Jun 29th, 2003
It's been a long time in coming but now MCS owners can officially join the chrome grille club. In the past those that wanted the the chrome look had to alter (cut) the MC four-bar chrome grille to get it to fit into the MCS hood. However with this new grille it should be a fairly straightforward installation. Here's the actual text from the service bulletin (supplied by an internal source):
“Aftersales is pleased to announce the release of a chrome grille for the MINI Cooper S. Available in the same three-bar pattern as the factory-equipped body coloured grille, the new chrome piece is an easy install and is sure to brighten up any Cooper S. It's attention grabbing styling lends a unique look.”
Here are the part numbers:
Grille (upper) - 51 13 7 122 473 - $72.25
Grille (lower) - 51 11 7 032 900 - $24.25
Jun 29th, 2003
For all you John Cooper Works fans out there:
Now Introducing John Cooper Works merchandise for serious motorers. The nylon Oxford windbreaker has the John Cooper Works badging embroidered on the left chest and MINI logo embroidered on the back neck. This sporty windbreaker is the ideal jacket, as its lightweight texture provides ease of movement and air circulation. The John Cooper Works Cap, Keychain, and Mug are also great additions to your MINI Collection.
You can see all the actual part numbers here.
Jun 29th, 2003
A source just passed along this information from a recently released MINI document:
Official tours of MINI production at Plant Oxford have started on 7 May 2003. This will bring MINI and the phenomenon of its successful market launch to both the community in and around Plant Oxford, as well as the growing global audience. External visitors will be given a chance to see at first hand the key steps in MINI production, and our trained tour guides will provide commentary and safe stewardship through the Plant.
Visiting production areas The tours will start in the Plant Oxford Info Centre, with the main focus of the tour being the Body in White (welding) and Assembly Halls. For Health and Safety reasons, visitors will not go into the paint facility, but instead be introduced to key highlights of the paint process with visual aids in the Info Centre.
How to book your group in If you have requests for a visit to MINI production at Plant Oxford then please direct these to:
E-mail: Oxford.Plant-Tours@bmwgroup.com,
In writing to : Plant Tours,
Communications Dept. (TO-K),
BMW Group Plant Oxford,
Oxford, OX4 6NL.
We regret that children below the age of 14 are not allowed on site for Health and Safety reasons. Our maximum group size will be 30 people. Plant Tours start at the times shown below, and last approximately two and a half hours.
Tour Times:
AM Tour PM Tour
M to TR 09h30 13h45
Friday 09h15 12h45
Jun 27th, 2003
I'm sure many of you out there are familiar with the famed Belgian race course Spa. It's played host to many great F1 battles over the years as well as countless other motorsports events. Well now you get to see what it's like to lap the circuit in a MINI Cooper S. Ken at MINI2 posted the following video of his MCS lapping the track (warning for dial-up viewers - the video is 26MB in size and is in Windows Media Format):
“My video starts just before turn 12, Fagnes. Keep an eye on the silver Porsche that overtakes me on the F1 front straight about a minute and a half into the video. We loop around the 170 degree hairpin (turn 1 - La Source), and he just rockets away down the straight.
Here is a map of Spa for reference sake.
I put in about 180 miles of training on Tuesday. I was wore out afterwards but satisfied with finally getting a good foundation from which to start to improve my lap times. My best lap time was 3:13.03 (Spa is 4.4 miles/7kms long). That's still a good 4-4.5 seconds off the race pace which makes me a distant backmarker, but Tuesday was only my second full day of track time at Spa and my first trouble-free day.”
Jun 25th, 2003
Some of you may have seen photos of the recent New Hampshire MINI drive around the web. Here's a thorough review from Ian Cull:
The summer solstice saw perhaps the biggest local gathering of MINIs to date in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. More than 70 MINIs and their owners, from New England and as far as Cleveland Ohio, gathered at the Loon Mountain parking lot (thanks to them) midday on June 21.
Steve, who did a magnificent job organizing and coordinating the events, handed out the specially designed “MINIs On Top” T-shirts, and numbered every car for the later prize givings.
After a lot of “meet and greet” and mutual admiration of each others cars, we set off along the Kancamagus Highway for a “parade” drive, being careful to maintain the speed limit at all times. We turned onto Bear Notch Road which winds pleasantly through the hills, stopping for lunch and completely filling the parking area!
After lunch we completed Bear Notch Road and dispersed to entertain ourselves for the rest of the afternoon - some enjoyed cider donuts (http://www.whitemountaincider.com), some slid down the Attitash Bear Peak slide (www.attitash.com) and some entertained their family at Storyland (www.storylandnh.com). We checked in to our hotel, then toured the craft
stores in Gorham.
