Archive for March 2006
Mar 31st, 2006
It wouldn’t be a Friday without some official MINI DIY from MotoringFile. So with that we present you the official install guide to MINI’s new interior light kit. This new accessory fits just under the toggle switches and lights up the storage area and front cup holders for better visability. The rumor is that it may also double as a flux capacitor.
[ Interior Light Kit Install Guide ] Official MINI PDF
Mar 31st, 2006
Live from Vegas under the Webb Motorsports tent! Todd, db and Michael do a little show from AMVIV III followed by a short recap of the weekend. Oh yea, it’s a long one too, for you, the lover of the long shows. Oh yea, Gabe no longer has the crown of JCW. I have officially given it to Todd!
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Mar 30th, 2006
[Updated] A fixture of classic Minis (and many English cars from days gone by) was the grille badge. Whether is was the Union Jack or just a simple sign of local club affiliation, they were ways to put a personal stamp on your car and great opportunity to tip your cap to other like-minded enthusiasts.
To carry on this tradition, MINI USA has brought out a grille badge holder (part #: 51 13 0 406 752) for the current car that allows for the use of magnetic badges. At an MSRP of $25 it’s a great way to personalize your car and add a bit of heritage. And magnetic badges are inexpensive and easy to swap out depending on your mood. However the badge holder is not only buried in the back of the latest accessories catalog (with no part number) but also is not offered with any actual badges. Apparently that’s up to all individual MINI owners to do.
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Mar 29th, 2006
Now that MINI Vacation in Vegas has wrapped, it’s time to make sure what happened in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. Or in other words… let’s see some pics!
[ Flickr.com Groups: AMVIV ] Flickr
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Mar 29th, 2006
This week’s Autoweek has feature stories on both Fireball Tim Lawrence and his shop FTR and MINI tuner M7. Congrats to both for getting coverage on a national scale. You can read the articles below:
[ Sport Compact Tuners: M7 ] Autoweek
[ Sport Compact Tuners: Fireball MINI ] Autoweek
Mar 28th, 2006
The first-ever race event of the new North American MINI Cooper Championship was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 21. The event, scheduled as part of the activities at the “MINI Vacation in Vegas†club event, officially kicks off the long-anticipated racing series that is being organized by Phil Wicks Racing and features six events to be held during this first inaugural season.
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Mar 28th, 2006
Tony Nuzzo lives a life many of us could only dream of. But what’s it actually like to run and drive in a first class MINI racing team? Recently we had a chance to ask Tony that very question along with few others about the team, the car, and where to start when taking our daily driver to the track.
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Mar 27th, 2006
With the debut of the 2007 MINI just months away, BMW engineers are busy putting the finishing touches on the final production version of the car. And that means more photos and less camouflage. This latest series of photos comes courtesy of AGSL and were taken on a French highway just days ago. (You can click on each photo for a larger look)
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Mar 26th, 2006
MINI USA is extending the warranty for specific air bag warning lamp issues on some MINIs sold in the US. This will surely come as a welcome surprise to anyone who has been greeted by the dreaded glowing airbag light over the years. Here’s an excerpt from the letter just sent out by MINI USA:
“We have found and repaired cases in which a wiring harness connector for the side air bag and safety-belt pretensioner as partially loosened. When this occurred, the increase in electrical resistance causes a red airbag warning lamp to light up.”
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Mar 26th, 2006
Time for some thanks to the folks that make MotoringFile possible. We’d also like to welcome a few new sponsors to the fold: MINI of Manhattan and Detailing Concepts. Both will be fixtures around MotoringFile for some time so be sure to check them out!
Here’s the full list of companies that sponsor and support MotoringFile. As always, if you would like to support the site, check out our sponsors!
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Mar 26th, 2006
In their latest article on the topic, MSNBC probably does the best job I’ve seen explaining the success of the MINI in terms of resale value. Here’s an excerpt:
BMW’s ownership of Mini buoys the residual value of Cooper. After all, BMW won ALG’s highest overall ranking for value retention among luxury-car manufacturers in 2006. By association, some of the German carmaker’s desirability and its reputation for quality transfer to Mini. But Mini Cooper’s idiosyncrasy also helps the car hold value. Small yet accommodating, cosmopolitan and oozing with retro-chic, Cooper is unlike any other vehicle. If you fancy one, you can’t substitute another marque the way a Honda Accord shopper might swing for a Toyota Camry if he or she doesn’t find an Accord that fits. You must own a Mini Cooper alone to appropriate the playful image of sophisticated independence it imparts.
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Mar 25th, 2006
Another interesting combo in this week’s second MotoringFile reader review. Mark Hendrie puts his JCW Cooper S against his TVR T350 and Nissan 350zx. I think this effectively trumps my M3 vs the MCS review from a few years back! You can read Mark’s entire review below:
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Mar 24th, 2006
Another DIY Friday here at MotoringFile. This week we’re featuring a pretty slick piece of kit that mimics the newer BMW and the upcoming MINI systems that use a button to start/stop the engine. It makes a little less sense in the current MINI with the standard key system, but anytime you can add a big round button that says “start”, we say go for it.
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Mar 24th, 2006
Here’s an excerpt from the article that says it all:
The tachometers tell this story. Although positioned directly ahead of the driver, as it should be, the Beetle’s rev counter is teeny tiny and placed in an overly crowded pod with a much larger speedometer and a similarly sized gas gauge. The Mini’s tach, on the other hand, is the size of a compact disc and sits solo on the Cooper’s steering column, much like hot rodders have always done on their 1932 Fords.
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Mar 23rd, 2006
Now, before everyone goes and fires up those nasty emails to the R&T editors let’s take a clear look at this. Having tested both the Civic Si and VW GTI recently I can completely understand R&T scoring both cars ahead of the JCW MCS. Both cars have less quirks, are more versatile due to being larger, and have a more mainstream appeal. All things I alluded to in my reviews of the cars.
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