers.

2 When we moved in the estate was vacant as it was tied up in the ECD’s bitter divorce settlement to his then 3rd wife/ex-mistress/babysitter/skank du jour.

3 Now I’ve never been to a Color Me Mine, but I’d love to buy a beer for any guy ballsy/dumb enough to think that would be a great first date.

With an increasing number of holiday festivities being held in the home this year, we’re all looking for creative and cost effective ways to spruce up our table settings and create a look that will impress our guests. When it comes to setting your Thanksgiving table, options for the adventurous host are limitless. What are the hottest trends for you to bring to your table this year? Here are a few ideas that will take your Thanksgiving table from ordinary to extraordinary:

Color, Texture and Mix – Match:

In table linens and accessories, this year we are seeing rich, saturated colours. We are also seeing a lot of texture and the mixing and matching of patterns with solids. There are a lot of options out there to do something warm and inviting.

Color Trends

Warm tones have always been popular for Fall and that continues with some of the biggest trends in colour combinations this year. Some of those include:
- Deep Spice and Aubergine with muted Gold accents – Dark Chocolate with Blues and Gray accents – Olive Green, Aubergine and softer greens as accents – Dark Chocolate, Taupe and Natural

Tabletop Decor

- Use things that you already have in your home – pull out your 3 or 4 of your favourite vases of different heights. Use complementary colors of fresh flowers for a simple and stunning arrangement. Fill three or four vases and/or glass bowls with different colors and sizes of ornaments, fruits, leaves – anything with color and texture that will create visual excitement.

- Your guests are all unique – why not celebrate their individuality? Use different patterns and/or colors of napkin rings that match their unique personalities. Are they simple or sophisticated? Fun or formal? Unpredictable or conservative? Show them you care with a little customization to complement your table linens.

- Candles are always a dramatic and cost effective way to make a statement – use votives at each place setting with a name card and emphasize beautiful table linens for a classy and simple look. Or go more dramatic and cluster your favourite candle sticks of varying heights and looks as a centerpiece. Use colors that complement or match your dishes, glasses and table linens.

- Nothing brings subtle sophistication to your table like a well-selected runner. Use one the length of the table plus 12 inches to hang over the edge (usually a 90″ or longer) as the perfect centerpiece. If you are using a solid tablecloth or placemats, make sure to jazz it up with a festive pattern. If you have a patterned look already, use a vibrant solid runner that picks up on one of the colors in your runner.

- Use 2 napkins instead of one with a napkin ring. With a solid napkin inside, and a more decorative napkin on the outside.

When setting your table, just remember: do what feels right for the mood. A casual gathering calls for a relaxed setting. A formal meal should feel that way at the table. Either way, it doesn’t take much to elevate your in-home dining experience. Replacing an old tablecloth with something fresh an exciting, and adding a few simple table accessories can go a long way to impressing your guests. It’s that time of year when family gatherings abound and everyone spends countless hours congregating around the dinner table. With the hours spent preparing the perfect meal, make sure you don’t forget to finish it off with the perfect setting.

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There is quite an inventory of new and used MINIs at Motor City Mini. All of these MINIs are waiting for some good owners to take them home before the holidays! Any takers? Check out the inventory at Motor City Minis website or go visit them in Shelby Twp. MI

Also on a side note, Mini Cooper S with the Camden package and MINI Cooper S with the  Mayfair package have been sold, but don’t worry, you can always order your own MINI with the Camden or Mayfair package for the 2010 model year. These packages are only available for the MINI Cooper Hardtop.

Motor On!

Today a few MINIS were spotted today, a red MCS, a pepper white and oxygen blue MC.

If all goes according to my master plan, 2,500 pounds of love will soon be mine.

2,500 pounds…

That’s one of these:

Or two of him:

Are you intrigued??

Go HERE to find out more!

As you can see John Lennon drove a Mini Cooper in the 60’s

Photo Friday – Vehicle
Photo shoot with Jeeves.

The car pictured above is a Mini by Rolls-Royce, made for the famous Mini Park Lane dealership in London for a dealer event. Now, Autocar is saying that the Mini by Rolls-Royce has been given the green light for production.

The focus of the project is a bit like the Gordini line Renault recently announced: Personalization. The car will be trimmed at the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood. Options will likely extend beyond trim materials, such as new interior fittings. The plans have been inspired by the coachbuilt Minis of the 1960s, which were popular with celebrities.

It should be made public next year.

Source: Autocar and Autoblog

Today (20 November, 2009) prompted by renowned political reporter Charles Reiss I have come to a large conclusion.

Charles, like Rory Cellan-Jones before him, told us how important it was for us to develop a specialism in something.

Now then, I had already planned to have my specialist topic as the British countryside but I realised as I was going back to the West Midlands this afternoon that the British countryside isn’t something I can wax lyrical about.

I love driving. I love cars too.

And that’s when it hit me, roughly about Monmouth, that that is what my specialist topic should be about.

I am no petrol-head or mechanic so my blog will be based upon my love for cars and driving.

 

Destined to be a motoring journalist?

I enjoy driving at night

I know how to change a tyre

So, there you have it. Now where is Dad’s copy of Land Rover Monthly?

My Dad, brother and myself with one of our beloved minis

A couple of months ago I wrote about how every Folbot model can fit inside a Mini Cooper.  And just last week I wrote about Folbots fitting into car trunks, past and present. Today those two postings collide in a very dramatic encounter!

Just yesterday I received some photos from a couple, the Watkins-Mahers, who live in our home of Charleston, SC.  They paddle a Greenland II and drive a Mini Cooper.

Here’s how I envision their day going. (Cue music)

The setting: The ACE Basin in South Carolina, just south of Charleston… it is late afternoon.

The scene: The Watkins-Mahers have come ashore after a great paddle and picnic lunch.

The plot: A bystander is watching the Watkins-Mahers unload their GII and prepare to go home.

The dialog: The bystander is talking to him/herself.

“Wow… it really looks like they had a great time out on the water.”

“What a beautiful 17″ kayak. I sure wish I had a Folbot.”

“How on earth are they going to get that big kayak home in that tiny car? They don’t even have a roof rack!”

“What! It fits in those little bags? And they fit in the trunk? No way.”

“Holy cow!! They do!”

“What freedom! What flexibility! What a kayak!!”

Please email me to discuss movie, TV or dramatic rights.

Just another day in the life of a Folbot.

David A.

Today MINI confirmed the special edition Rolls Royce Mini, with a low production volume and with cost of around $50,000. Check out Motoringfile for more info. I’m looking forward to seeing this MINI and taking some pictures of it. Motor On!

Spotted a Yellow MINI Cooper S this morning.