About 6pm everyone gathered back at the start of the Mount Washington Auto Road; a BBQ was provided by the Auto Road, offering chicken, hot dogs, and burgers of the beef and veggie variety (also salad for the health conscious,
and excellent brownies for the less health minded!) Prizes were given out for the longest distance travelled (the owners from Cleveland won easily), cleanest (and dirtiest) MINI, best CD collection, and others. John also read out an official proclamation signed by Craig Benson (Governor of New Hampshire) declaring June 21 2003 “MINI Cooper Day” in New Hampshire - excellent!
After prize giving all the MINIs lined up at the start of the Auto road, then we proceeded up at a gentle first/second gear pace.
Eight miles later, all the MINIs successfully arrived ON TOP of Mount Washington; there were a few hot engines but no casualties.
Everybody gathered at the viewing area on top and called various friends back home to capture a screenshot from the Mount Washinton webcam (http://www.mountwashington.org/cam/deck/index.php); then we watched a superb sunset - the weather was incredibly good all day!
You can see tons of photos from this event here: minisontop.com.
Jun 25th, 2003
Straight from someone “in the know” over at MINI2:
New colours are a coming for the cabrio (confirmed): Hot Orange and Cool Blue.
Apparently, the interior trim will match the exterior(Hot Orange on the dash!?!), and there are some new alloy wheel designs in 16″ and 17″ on their way too.
This new info closely matches what I had previously recieved last month on the subject so I would guess it could very well be correct. You can see what might become “cool blue” here and “hot orange” here.
Jun 25th, 2003
It looks like MINI may have quietly solved the paint rub issue with new cars:
This looks like MINI's solution to the paint abrasion problem. I wonder if the mat can be retro-fitted. Of course, my mat has a cut-out around the intercooler intake, and I haven't looked at the underside of a Cooper. The surface of the mat is almost like the side-skirts and spoiler material. As I point out at the photos, one should probably make sure that the gasket faces are always clean, so they don't get abrasion. It's some slick engineering.
Scott
This is encouraging news for us with the paint rub issue. However I feel like I've seen a couple recent build Coopers that don't have this mat yet. If anyone out there with newer MINIs (MC or MCS) can take a look at the underside of their hood we could try track down when this change happened and how widespread it is. I'm also curious if this is just for the MCS or will eventually make it's way throughout the line.
For more information about the problem read this post and then this follow-up story. Here are more photos of the mat: 1, 2.
Jun 24th, 2003
From MINIUSA:
“Forget burning a CD to hold your data. Now come a pair of new watches that are the latest word in personal data storage. BMW and MINI jointly announce their own versions of a Memory Watch that features an integrated USB port and holds up to 128 megabytes (MB) of data via an internal memory card. By directly connecting to any computer, business presentations, photos, music, passwords and more can be stored on both the BMW Memory Watch ($128) and the MINI Memory Watch ($128). Of course, they also tell time.
Both watches are ideal for business trips. Instead of fiddling with discs and CDs, simply download presentations and business files into your wristwatch and go. The watches can be put to use for business or pleasure and they are great to store those favorite photos or tunes. Downloading Data is almost as fun as wearing the watch itself.
Both models can connect to an MP3 for data transfer, and both are Macintosh and PC compatible. The Memory Watches feature standard USB interfaces, a USB extension cord and an integrated USB plug. No external power supply is needed. A plug, play and easy operations start-up CD disc is included, and both models are shock proof, anti-static and water resistant.
The MINI Memory Watch is part of the MINI MotoringGear collection, and is sold at MINI dealerships at www.minimotoringgear.com or by calling 866-467-MINI (6464).”
Jun 23rd, 2003
There's a great installation write-up and photo collection over at MCO regarding the new MINI AUX Input (available for '03s on). You can check it out here.
Jun 22nd, 2003
From Newsweek:
So far, summer's best product placement the too-cute Mini Coopers in The Italian Job didn't cost the car company a penny. BMW just turned over the keys to 32 of its British bulldogs, and agreed to let the studio demolish them during the elaborate chase scenes. The criminals are trying to steal gold, but the Mini hijacks the movie running down stairs, sneaking onto subway tracks, outmaneuvering helicopters. (Charlize Theron is considerably less active.) Just three weeks after the movie's premiere, Mini folks estimate that sales have spiked more than 20 percent. What aspiring baddie wouldn't pay $20,000 for the ultimate getaway car. “We like to think they're fleeing from everyday life,” says a spokesman.
Jun 21st, 2003
So you want equal power out of both wheels? You want maximum traction and stability without DSC? You're going to want to check Team MCO's latest addition to their MCS:
Tuesday morning came and I took the TEAM MCO COOPER S over to BimmerHaus Performance for our long awaited limited slip differential install. To get to this point I spent a lot of time on the phone with our friends at Helix13 getting a guideline how-to together for the installation along with a list of all the parts that were needed. The parts list is actually pretty short:
Quaife Limited Slip Differential
Two bearings
Some formable gasket
2 qts of transmission fluid
You can read the entire experience and see tons of photos here. If you get a chance you'll also want to check out Team MCO's brake upgrade they made a couple weeks back.
