About MotoringFile

MotoringFile is a MINI weblog dedicated to bringing you news, views, and every other little bit of interesting information from the new MINI world. In short, this is a site that aggregates the best news of the day and commentary for anyone to comment on.

About the Staff

Gabe [ Founder ]

I created MotoringFile for a number of reasons, none of which was to become the world’s leading news source on the MINI. Initially I just wanted to dabble a bit in the world of weblogs and create something that could be a creative outlet. I knew that there was a potential there but that wasn’t ever an overriding factor.

I suppose what I had hoped to do in founding MotoringFile, was to create a place for photos, videos, news, opinions, rants and raves for this little car that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

While it may look like a lot of work, MF plays a small part in all that keeps me occupied. You can get a peak at everything else on my personal weblog: Bridger.us

About Nathaniel [ Senior Editor ]

I saw my first Mini when I was 13. It was a blue Cooper S with a union jack on the roof. I was instantly hooked. I wanted one. It would be 12 years before my dream of MINI ownership would come true, but even before there was a MINI in my garage, MotoringFile was on my browser. I enjoyed the news, the opinion pieces and the discussion that revolved exclusively around my favorite little car. The site didn’t have the trappings of your average troll-ridden, fanboy message board. Instead, it was a place where fans got together to see what was going on with MINI.

In 2008, I started blogging on a regular basis, and my MINI was often a consistent part of that writing. So when Gabe rang me up in 2010 and asked if I’d be interested in taking over the Editor role at MotoringFile, I jumped at the chance. Being at what I see as the beating heart of the MINI enthusiast scene is a lot of fun. We get to see all the cool stuff before it comes out, then share it with the MINI community.

My day job is in product development, where I design user experiences/interfaces and build prototypes for future consumer goods. I’m pretty sure only the guys at Mythbusters and Top Gear have more fun at work than I do. My background, like Gabe, is in advertising and design — helping to build brands for companies of all sizes.

Beyond MotoringFile, I spend a lot of my spare time riding and working on scooters and motorcycles. I often write about those experiences on my personal blog. I’m also working on an unconventional eco-car called the Streetliner. It’s a cabin motorcycle project designed to combine the fun of motorcycling, the comfort of a small car, the economy of a hybrid and the spirit of a race car. It’s not for market. It’s just for my own entertainment, but you can learn more about it here.

About Don [ Technologist/Podcaster ]

I’ve always been a bit of a car nut and enjoyed driving cars that were a little bit different. I started with a 1965 Chevrolet El Camino. Spent every last dollar I had on paint, interior and fixing stuff. It’s remarkable about many water pumps those old cars went through!

The real bug was planted on my 2nd car. A bright red 1967 Austin Healey Sprite with removable top. I was living in San Diego at the time and this car was it! Top off, cruising the coast was my first real motoring adventures. When it ran, that car was more fun to drive than anything else I had driven. But being born of British descent and having electronics by the Prince of Darkness, it was soon ditched in favor of something slightly more reliable.

Then in 2002, I discovered the MINI and haven’t looked back! You can read about my motoring adventures on my personal motoring blog, dbmini.us.

During the day (and most nights) I’m a IT guy. Before that, I was about a month away from being a professional chef after working 13 years in the restaurant industry. While there, I became a certified trainer and have developed a passion for thorough training and document creation since. It has come in handy in my current career path where my speciality is Point-of-Sale systems. I also like to dabble in web development and my work can be seen in several corners of the web.

I’m also the founder of WhiteRoofRadio.com, the MINI Cooper Podcast where I get together with Gabe and Todd Pearson twice a week and discuss MINI news, tips and tricks. I’ve always had a love for radio and never realized how much work it is until I started the podcast. Luckily, Todd does the production so I have plenty of time for promotion, talking with sponsors and helping our listeners with the odd problem as well as taking care of the website.

While you are here reading Motoringfile and have a question or a problem, I’m almost always available to answer the quick question or pull your comment out of moderation! Or, if you find a story you think the MF readers might enjoy, please shoot that over as well

About Matt Gifford [ Coding/Production/Editor ]

For information about Matt check out the About page on his personal weblog.

Contributing Editors: MotoringFile wouldn’t be complete without these frequent contributors (in no particular order): Todd / Lawrence / Mike / Dave / Ken / Matt Adams / Jerry / Rob

How Was MotoringFile Created?

I started MotoringFile (originally named Bridger.us/MINI) in October of 2002 as a front end for all the photos, video, and general info I had acquired regarding the new MINI. After a couple months, and a surprising amount of page hits, I decided to make something a bit more elaborate. I thought a weblog would be the perfect way to present all the current content as well as post information daily that creates interesting conversation. So I partnered with a long time friend and occasional professional partner Matthew Gifford to create what you see today. That original software lasted three years until we had to update the site. MotoringFile now runs on WordPress.

This site is designed and maintained on a Apple MacBook Pro, Apple MacBook and Apple iPhone. We use a combination of a Sony DSC-R1, Sanyo HD2, Panasonic DMC-TZ3, Apple iPhone and Sony Ericsson w810 for photos and video

Advertising on MotoringFile

Do you want your company to be a part of the MotoringFile family? We offer several different advertising packages that help your company’s message reach some of the most knowledgable and enthusiastic MINI owners in the world. You can find further information on our advertising information page.