NorCal MINIS | Northern California's Premier MINI Cooper Club: January 2013

A Banned Misogynistic MINI TV Ad?

If You Play On City Streets Like This You Don't Deserve To Own This Car

That's right. Give me that GP before you hurt someone!

[Source: lolman1504 @ YouTube]

BACON!!!

MINI of Des Moines presents Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, complete with bacon wrapped Countryman.

[Source: willisautocampus @ YouTube]

3-D Projection Of MINI Bayswater In Nelson Mandela Square

Video from MINI South Africa

Just Found My Favorite Rally Driver

Inesa Tushkanova, she is a professional rally driver, starting her first year in the Finnish Rally Championship, which is two steps down from the World Rally Championship, and, as Jalopnik points out, she likes to pose nude for Playboy.

Autoweek Discusses The MINI Pre-Geneva Special Edition Reveals

The discussion begins at 1:17

[Source: Autoweek @ YouTube]

MINI Viking Beach Invasion

[Source: Commercial Wire @ YouTube]

Auto, Motor Und Sport Magazine Readers Give MINIs High Ranks

MotoringFile reports that German magazine Auto, Motor Und Sport rank of "The Best Cars of 2013" found the MINI Hatchback first in the import rankings of the “Mini Cars” segment. The MINI Coupé took third place and the MINI Paceman took second place in the import rankings and third overall in the class. The results are based on the magazine's annual reader's poll.

Need 2014 MINI Paceman ALL4 Wallpaper?

Select from this NetCarShow.com gallery.

The MINI Dancing Lions Of Hong Kong Spring

Found at the MINI X POLYU "MINI. LET'S SPRING!" Exhibition, made by students from School of Design of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in association with MINI Hong Kong, and can be seen from February 2 to 8, 2012 at LG2 of Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong.

Don't Shoot, Officer. I Didn't Hear The Siren

From The Roma Tuning Show -

[Source: Andrea Abarth @ YouTube]

Interviews With MINI's Jim McDowell And Tom Salkowski

MotoringFile and White Roof Radio interview the head of MINI USA, Jim McDowell, and MINNI USA's Marketing leader, Tom Salkowski, at the North American International Auto Show 2013 in Detroit, Michigan

East Bay MINI's Paceman Launch Party Rally Photo Gallery

Check out Jason Burk's Flickr photo gallery!

Rather Have A Used Goodwood Than A New Bond Street

Car and Driver writer Justin Berkowitz reviews the newly announced 2014 MINI Clubman Bond Street and decides a used MINI Goodwood is a probably a better alternative

Kościuszko Finishes Tenth At Rally Monte Carlo

In his first rally in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, Michal Kościuszko of the Lotos Rally Team finished 10th at the WRC Rally Monte Carlo with snowy special stages reminiscent of Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen in their classic Mini Cooper S cars in the 1960s. MINI Motorsport interviewed Kościuszko about the rally and the WRC season.

An Interview With Dr. Kay Segler

MotoringFile and White Roof Radio a "wide ranging" interview Dr. Kay Segler on the current and future state of MINI.

The MINI JCW Paceman Debuts In Canada

Autos.ca covers the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman's Canadian debut.

Pop-A-Lock Partners With MINI On Clubvan

Pop-A-Lock partnered with MINI on a Pop-A-Lock themed MINI Clubvan that started in San Francisco and traveled to the NAIAS 2013 where it was placed on display to promote the Clubvan as a fleet vehicle.

[Source: VIRTUAL-STRATEGY MAGAZINE]

MINI Clubman Bond Street Special Edition

MINI has introduced another London-inspired special edition, the Clubman Bond Street. The vehicle is dressed in Midnight Black Metallic paint, features a contrasting roof, exterior mirror caps, bonnet stripes, as well as Cool Champagne-finished lower C-pillars. It comes with 17-inch alloy wheels in double-spoke design, which mixes a black center with an outer circle finished in Cool Champagne. The interior has a Carbon Black finish with contrast piping and stitching for the lounge leather seats, Deep Champagne trim, and a Chrome Line pack.

The Clubman Bond Street will be available as a MINI Cooper (122hp), MINI Cooper S (184hp), MINI Cooper D (112hp) and MINI Cooper SD (143hp). Expect production to commence in March 2013, according to autoevolution.

Slide On By

[Souyrce: Mikaela Camaro @ YouTube]

MINI Introduces The MINI Cooper Roadster In Monterrey, Mexico

[Source: Realvertising @ YouTube]

"O'er The Hills And Through The Woods . . ."