Jun 20th, 2003
From the iPodlounge.com:
An anonymous reader has sent us the contents of a reply email from Blitzsafe:
“We did start a basic interface for the iPod, I do not think before September or October, We are working with Apple now. We do have the Aux interface available at this time, you will use the iPod to control function, or you may wait. Stay tuned.”
Wanted to let the iPodophiles know that Blitzsafe, the makers of the auxillary input adapters, is working directly with Apple (according to Blitzsafe, blitzsafe@blitzsafe.com) to create an adapter (for cd changer ready headunits) that will not only provide the audio input but also allow the headunit's controls to control the iPod. I've not gotten confirmation on providing a power source for the iPod via this adapter, but headunits normally send 12v to the changer. The adapter probably won't be ready before September/October time frame for general release.
Great news, especially since my iPod continually tries to kill me when I'm driving (distracting me while I should be braking, turning or just paying attention in general).
Editor's note: Blitzsafe has confirmed this to be true in an email to iPodlounge with a simple 'yes.' No other information was provided.
Very cool. Being able to control my iPod from the multi-function steering wheel sounds fantastic. Hopefully it's not too outragously expensive. Currently Blitzsafe makes the only RCA AUX input device that works with '02 MINIs.
Jun 20th, 2003
For those out there that either want to install their own JCW kit (gasp) or are just really interested to see what the dealer charges $1000 for you can now check out the official instructions youself. Enjoy!
The John Cooper Works Kit Instructions
Jun 19th, 2003
From MINIUSA:
About your MINI's ECVT Transmission.
I'm with MINI USA. The ECVT transmission continuously varies the gear ratios, by means of a primary and secondary pulley connected by a drive belt, to provide optimum performance under a wide variety of conditions. Depending on road speed and driver demand, the circumference of the pulleys adjusts, changing the ratios. Electronic controls optimize performance and detect any faults.
As a result of the singular design of the ECVT, the transmission has characteristics different from a regular automatic transmission. These are, however, normal and do not indicate a problem with your transmission.
This technology is part of what makes the MINI Cooper so remarkable. It provides the convenience of automatic shift, while enabling the more spirited motorer to manually shift through 6 speeds, enhancing that famous go-kart handling of your MINI.
If you have any questions or if we can help out in any way, you can always call us at (866)ASK.MINI.
You can read some of the issues people have had with the CVT in this post from a couple months back.
Jun 19th, 2003
Review by Carlos Siwi:
Ah yes, I have also driven a Classic Mini. On a Mini Meet & Greet here in Mexico one of my great Mini friends exchanged keys to his 2000 year model cooper for my 2002 cooper S. The first impression is getting inside the cabin. No it is not tiny, its small because you are sitting close to your companion, but believe it or not you feel you have more space on the classic then on the new MINI. The steering wheel is sitting in a funky position, almost like those school buses we as kids always wanted to steer. The steering column comes straight up from the steering gear which sits just about 30mm in front of your feet, so you can imagine the angle. The gauges are mostly hidden because of this awkward angle, so there is no point in checking the speedo. You sit very low, almost feels like the seat is actually resting on the road. Visibility is great all around except for checking stop lights up above. Well, enough with setup. Now onto the drive…
…You turn on the engine and first thing you notice is the sound of it just across a thin metal wall that sits in front of your feet separating the engine. The classic Mini I drove had K&N induction system with an improved exhaust, nology cables, and other upgrades to improve performance over the 65hp stock engine which made the sound beautiful. But the sound of the engine is quickly replaced by the whining of the gearbox once you reach higher revs. Shifting is not sophisticated but easy because there are only 4 gears.
The car is very bouncy considering I was riding on the 13 inch wheels (comparable to the 17 runflats on my cooper S, but imagine that with a car about 40% lighter) The steering is not as responsive as the new MINI due to it not having any of the direct steering power assisted on the new one, but don’t get me wrong, it reacts pretty fast considering the engineering of its time. Tossing the classic Mini around doesn’t make you feel you are in a tiny car, thats because the wheelbase is comparable to a compact car of today. But its quite nimble nonetheless. Now the feeling through cornering is almost like driving a 2 by 4 with wheels attached to each corner, tire squishing, and tiny suspension travel makes up for the unnoticeable body roll. You feel that the center of gravity on this car is sitting on the floor, and you’re the only thing inside being tossed left and right. Go fast into a 90 degree corner, throw the steering wheel all the way, step on the gas, and you will turn. It oversteers, but step on the gas and you get whip-lashed right back into track and oversteer almost disappears. But the Classic Mini was a much less serious, more rough, a little less precise thing to drive than the new MINI….
…But its much easier to have a blast in the classic. The new one I would just say its the mature bigger brother, but not less fun to drive. Although I love my new Cooper S, I will be buying myself a classic to toss around and play with it on weekends.
Thanks Carlos for letting me post this first hand account. I think most new MINI owners have this amazing curiosity with the classic so it’s always exiting to see reviews like this one.
