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Gabe joins us tonight for some news from MF and we get his take on a few of the hot stories from last week, including the complete history of a MINI diesel in the US. We also take advantage of him being here to talk about something something BMW. We did put Ask Chad off until next week. It’s ok, I lay down a sweet rap for you to make up for it. Download | WRR @ iTunes | 28.1MB | 58:25 </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

In March, a handful of things will change in the MINI lineup regarding colors and options. Most notably (in our minds anyway) is the end of Pure Silver, a color that’s been with MINI since its launch in the states in 2002. Other colors are getting the chop as well. Sparkling Silver will be replaced by a Cooper-only color called Velvet Silver. The Clubman will get a new Reef Blue Metallic in both Cooper and Cooper S trim. In Countryman news, color options will remain the same for the MINI 4-door. March production updates will not bring a USA rear bench seat option for the R60 as hoped, but our sources tell us that the bench is still coming and should land very soon thereafter. Official towing capacity for the Countryman will also be issued. [Spoiler alert] It’s officially zero, just like the R5x cars. MINI USA does not recommend towing anything behind your car and does not offer an OEM tow package for this reason (although aftermarket kits are available). It’s worth noting that outside tue US MINI AG does offer towing packages that comply with local regulations. Unfortunately US regulations don’t allow for these kits. Lastly, a new upholstery option will be available beginning in March called Carbon Black Cosmos Cloth as a no-cost alternative to the stock leatherette, and can be had on both the sport and not-sport seats alike. So if you’re ordering a MINI soon, keep these details in mind. If you want a Pure Silver MINI, you’d better hurry. Post image courtesy of Flickr user themulett. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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It’s the right of passage many of us graduate to early in life that quickly becomes a badge of honor. It’s the subtle cue to another enthusiast that you’re serious about the art of driving and a student of automotive history. In my mind there are cars that require a manual. The M3s, 911s or even MCS’ of the world just don’t seem as bare-chested with a pair of flappy paddles. And you know the moment. When you peer into either of those cars and see that dreaded auto knob. Your heart drops just a bit. If you’re a manual driver you care about that car. And you know it’s been wronged by someone who chose ease over interaction on the ordering spec (unless of course it’s a dedicated track car). So let’s be clear about it. The entire idea is laced with testosterone, but you don’t actually need to be a man to own or drive one. You simply need an attitude (and maybe at least figurative attachments). It’s the option for control freaks who don’t mind a little serendipity. In short, it’s a way of life. Sure you need a little insanity to look at today’s congested roads and choose a manual. But buying a new car with three pedals is a simple decision that separates those of us in the know from those of us unable to see through the monotony of daily life*. Or just get two cars. *Exclusions apply to anyone who cannot drive a manual due to injury or handicap. **There at least a half dozen examples of DCT only cars (mostly exotic) that clearly interest us and don’t necessarily fall into either category above). That said we wished they came in manual form. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

How far would you go to win a MINI? Stand with your hand on it for 12 days? Eat your weight in cherry pie? Well Autoblog is reporting that a german radio station recently gave away a MINI Cooper in a contest of who could come up with the biggest stunt to demonstrate how badly they wanted the car. The winner, Andreas Muller, overcame stiff competition to take the prize by having “MINI” tattooed on his …well, we’ll call it his Johnson Rod. That’s right, a live radio audience listened in as Mr. Muller got some custom ink embroidery on his personal shift knob. No photos have surfaced (thank the gods), but Mr. Muller is now the proud owner of his very own brand new MINI. Now he just needs a good vanity plate. What would you do to win a new MINI? </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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This fun new MINI ad made its way to our inbox yesterday and we were fortunate enough to get in touch with William Clark, the spot’s director, who provided us with an embeddable version. The ad highlights the wide range of models and accessories now available for MINI through the classic game of the red light fire drill. Great stuff, William. Thanks for making it available. This ad will start running (along with others) at movie theaters across the country and I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw it on the small screen in the near future as well. You can see more of William’s work at WiliamClarkPhotography.com. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Отрываю от сердца: - Chilli пакет - Салон чёрная кожа/серая ткань, - Вставки в панеле под алюминий - Кнопка SPORT - USB Audio - Bluetooth - Люк - Велюровые коврики - Биксенон - Все датчики дождя, света - Все подгревы: сиденья, лобовое, заднее, боковые - Передние тормозные диски от ОСЦ с перфорацией. - Машина куплена в Автодоме в Мае 2010 г. за 1.500.000 - Потолок чёрного цвета - Чёрные фары - Установлены перфорированные тормозные диски от JCW. - Подлокотник - Масло и фильтры уже менялись на 10.000 км. - Сделано ТО 20.000 - Состояние почти нового авто, очень её люблю. Возможен торг.