In the snow in a MINI Countryman Cooper S All4:

[Source: pioterpe @ YouTube]

Top Down Winter Motoring In The MINI Cabrio

[Source: walterderspalter @ YouTube]

The Truth About Cars Also Admires NAIAS 2013 Booth Babes

The Truth About Cars also appreciates good looking Car Show women professionals and provides its own gallery of the working women of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.

Testing The MINI Cooper Coupe In The Netherlands

[Source: anwbauto @ YouTube]

It's Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Playing in the back of a MINI in Los Angeles at the Silver Lake Farmer's Market as part of the MINI USA NOT NORMAL Tour.

Remember Race Car Drivers Were Once Beginners

[Source: sneedspeed1 @ YouTube]

MINI Paceman JCW Spied Testing In China?

TheTycho's CarNewsChina.com claims it has photos of the MINI Paceman JCW testing around Chinaib advance if its Chinese debut at the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2013.

Onboard Camera MINI Challenge Action

[Source: TheXDriver1000 @ YouTube]

This Definitely Isn't Good

AutoGuide.com reports a study by Warranty Direct in the United Kingdom found the highest rates of engine failure among MG's, Audis and MINIs. The study did not include any products by GM, Chrysler or Ford. MG Rover topped the list for the most engine failures with a 7.88-percent failure rate. Audi was second worst with a 3.71 percent while MINI was in third with 2.51 percent.

MotoringFile Gets Its Hands On The MINI JCW Paceman

MotoringFile looks at, and describes, the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman as seen at The Detroit Auto Show 2013.

Hey Kids! Become A MINI Plant Oxford Apprentce!

MINI Plant Oxford seeks 32 new recruits to apprentice at the Oxford Plant in August. There are another 13 places available at MINI Swindon and Hams Hall, near Birmingham, U.K.

Apprenticeships last between three and four years and cover a wide range of skills from human resources and business to electrical maintenance and engineering, and leads to an NVQ level three qualification.

According to The Auto Channel:

Young people can apply for an apprenticeship through a new Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/BmwCareersUK, or via the plant’s website at www.miniplantoxford.co.uk and clicking on the “People” button. The closing date for applications is 1March 2013.

You Checkin' Me Out. I'm Checkin' You Out.

[Source: Augusto Ortiz @ YouTube]

First MINI Paceman Television Commercials

The MINI Paceman At Salon de Bruxelles 2013

Ooo Oui, baby!

[Source: MoniteurAutomobile @ YouTube]

Chris Knox Provides In Car Commentary

Video from Chris Knox in the Lohen MINI Cooper S at the Snetterton 300.

Detroit Free Press Looks At 2013 MINI Paceman

The Detroit Free Press looks at the 2013 MINI Paceman which it calls "a small, crossover SUV."

Please Don't Be "These Guys"

By "these guys" we mean the idiot BMW biker in this video regaling us with his antics and the MINI Cooper driver he describes in his road play. You don't mess with Texas, the police, road racing or road rage.

[Source: BIMMERK12S @ YouTube]

Wait Until Your Mother Gets Home!

1IVANAVI1 @ YouTube writes this description of this video:

Take your mother's car, try to drift and film it. ;-)
The car which I used was a Mini Cooper Cabrio with 114,4HP/116PS.

U.S. MSRP Released For 2013 MINI Paceman

INAUTONEWS reports the MINI Paceman in the United States will start at $23,900, while the Paceman S will start at $27,500.

MINI X-raid Drivers Discuss Their Dakar 2013 Finishes

MINI Motorsport carries quotes from each of the Monster Energy X-raid Team MINI top five finishers of Dakar 2013 including this quote from the winner:

Stéphane Peterhansel (P1 in the green MINI ALL4 Racing): “It’s just incredible that we really succeeded in defending the title. We had to battle it out with numerous extremely competitive opponents but in the end, we were the ones who secured the win. Just as it was the case last year, the MINI ALL4 Racing ran perfectly. I have to thank the entire team that did a fantastic job – and not only during the past two weeks. Again, it was a thrilling Dakar Rally and the victory is unique although I have contested the Dakar for so many times. How the rally would end, was left open until the ninth leg. The X-raid Team needed to be patient for quite some time until it got its first Dakar victory last year. This is why I am happy that I have been able to defend the title.”

The Role Of The MINI Countryman At Dakar 2013

While it bemoans that the actual MINI Dakar vehicles are full build race cars, MotoringFile discusses what the MINI Countryman close-to-production support vehicles did to assist the Monster Energy X-raid Team as disclosed by MINI.

