Archive for December 2004
Dec 31st, 2004
It was a big year here at MotoringFile. For one we went through a name change. Then we went through a complete redesign. And through it all we had ton of stories. Here are some of the more interesting statistics for the year and some of the stories that drove them.
Average daily unique visits went through the roof in the last 12 months. In January we were averaging around 2200 daily. This past month we'll be close to 6000 a day.
In all we managed to get just miss the 30,000,000 hit mark for 2004. Not bad for non-forums based news/weblog site.
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Dec 30th, 2004
While this should all be old news to the dedicated MotoringFile reader, here's a sneak peak and what we'll be seeing from MINI at the North American International Autoshow (from MINIUSA PR):
MINI's fun and spirited brand personality is highlighted yet again - now with the addition of new optional features, a performance package and Hollywood 'stunt' excitement. The MINI Cooper S with automatic transmission will make its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. A limited slip differential for the MINI Cooper S equipped with a manual transmission will also be presented along with the new 2005 John Cooper Works tuning kit. Additionally, a display will be on the stand in Detroit featuring “The Italian Job Stunt Track” roller coaster scheduled to debut at Kings Island amusement park in Cincinnati, OH this summer.
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Dec 29th, 2004
We were recently sent this picture from a MINI Convertible owner in England - hopefully this is not going to be a common problem for the MINI Convertible, especially since this MINI2 thread suggests that the repair cost could be as high as $3000 because the whole roof has to be replaced! Carol, who sent the picture, wrote:
Last Sunday I opened the car from a distance of about 30 feet (it was parked in an open garage) and my back window shattered into thousands of bits!! The car had been parked there since the previous day, the back window was in perfect condition i. e. no stone chips or similar so what happened?
I am waiting for the dealer to collect it but they tell me that Mini say it doesn't happen and that I must have done something so it may not be possible to replace under warranty. I'm also told that it is not just a case of replacing the window, but the entire roof
Dec 29th, 2004
Since this is the traditional calm before the storm in terms of automotive news here's something we missed this past August that may be of interest. From MINI Press:
The MINI entered the record books once more! As the 2004 Olympic Games moved into their final days late last week, the world MINI-cramming record was broken when 21 people worked their way into a MINI Cooper at the Galea Club in Athens. The Galea Club was MINI's Athens base and was the venue for the debut of MINI's XXL stretch limo. In the spirit of the Olympics, the record is regarded as truly international, though other nations are evaluating the event with a view to adding yet another person to the “cram” and securing the record for themselves.
Pics: before / during / after
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Dec 28th, 2004
After a long wait the MINI Convertible Alarm has just been announced by MINIUSA and should be currently available from all US dealers. The alarm itself will be $399 plus $70 for the wiper stalk with the red warning light. MINIUSA is estimating installation should take around 4 hours.
Dec 26th, 2004
Since Autoweek seems to be slowly turning into a weekly MINI magazine here's yet another MINI related snippet. This comes from their weekly drivers log:
I enjoyed my romp in the Mini Cooper S convertible more than the non-supercharged version because you can go faster, of course, though mucho fun can be had in both the Cooper and S. My wife is hot to get a Mini some day and heck, why not make it the convertible? There are some glitches; the blind spot is bigger than Godzilla, and you lose the decent amount of space the hardtop offers. But its chassis is nice and tight for a drop-top, especially considering the base model's price range, and small becomes big when the sky appears. It's gonna be a real dilemma.
Read more here.
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Dec 23rd, 2004
It’s four degrees Fahrenheit, a fine mixture of salt and sand is covering all roads and I’m behind the wheel of the fastest factory MINI
ever made; the 2005 JCW Cooper S. Not a combination for the faint of
heart. Hey I’m not complaining, but can you imagine worse conditions for a first drive save maybe a foot of snow?
While we expect a full week long test of the 2005 JCW MCS at some point, I couldn’t pass up the chance to get behind the wheel for a sneak peak. Especially considering this particular car had the
highly anticipated suspension kit and 18″ JCW alloys. So without further delay, here are some very brief initial thoughts.