We’ve known for some time that the Paceman would be built and in Magna Steyr’s Austrian plant (along side the Countryman). But until today we didn’t know exactly when. The Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung is reporting that BMW development head Klaus Draeger expects the Paceman to hit dealer showrooms in late 2012 as a 2013 model. BMW expects to move around 20,000 of the “sport activity coupes” or about 20% of what the Countryman does annually. But what about the name? While nothing has been finalized we know one thing, it won’t be called the Paceman. But more on that later. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Let’s be honest. The back seat in the MINI is a bit diminutive. However, that didn’t stop members of the Pilobolus Dance Company from cramming a world record-breaking 26 people into a standard MINI Cooper. That’s with doors shut and the roof closed, people. It’s quite a feat of human acrobatics. They don’t even fold the rear seats down. You can watch the video here and remember, the safety word is “pineapple.” </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group design, recently told Autocar.co.uk that the next generation of the MINI hatch will be a “bigger design leap than the last one.” Mr. Hooydonk goes on to add that Anders Warming, the new head of MINI design, will be all but starting over with the new line of iconic little hatchbacks, but adds “we have to balance that against the fact that it is the brand’s core model, like the 3, 5 and 7-series rolled into one.” I can’t say this is too much of a shock. We’ll be two generations and nearly 15 years removed from Frank Stephenson’s revolution of the classic car in the R50. And while I love many things about the R56 (power, comfort, refinement, etc.), I’ve always felt that many of its design details were needlessly derivative of the first generation MINI — change for change’s sake. Not bad per say, just fussed with in a way that I’ve never liked. With the car evolving significantly in this next generation (3-cylinder engines, more variants), it makes sense for the design language of the MINI to get an overhaul. Add to that new leadership at MINI design and significant change is inevitable. But what will that change look like? What is sacred ground? How can the MINI evolve and still be iconically MINI? In their posting, Autocar goes on to cite sources saying that MINI is working on a “new interior design language to replace the theme of the large centrally mounted speedometer.” I was flabbergasted when I read this. Speaking just for myself, I really hope this is just a rumor. Perhaps it’s just a design exercise and not their actual intention. Yet, I can’t hide my alarm. The center speedo is one of the few truly unique design details in the MINI. No other car out there shares the gauges with the cabin like the MINI does. Rooflines, headlight shapes, bonnet bulges — these can all be pretty fluid in my mind. MINI has shown us over and over in their concept cars how much flexibility there is in the brand’s character. But can a MINI be a MINI without the center speedo? Does it just become yet another clever european interior? Say it ain’t so, Anders. Say it ain’t so. We’ll be working diligently to get more information. Stay tuned. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

As part of the master marketing plan BMW has begun the next stage of Project i marketing with it’s new site and documentary series Activate the Future. Today we have the trailer for the series. It’s all about questions like, where are the flying cars? Where are the spaceships? It’s the sort of thing I asked myself after driving a Tesla. But that kind of reaction to a Tesla and what BMW is saying here is no coincidence. They’re getting the world ready for something new. They’re getting the world ready for BMW’s biggest bet yet, the carbon, aluminum iSetta electric city car. And that last line, “they better make fun.” Remember that. So what does it mean for MINI? This will be an extremely lightweight car with a carbon monocoque on an aluminum frame (yes body on frame is back!). That all adds up to a base price of at least $40k. Yes this will be a premium small electric vehicle and not something that works well within the MINI brand. Therefore the first generation of city cars will be marketed under the iSetta brand under the BMW brand (with the name MINI no where in sight). But that will likely change as costs are driven downwards during the second generation of cars. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