Peterhansel Repeats With X-raid MINI At Dakar

MINI drivers took three of the top for spot and four in the top fifteen. Here are the provisional Top 15 results from MINI Motorsport:

PROVISIONAL 2013 OVERALL STANDINGS (TOP 15).

	#	Driver/Co-Driver	CARS	Time
1.	#302	PETERHANSEL/COTTRET	MINI ALL4 RACING	38:32:39
2.	#301	DE VILLIERS/VON ZITZEWITZ	TOYOTA HILUX	39:15:01
3.	#307	NOVITSKIY/ZHILTSOV	MINI ALL4 RACING	40:01:01
4.	#305	ROMA/PÉRIN	MINI ALL4 RACING	40:09:22
5.	#331	TERRANOVA/FIUZIA	BMW X3 CC	40:21:49
6.	#308	SOUSA/RAMALHO	GREAT WALL	41:10:55
7.	#316	CHABOT/PILLOT	SMG BUGGY	41:50:44
8.	#309	CHICHERIT/GARCIN	SMG BUGGY	42:00:23
9.	#328	THOMASSE/LARROQUE	BUGGY MD RALLYE	43:08:11
10.	#306	ÁLVAREZ/GRAUE	TOYOTA HILUX	43:18:27
11.	#337	OLHOLM/ASTON	TOYOTA HILUX	43:18:52
12.	#314	GARAFULIC/PICARD	MINI ALL4 RACING	43:18:59
13.	#317	KAHLE/SCHUENEMANN	SAM-MERCEDES	44:06:12
14.	#315	GORDON/WALCH	HUMMER	44:10:54
15.	#331	MALYSZ/MARTON	TOYOTA HILUX	44:38:41

Here's Best Of Rally Live rally footage from Stage 13, the pentultimate stage. Peterhansel maintained almost a 50 minute lead over the second place challenger. Novitskiy and Roma completed the top four positions after the Stage:

This is footage from Stage 12, won by X-raid's Nani Roma:

Playing In The Snow Without Snow Tires

[Source: willisautocampus @ YouTube]

It's A MINI Cooper Spinout!

[Source: rafiliot @ YouTube]

Two And A Half Minutes Of MINI Snow Ballet

[Source: Jurriën Haast @ YouTube]

Amateur Video Of MINI From Dakar Rally Stage 9

[Source: Sam Aguilar @ YouTube]

U.K. Princesses Drive MINI (Poorly) In Germany

According to the Belfast Telegraph Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie travelled to Germany for a two-day tour to promote the UK as part of the Great Campaign - a global initiative to attract visitors, business and students to the UK - and they drove a MINI, emblazoned with the Union flag, from the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to the British Embassy to launch the Great Britain MINI tour across Germany, a trip which will showcase the very best of British - from culture and technology to music and innovation. However, according to the Calgary Herald, in a major faux pas the princesses ran a red light on their was to the Embassy compound.

360 Degrees Of The JCW Paceman At NAIAS 2013

[Source: Michelin Media @ YouTube]

Peterhansel Mantains Lead After Dakar Rally 2013 Stage 12

MINI Motorsport reports Stéphane Peterhansel mastered stage 12 of the Dakar Rally 2013 without problems and remains securely in first place. His X-raid Team teammates, Nani Roma and Leonid Novistkiy, also put in excellent performances on the stage. Novitskiy currently occupies fourth place and Roma is third overall.

Well, Now, Looking Back At It

With a rear mounted camera on a modded Clubman JCW.

[Source: Al Adamson @ YouTube]

Booth Babes Of NAIAS 2013

Jalopnik offers a lovely gallery of these Detroit Auto Show professionals.

A Fast Lap At The Circuit Of The Americas

In a MINI Cooper S

[Source: SK8BRDMINI @ YouTube]

MINI To Return To The FIA WRC In 2013 At Rally Monte Carlo

MINI Motorsport reports on MINI's return to the FIA WRC in 2013. Michal Kościuszko will debut in the MINI John Cooper Works WRC for the Lotos WRC Team at Rally Monte Carlo. The article also provides an overview of the rally route.

2013 MINI Cooper JCW GP At The 2013 NAIAS

[Source: TVNirvana @ YouTube]

Grassroots Motorsports Reviews The 2012 MCS Coupe JCW

Grassroots Motorsports reviews the 2012 MINI Cooper S Coupe John Cooper Works. Here is the shorthand summary:

Better than: The non-JCW Coupe
But not as good as: The more useful standard Cooper S JCW
GRM Bang For The Buck Index: 88.76

Countryman Firetrucks Coming To London

news.co.au reports, in part:

FIREFIGHTERS in London will respond to emergency calls in the capital in red Mini Coopers in a bid to avoid growing congestion on the roads and attend fires quicker.