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Dec 22nd, 2004
MINIUSA has a great web documentary on the MINI Convertible commercial that debuted this past year. It really didn't get any air play in the US but the concept was all over MINIUSA's marketing for the convertible.
We had “acquired” a hi-res quicktime video of the “Jump” mini (no pun intended) documentary a few months back but had been reluctant to post it do to the size of the file. Now we don't have to! Check it out below:
[ Tough Landings ]
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Dec 21st, 2004
You know the story is getting juicy when major US automotive publications start to cover it. Autoweek has a nice recap of what we know so far on the next generation MINI… the R56. While there's really nothing new here that hasn't already been seen on MotoringFile or MINI2, it's certainly worth the read. Here's an excerpt:
When BMW reintroduced the Mini to the United States in 2002, it got just about everything right-except, maybe, the engines.
The German producer of the quintessential Brit driving machine will fix that when the next-generation Mini debuts in early 2007 with a new range of all-aluminum, twin-cam engines that BMW will build in partnership with French carmaker Peugeot. The new powerplants include two turbocharged units that will replace the normally aspirated and supercharged four-cylinder 1.6-liter engines in the current Cooper and Cooper S.
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Dec 21st, 2004
In what essentially is just a recap of a couple previous stories on MotoringFile and other publications, Auto123.com takes a look at the possibility of an all-wheel drive MINI in the years ahead (R56?). Here’s an excerpt:
Should we be expecting an all-wheels-driven MINI anytime soon? The answer is unclear, and will probably be undecided for quite some time.
On the one hand, the cutting-edge system would help give more powerful MINIs, such as the Cooper S and Cooper S Works, the upper hand over even more powerful competitors, turning them into practical, four-season vehicles. According to Getrag, BMW’s product development leader Burkhard Goschel rode in the prototype Cooper S 4×4 and was ‘impressed’.
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Dec 20th, 2004
Just in time for the holidays, MINIUSA helps you to stay productive at work
with a new twist on its convertible jump game. The MINI Snowman Jump Game lets
you propel Frosty into the back of a Cabrio in wintry style, with holiday music
to go along with his cries of pain. Don't forget to hit keys 5-9 for some
mid-air tricks.
[ Snowman
Jump Game ]
Dec 20th, 2004
(Originally posted 12/18/03) Just in time for the holidays MINIUSA is highlighting some great ways to (A) get together with other MINI owners and (B) help out your local community.
And the coolest part… they're utilizing a photo that was taken by a Chicago MINI Motoring Club member this past spring and digitally enhanced by your's truly. You can check out a larger version here. In fact you can even download this image as a desktop wallpaper in the wallpaper section of this site in a variety of sizes. And if you still can't get enough you can see the entire set of photos from this even here (keep in mind this was suppose to a “spring” event!)
But before you do all that check out MINIUSA's make a different site and see how you or your MINI club can help in your area.
[ Owner Event Kits ]
Dec 19th, 2004
We mentioned last week that Autoweek had ridden it's long term MCS off into the sunset with one final glowing review. Well now all you without an Autoweek subscription can finally read along:
[ 2003 Mini Cooper S: Wrap-Up ]
And for those that just can't get enough of glowing long term reviews of MINIs, don't forget Automobile Magazine's one year wrap-up we pointed to a few weeks ago:
[ Four Seasons with the MINI Cooper S ]
Dec 18th, 2004
This comes from a MotoringFile reader:
I thought you would like to know the Auxillary Gauges kit is now available for the 2005 Mini Cooper S. The part number is 82-94-0-303-934. While there was some discrepency as to if this would work in the '05s, my service advisor tells me they will fit. I have an installation appointment scheduled for Tuesday, and will let you know how they look and work.
Dec 17th, 2004
For those who are new to winter driving (or in need of a refresher like many of us) MINI Canada has an entertaining and even educational portion of their website dedicated to the right and wrong ways to tackle winter driving. There's lots to take in, from slick flash animations to full driving videos. Now all that's needed for you to enjoy the finer points of winter driving are some snow covered roads and a hefty dose of the e-brake.
[ MINI.ca Winter Driving ]
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