Classic Mini Cooper
by Admin on Mar.19, 2010, under Uncategorized
I haven’t posted much over the past months, I purchased a 1978 Austin Mini Cooper, and have been concentrating my efforts on restoration of the vehicle.. Which has been extensive to say the least.
I will update this post with pictures. And also the site with more DIY articles on both classic and new MINI data.
Mini Cooper Continues to Rise to the Top
by Admin on Mar.20, 2009, under Uncategorized
Mini Cooper continues to rise to the top
 Let’s stipulate at the start: All Mini Coopers are fun to drive. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the base car with the 118-horsepower engine, the S with 172 horsepower, or even the stretched and heavier Clubman model. So, you wonder, why would anyone plunk down $33,550 for the 208-horsepower John Cooper Works version of this little shoebox on wheels? Before addressing that, a bit of background on the name: In the late 1950s, a British automotive genius named Sir Alec Issigonis dreamed up the Mini, a tiny two-door hatchback with a major innovation: a crosswise-mounted four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. It was sold with both Austin and Morris badges. The car was an instant hit because of its tidy dimensions, quick handling, roomy (for its size) interior and superior fuel economy. But the popularity was mostly in Europe because Americans were still wedded to ponderous size, fueled by cheap gasoline. Of course, it wasn’t long before enthusiasts were tweaking the Mini’s performance. John Cooper, a legendary British race driver and tuner, came up with the Mini Cooper, which had more horsepower, better brakes and improved handling. By today’s lights, it doesn’t seem like much, but in that day it was a high-performance car, especially in European rallies. It won the famed Monte Carlo race three times between 1964 and 1967. When BMW of Germany took over the Mini assets and decided to resurrect the car in 2000, it used the cachet of the Cooper name on the new version, though it actually wasn’t so much a Mini any more. In size, it more resembled the original Austin and Morris 850 models, which were larger versions of the sixties Mini with the same front-drive and crosswise engine layout as their smaller sibling.
The new Mini Cooper, like its predecessor, was an instant and continuing hit after its introduction in the U.S. in 2002. In fact, it was the only car sold in the United States that experienced a substantial sales increase — 28.6 percent — in 2008, when car and light truck sales were down by nearly four million in the worst sales year since 1992. There were two versions: the Cooper and Cooper S. Because the high-performance Cooper name already was attached to the Mini, a new name had to be dredged up for the even higher-performance model. Hence the John Cooper Works designation, which makes it seem as if the car had rolled straight out of a small British racing garage. The John Cooper Works upgrade, available on both the two-door Mini hatchback and the new three-door Clubman model, has a stiffer racetrack-oriented suspension system, bigger brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels and, of course, the turbocharged 208-horsepower, 1.6-liter engine. Because we’ve stipulated that all Mini Coopers are fun to drive, we return to the question of price. A base Mini has a starting sticker of $19,200 and delivers a hefty fun quotient, especially in the dodgem game of urban traffic, where its tidy dimensions enable the driver to poke holes in the flow and slip into tiny parking spaces. The John Cooper Works model starts at $29,200 and, with optional equipment, the test car had a suggested price of $33,550. So we’re back to the question of why you would plunk down that kind of dough. In a word, it’s performance, though more performance than anyone is likely to use often in daily driving. The turbo motor’s 208 horsepower can propel the JCW Mini to 60 miles an hour in 6.2 seconds, according to Mini test figures, with a top speed of 147 miles an hour. It’s exciting, with a blatting exhaust note that resonates throughout the interior, but it comes with drawbacks, including massive torque steer — that front-drive phenomenon of the steering wheel trying to jump out of the driver’s hands while turning under hard acceleration. Also, the raspy exhaust sound can become tiring during long-distance highway cruising. The handling is quick, almost go-kart-like because of the Mini’s tidy dimensions and short wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear axles. But because the suspension system is racetrack tuned, the ride is rock hard and the JCW skips over irregular road surfaces in cornering. Clutch action is light and progressive, so it’s easy to drive smoothly, and the shift linkage on the manual six-speed transmission, despite a few rough spots, has a precise feel. An automatic transmission is not available. Because Mini Cooper owners like to personalize their rides, the option list stretches out to the horizon, so you can spend a bundle even on a base car. The tested JCW had full safety equipment, leather and cloth upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, and Bluetooth and iPod capability. Like all Minis, the interior is British quirky, with a giant speedometer in the middle of the dash and an array of toggle switches overhead and on the dash. Curiously, though it has pushbutton starting, you have to insert the remote-control fob into the dash. Why not a simple key? Also inexplicable: the mesh shade on the sunroof doesn’t block sunlight. |
Get off the Advertiser “Grid”
by Admin on Mar.10, 2009, under Mini Cooper News & Articles, Uncategorized
I don’t know about all of you, but I am frankly tired of being pestered by credit card ads, junk mail, telephone sales, and just plain being “on the grid”. Below you will find links to have yourself removed from all the junk, it takes just a bit of time, but its worth it.