On Friday, MINI USA Product Manager Vinnie Kung spoke in an interview with MotoringFile about upcoming special editions from MINI. While we’ve leaked some teasers on MF frequent commenter (and BMW insider) Herr26 went ahead and spoiled spilled the rest. As you can expect this special edition will be treated much like what MINI has done in the past. The car will be called the Hampton and will debut at the Geneva Auto Salon in early March. The edition will show up essentially as a package on the Cooper Cooper D, Cooper S and Cooper SD models (in the US that of course will be the Cooper and Cooper S). The exterior of the car will feature exclusive Reef Blue metallic paint and exclusive 17″ Twin Spoke alloy wheels with centre caps incorporating a Damson Red lining (wheels in Silver or Black). The bonnet will have Damson Red (new design) strikes and the mirrors caps will be finished with (you guessed it) Damson Red pinstripe. There will be MINI 50 Hampton badging on side scuttles and B-Pillar. Rounding out the package will be a MINI 50 Badge on front grille and Bi-Xenon headlights with black trim On the inside the car will receive exclusive Lounge leather upholstery in Carbon Black with Damson Red piping and the Anthracite Headlining. The Damson Red pinstripe theme will be carried onto the interior trim, floor matts (with piping and stitching) and the central speedo surround. Speaking of the speedo the center will be finished in grey similar to JCW models. Rounding it out will be a MINI 50 Hampton designation will be on the door sills </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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Prodrive is looking worldwide for a MINI WRC team manager, hoping to fill the position by April in preparation for the team’s season start in May. Prodrive has extensive experience recruiting these kinds of individuals, starting a quarter century ago when they first started working with Subaru in WRC. The process is interesting.Speaking with Autosport.com, Prodrive chairman David Richards said: “People have always assumed you should have lived and breathed rallying all of your life to do this job, I’m not sure that’s the case any more. The person we’re seeking has to have a passion for motorsport, but it’s a professional approach that we will be looking for and although he or she may well come from another discipline within the sport, it could equally be an enthusiast who is working in another business environment altogether. Where does that person come from? What do they look like? I can’t tell you but Prodrive is committed to taking a fresh approach to finding the most suitable candidate. We’re looking to raise the bar here and find the best possible person for the task, not necessarily the most obvious.” </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Here’s a quick highlights video from Gabe’s trip to the North American International Auto Show, including video of the Paceman reveal. Enjoy. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

We’ve received official word this morning from MINI France PR that the matte black special edition cars we reported on earlier are indeed coming. Exclusive to France (for now) the small run of 250 cars will go on sale January 21, 2011. Wrapped in a matte black film, each car will feature a numbered side scuttle and matching key ring, along with a checkerboard themed interior and mirror caps. The mat film carries a separate 2-year warranty and there is full factory paint underneath. You can preview the MINI Mat Edition exclusively at MINI Shades France during an open house starting January 22, 2011. You know, should you happen to be in France. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Друзья, 6ого февраля (воскресенье), в 14.00 будет мероприятие по теме. Пожалуйста сообщите мне и Zacken'у о вашем желании участвовать.

Chad drinking beer from the future, I’m not wearing pants, Todd sneezes and Chad ties his shoes. Shoulds like the makings of a pretty good show to me. And, among other pre-show goodies, I talk iPhone on Verizon. After that, Todd tells us about Detroit and mostly about the Paceman. Along with Gabe, they got some great interviews at the Detroit Auto Show. You can grab them from MotoringFile. Those will be in the feed starting tomorrow. Download | WRR @ iTunes | 25.7MB | 53:27 </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Big thanks to Mark for sending this in! It’s an iPhone holder that integrates into the MINI dash much like the old R50/53 Chrono Pack speedo. From the photos, this appears to be an R56 installation and we don’t have any word on whether a similar kit would be available for the R50/53. It’s made by the German company Attractive4MINI and is due for release sometime this spring. No word yet on pricing. Also, rumor has it that something similar is in the works from MINI USA. It’s a great idea and kudos to its developers. [UPDATE] We’ve talked with the folks at Attractive4MINI and have a little more info. The first versions will be iPhone 4 only. It does include the dock connector and can replace the arm rest iPhone dock if you want it to. That means that this gauge can be your iPhone cradle for MINI Connected. Also, they plan to build a version of this for the Countryman as well. Sadly, there will be no R50/R53 version as those gauges are apparently too small to house the iPhone. They are making plans for US shipping availability once the product is ready to go. More photos after the break. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