It may sound like the plot of The Italian Job, but the Mini Cooper cars will be deployed across the city fire stations to provide a rapid first response capability at fires.

The Minis were trialed during the London Olympics last year and can carry six fire extinguishers as well as other equipment and can cut through the London traffic and narrow roads in the city.

The move will help fire stations ensure more Triple 9 emergency call outs can be attended to within a promoted target of six minutes.

Each of the $30,000 Countryman model Minis will carry two firefighters and with the back seats folded down can carry all their equipment as well as the six extinguishers and a large medical kit including defibrillators.

Where's The Yellow MINI Cooper? BONUS: Where's Waldo?

[Source: MINI of Madison's facebook Timeline Photos]

The Truth About Cars Sees Paceman JCW Changes Tune

The curmudgeonly The Truth About Cars previously dissed the upcoming Paceman but after seeing the Paceman JCW at the 2013 NAIAS, it posts:

I thought the Mini Paceman was an extraordinarily stupid idea until I saw it on the show floor. The execution is much better than the bloated Countryman. This one has the John Cooper Works engine, which means you’ll get charged an exorbitant amount for 208 horsepower, giant wheels, awful ride quality and $2 worth of badges. But it does have all-wheel drive. Think of it as a cut-rate Evoque. That still costs a lot.

2012 GOOD DESIGN Award Goes To The MINI Roadster

MotoringFile advises that the 2012 MINI Roadster was awarded a 2012 GOOD DESIGN Award,

". . . the most prestigious international accolade in the field of product design."

DIY: Install A JCW Grill On A R56

Turn 17 provides a set by step pictorial how to on installing the JCW grill on a R56 MCS.

Peterhansel Maintains Large Lead As Dakar 2013 Stage 11 Stopped

MINI Motorsport reports Stephane Peterhansel maintains a fifty minute lead in the Dakar Rally when the eleventh stage was called due to torrential rain. Nani Roma remains in third place overall.

Here are video highlights of the stage from bestofrallylive @ YouTube.

De-Chrome Boss! De-Chrome!

[Source: AceCarCareShrops @ YouTube]

A MINI Retrospective On 2012, Its Most Successful Year

BMWBlog provides a retrospective of MINIs' wildly successful 2012.

Making A Glycerin Soap MINI Cooper

Nicely done!

[Source: Вася Лычка @ YouTube]

Photo Gallery Of MINI Paceman JCW At NAIAS 2013

Cars.com's KickingTires blog has an extensive photo gallery of the MINI Paceman JCW at the 2013 North American International Automobile Show in Detroit, Michigan.

Sixty Seconds In German In A MINI Countryman JCW

[Source: bigbloggTV @ YouTube]

"MINI Snow Fever"

[Source: BatjeNL @ YouTube]

Top Speed Tests The MINI Cooper S Paceman

However, we have no idea what they're saying since the testing appears to be in some language we can't identify.

[Source: topspeedtvedition @ YouTube]

Destroying MINI Cooper Challenge Cars

Why? Oh, why?

[Source: fadecorridas @ YouTube]

The Booth Babes Of The Tokyo Auto Salon 2013

いろっぽい、色っぽい , a gallery of 200 courtesy of The Truth About Cars.

MINI Press Conference At NAIAS 2013

[Source: wdivlocal4 @ YouTube]

MINI Holds Its Own

MINI, Nissan GT-R and Porsche at Hungaroring.

[Source: Fishyslo @ YouTube]

3rd Generation MINI Set For 2014 Launch

The United Kingdom's Autocar discusses the launch in 12 months time of the "Mk3 BMW Mini" that it says may eventually give rise to 23 different models.

Getting Around A Lot

[Source: carlitosgalicia64 @ YouTube]

DIY: Bluetooth Pairing With MINI Connected

[Source: Orlando Mini @ YouTube]

Jarkko Nikara To Drive MINI JCW WRC In Rally Sweden

Autosport.com reports Jarkko Nikara is set to return to the World Rally Championship (in his debut in a World Rally Car in Spain he finished fifth) in a Prodrive-built Mini John Cooper Works WRC in Karlstad, Sweden for Rally Sweden. The Rally runs February 7-10, 2013.

WHAT'S COMING UP?

PROVISIONAL 2013 OVERALL STANDINGS (TOP 15).