Archive for January 2007
Jan 31st, 2007
At long last Oxygen Blue has finally arrived on MINI’s European online configurators. For those who may have missed it, Oxygen Blue is a non-metallic that will only be available on MINI One’s, Coopers and Cooper D’s for March production. It’s also worth noting that Oxygen Blue is somewhat similar to Candy Blue – a color officially announced in 2001 but never released.
Thanks to all those who sent this in.
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Jan 31st, 2007
MINI USA’s press launch of the US Spec 2007 Cooper and Cooper S is taking place in Arizona this weekend and I’ll be leaving the frozen tundra of Chicago to experience it. I’ll have hours of road and track time in the 2007 R56 MINI and should have a full review early next week. I also plan on having some small updates (including pictures on our MotoringFile Flickr Pool) throughout the weekend.
But before packing the bags I want to hear what you want to hear? Obviously I’ll be giving my take on the car’s the performance, design and how it relates to the R50 and R53 MINIs. But what do you want to know that hasn’t been covered in the European press? Performance related, spec related, now’s the chance to add your question to the list that I’ll be bringing this weekend.
Jan 31st, 2007
Update: The official MINI United 2007 site is now live: MINI United 2007
MINI of Germany has officially confirmed what MotoringFile readers have known for a month; MINI United is coming to the Netherlands in June of 2007. However MINI has yet to release an English version of the news. So we’ve turned to the always reliable (said with a healthy dose of sarcasm) Google Language Tools to translate the German release:
Very Poorly Translated MINI of Germany Press Release: It goes again loosely. After the overwhelming success of the premiere in the year 2005 in Misano, Italy now the preparations for the second MINI United festival begin. Meeting place for thousands of MINI fan from all world is this time the Circuit park in the Dutch Zandvoort, in close proximity to Amsterdam. Becomes three days long there of 22.
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Jan 31st, 2007
The following is the official MINI USA press release detailing the Motorby Pilot program we reported on a few weeks back. For more articles on this topic please click the MINI Ads category link above or in the “Browse by Category” link on the top left of the site.
MINI USA Press Release: Imagine MINI owner Scott is driving down the highway. He’s checking out the billboards – phone companies (snore)… online casinos (no thanks)… “MOTOR LIKE YOU MEAN IT, SCOTT!” (Hold on! Say what?). Scott has just experienced personalized “talking” billboards – the latest innovation from MINI USA, which will be the first to use advanced technology to communicate directly with its consumers with the introduction of MINI Motorby. Commuters who are tired of seeing billboards with the same mind-numbing out-of-home copy will instead be greeted by MINI Motorboards. These boards feature an ever-changing array of unique, personal, playful and unexpected messages targeted to and triggered by MINI owners. Messages will be spelled out in lights on billboards in locations in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami beginning January 2007.
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Jan 30th, 2007
Since we broke the news a few months back that the 2008 MINI Clubman was designed to seat five, we’ve had a raft of questions about the arrangement from readers. So recently we dug a little deeper to see if we could find a few more details.
Talking with a few more of our sources, we’ve learned that the Clubman’s rear seats are indeed meant to accommodate three across the rear seats. However in the US that will not be the case. Evidently concerns over NHTSA safety guidelines have persuaded MINI to fit the US Spec Clubmans with the same two seat configuration found in the current R56 hardtops.
So yes the Clubman will seat 5. It’ll just be outside the US market.
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Jan 30th, 2007
In this months Winding Road, they have a very fun piece that is not really versus as much as it is a good comparison of the MCS, the Volkswagon GTI and the Volvo C30 T5
A Swede, a Brit, and a German wander up an Italian hill to search for a bucket of driving goose bumps.
Staying sort of true to the squared-off, tin can feel of the original 1360 pound 1960s Mini Cooper S, our nouveau Cooper S hit the nearby scales at just 2601 pounds.
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Jan 30th, 2007
We expect this to be just the beginning. Look for much more on the web, in print and on TV in the coming days and weeks.
[ These Billboards Know you by Name ] Cnet
[ Drivers Invited to Sign up for Personalized Messages ] The Mecury News
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Jan 29th, 2007
A short one for you tonight. We do a bit of rumor squashing, some updates to MINI stuff around the web and some basic rambling on and on about whatever we can think of.
Looking for pictures or a way to show your pictures off? Check out Flickr, or if you are a member there already, be sure to check out the MF Flickr Group.
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Jan 29th, 2007
Here’s one that US MINI fans have been waiting for: the official MINI Specifications PDF with just about every number on the US spec R56 you can imagine. While we’ve seen most of these numbers before with the UK specifications PDF, it’s always interesting to see how they translate to the US market cars. You can download below:
[ 2007 MINI USA Technical Specifications ] Official MINI PDF
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Jan 29th, 2007
The New York Times has a great piece in today’s edition on the MINI USA’s Motorby program we covered a few weeks ago. Here’s an excerpt:
The boards, which usually carry typical advertising, are programmed to identify approaching Mini drivers through a coded signal from a radio chip embedded in their key fob. The messages are personal, based on questionnaires that owners filled out: “Mary, moving at the speed of justice,†if Mary is a lawyer, or “Mike, the special of the day is speed,†if Mike is a chef.
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Jan 29th, 2007
Both Worldcarfans and the Car Connection are running the same photos of the Clubman doing more testing in the depths of the Nordic winter. While there’s nothing there that we didn’t see last week, they offer yet another great look at the car in almost final trim. It’s also worth noting that both these publications are, for the first time, not calling it the “Traveller”. Maybe they’re finally getting the message.
[ MINI's Estate Undisguised ] Worldcarfans.com
[ 2008 MINI Clubman Spy Shots
] The Car Connection
Jan 29th, 2007
Last summer MotoringFile reported that the new MINI Clubman would not have four doors as many publications hass speculated. Instead we said that the new car would in fact have only three doors up front and a barn door boot in the back where the coupe has a hatch. We also dropped the bombshell that the new “Coach door” (now officially trademarked by BMW) will only be available on the right side of the car.
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Jan 28th, 2007
Watch out! We started with weather and a little Super Bowl talk. Imagine a little Gabe doing the Super Bowl shuffle. How cute.
db talks about his MINI week getting tires. Kumho Ecsta ASX instead of the SPTs. Watch for a review to follow. Did you read about the new scented tire from Kumho? Colored smoke, sure. But scented?
If you are one that is looking for an easy way to manage the older shows that aren’t included in the feed? Definitely listen in.
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Jan 28th, 2007
Looking to kill some time this cold, dark January weekend with nothing good on TV? Look no further than the MotoringFile Flickr Pool. 1700 photos of MINI goodness:
[ MotoringFile Flickr Pool ] Flickr
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