This story comes to us from MotoringFile contributor Brendan. I met TonyB two years ago through North American Motoring and we’ve kept in touch sporadically since then. I bought my current suspension from him and a few other bits and bobs. A few Sundays ago, I made my way up the windy California backroad towards his house to talk to him about his car. In particular, I wanted to know more about weight saving techniques. Tony’s house is at the top of a long, steep driveway. He does all his work on the least inclined section of the driveway as he has no garage. Every time I’ve seen his car taken apart it’s been out in the open, on ramps or bits of wood and cinderblock. Two weeks prior, the entire front subframe was on the ground. He was replacing the tie rod ends and the belt and tensioner. The day I interviewed him for this story, the subframe was back in place with the front end in what’s known as ‘service mode’ — the front bumper and bumper carrier off the car. “I just finished installing the crush tubes here.” He motioned towards two slightly protruding black bits of metal on either side of the radiator. The tie rod end procedure took him a little longer than planned because one of the parts went missing overnight. “We’ve got a bunch of raccoons around here. They sometimes take shit and you never see it again.” Tony’s been in the MINI community for a while now. He bought his car new in 2003 and hit the forums hard. In the process, he became a sort of a mod pioneer. He’s the first to have a straight-back exhaust on an R53, and perhaps the first to remove his rear seats. He also partnered up with M7 Tuning to develop the DFIC, a replacement intercooler which channels air directly through the cores to exchange heat much more efficiently. His initials are on the side of each intercooler M7 sells. As he reattached the tie rods to the car, we started to talk about his philosophy on weight saving. He told me there are three types of weight saving: Some weight saving modifications are also performance mods. The example he gave me was his exhaust. The stock exhaust on a Cooper S is heavy and by replacing it with a straight exhaust on his car, Tony has lost nearly 30 pounds. And because the straight exhaust is less complex and has better flow, it also makes for a horsepower gain. Some weight saving modifications have an indirect performance enhancement. Tony sold his rear seats because he didn’t think anyone he knew would want to have to squeeze in the back of his car. So, he took them out and sold them. He then turned around and spent that money on other performance mods. Some weight saving modifications are for the sake of weight saving. It’s hard to sell things like the hood liner (4 lbs) and so these kinds of changes are in order to improve the overall power to weight ratio by diminishing the weight side of the equation. There are some issues with changing the car’s weight substantially without proper planning, however. “If you’re serious about stripping out weight then you need to invest in a coilover suspension. That way you can have your car corner balanced in order to maintain front to back balance. It’s much harder to take substantial weight from the front of the car compared to the back so it’s something to keep in mind. I’m working on relocating the power steering pump in the future in order to shift weight around.” We went through his car looking at exactly what he’s done to cut weight. Rear seat delete, lightweight wheels with non run flat tires, stud conversion, straight exhaust, front and back wiper delete, Braille lightweight battery, hollow rear sway bar. There are too many mods to do justice to here. “The forte of this car is nimbleness. They don’t have big V8s. Colin Chapman; I think he was the founder of Lotus, had a philosophy. ‘Simplify and add lightness’.” I asked him about his car’s target weight. “Well, right now it’s around 2,424 pounds. I’ll be getting rid of the AC condenser and a few other things…” He took half a minute to do some quick mental math. “I can probably take another 75 pounds off the car just as is. That’s without replacing the rear trailing arms with the R56 aluminum ones. You hear about Miata guys taking paint thinner to their cars to lose more weight. But I don’t want my car to look like a track car inside or out, you know what I mean?” I decided I had spent enough time chatting and got ready to hit the road. Tony tells me he thinks he’s got about two more hours before the car’s back together. As I wrapped up a few loose ends, he spied something in-between the passenger side strut tower and the engine. “I think there’s a chipmunk or a rat living back here,” he said as he extracted a few gnawed-on acorn shells. “These can also add weight.” Post photo courtesy of Flickr user AMcUK. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

In an interview with Autoblog’s Jonathon Ramsey, MINI’s new marketing manager, Tom Salkowski, had some interesting things to say about the landscape of MINI’s competition. Among general comments about MINI’s continued success amidst a growing competition, he reportedly had this to say about Fiat’s 500: “The 500 is a darling little car, but MINI is a premium brand.” This sentiment echoed when asked what other marques are thought of as competition for MINI in the small car segment. “…maybe Volkswagen, Mazda, Scion in the small-car segment,” going on to say that “Mini is very much a mindset, it’s different than other vehicles…for the time being we don’t see anything.” Oliver Friedmann, head of product management, agreed saying, “We don’t see any one-to-one competition, maybe the [Range Rover] Evoque could be [for the R60].” Ramsey goes on to ask about the emotional heritage of brands like Lotus and BMW, asking how big the cars and the brand can get and still be small enough to be considered “mini”. Friedmann replied, “That’s what we try to find out at the moment. We just jumped over the four-meter line with the Countryman,” going on to add that the european reaction to the R60 has been “very positive.” Further adding “The competitors for the Countryman are significantly larger. We will always stay the smallest in the segment.” Catch that last bit? We know that MINI has a lot of future models in the works, and it’s nice to hear the guys at the top saying that small will always be part of the brand DNA. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Если вы не разу не были ни в одной из клубных дальних поездок, и хотите поехать в составе организованной колонны на МЮ2011, то вы ОБЯЗАНЫ поехать в Минск