Switchboard.com – http://switchboard.intelius.com/optout.php
Google Phonebook – http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/pbremoval.html
Yahoo People Search – http://yahoo.intelius.com/optout.php
Superpages.com – http://directory.superpages.com/wp/update/info.jsp?FROM=sidebar&OP=wp_delete&
Anywho.com – http://www.anywho.com/help/privacy_list.html
Addresses.com – http://www.addresses.com/optout.php
Infospace.com – http://infospace.intelius.com/optout.php
Intelius.com (Public Records) – Fax Drivers License with photo and number blacked out to 425-974-6194, say you want to be removed from ALL lists… it takes 2 – 3 weeks
USSearch.com (Public Records) – Write a letter giving your complete name, name variations, mailing address, date of birth, and social security number and send it to: Opt-Out/US SEARCH.com Inc., 600 Corporate Pointe, Suite 220, Culver City, CA 90230
Acxiom.com (All sorts of collected data) – privacy@acxiom.com or call 1-877-774-2094
Peoplefinders.com – http://www.peoplefinders.com/privacy.aspx – Send letter to Opt-Out/PeopleFinders.com, 1821 Q Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 with First name, Last name, Middle initial, Aliases and A.K.A.’s, Complete current address, Complete former addresses going back 20 years, Date of Birth – including month, day, and year
Zabasearch.com – Send Letter requesting opt-out to: ZabaSearch Record Blocking, 2828 Cochran Street, #397 Simi Valley, CA 93065
Optoutprescreen.com (credit card ad’s) – Go to www.optoutprescreen.com and fill in the form
Donotcall.gov (phone advertisers) – go to https://www.donotcall.gov and fill in the forms, fill in not only your home phone, but cell numbers and fax numbers.
Check them out, like I said it’s worth the effort
Mini Financiang APR LOWERED
by Admin on Mar.09, 2009, under Mini Cooper DIY, Mini Cooper News & Articles
MINI USA will be announcing 2.9% financing on all hardtop models:
- 2.9% financing up to 36 months all hardtop models except JCW
- 3.9% financing up to 48 months all hardtop models except JCW
- 2.9% Financing all hardtop JCW models up to 60 months or 5 years
It’s an incredible deal and the first time MINI has gone this low on any models (let alone the JCW). I also looked into refinancing my 2005 R53, however this APR change only applies to NEW 2008 and 2009 models 
OEM Mini Parts Source
by Admin on Mar.09, 2009, under Mini Cooper DIY, Mini Cooper News & Articles
I just wanted to give a shout out to Morristown Mini for there wonderful pricing on OEM parts. I did a brake conversion to the R56 Cooper S front calipers, rotors and pads. Morristown Mini was able to provide the caliper rebuild kits for roughly 1/3 the price I could find locally or 1/2 the price anywhere on the Internet.
Random Videos
by Admin on Mar.01, 2009, under Uncategorized
Sorry I haven’t updated in a few days, there isn’t much news going on. I will update later this week with some more articles.
I am also testing out my randomized Youtube video script. Do me a favor and view a couple.
IE 8 RTM to be released March 2009
by Admin on Feb.24, 2009, under Tech. Downloads, Uncategorized
In March 2009, Microsoft will release-to-manufacturing (RTM) Microsoft Internet Explorer® version 8.0 (IE8) to OEMs as an optional supplement to all Windows® XP and Windows Vista® operating system products licensed in the OEM Channel.
“The final build that was prepared and passed to internal staff and partners is 8.0.6001.18691. Microsoft is reportedly readying this build for distribution via TechNet/MSDN and Connect before a general release to web.“
The release of IE8 is a significant milestone in the Windows Vista lifecycle:
* IE8 contains extensive improvements in the areas of performance and reliability.
* IE8 provides OEMs monetization opportunities not available in any other browser.
* Visual Search Suggestions provide the opportunity to configure a search provider and additional services into the search box in IE8 to search for shopping, news/portal sites, social networks sports, and more.
* Web Slices and Accelerators are additional web services within the IE8 monetization ecosystem which content providers have built specifically for IE8. These services provide OEMs opportunities to deliver brand exposure and content updates to users in innovative new ways.
* IE8 further provides OEMs with enhanced user experience, greater user privacy, and security enhancements to lower support costs and minimize the engineering risk of configuring an unknown application on the consumer image.
IE8 will be the standard internet browser present with all Windows® 7 Desktop Operating System Products.
History of the Internet Animated
by Admin on Feb.24, 2009, under Tech. Downloads, Uncategorized
“History of the internet” is an animated documentary explaining the inventions from time-sharing to filesharing, from Arpanet to Internet. It is pretty neat, take a look
Mini Crossman R60 Spied in Cold Weather Testing
by Admin on Feb.23, 2009, under Mini Cooper News & Articles
As you can see another photo of the current prototype Mini Crossman R60 undergoing some cold weather testing. Please go to Autoweek.com for a larger view.
Mini Cooper BANNED Commercial
by Admin on Feb.23, 2009, under Mini Cooper News & Articles, Uncategorized
In case you have not seen this before, this Mini cooper commercial has been banned, but still lives on through the power of YouTube:
