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

MINI Roadster And Coupe Spoiler Etiquette

MotoringFile thinks its figure out the etiquette attendant to operation of spoilers on the MINI Roadster and Coupe:

Un-authorized: Leaving your spoiler up when parked and left unattended.

Approved: Leaving said spoiler up for photography or for car related gatherings.

Alexander Munoz's R53 "Summertime Remix"

[Source: Alexander Munoz @ YouTube]

Mitchell Ran Two Businesses Out Of His Van

[Source: Hooniverse]

A British Review Of the MINI John Cooper Works GP2

[Source: Garaz0twarty @ YouTube]

Col de Turini To La Bollene Vesubie In A MINI Cooper Bayswater

[Source: driversroads @ YouTube]

MINI Compares Itself To Hawaii

In a press release carried by BMWBlog MINI compares its models' 54 year history to the history of Hawaii, complete with MINIs in Hawaii photographs.

Australia's Car Advice Reviews The MINI Countryman JCW

MINI has introduced the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 to Australia and Car Advice reviews it. It concludes:

Presenting as a family-focused John Cooper Works performance model, the Mini Countryman JCW is far more practical and liveable than any other bodystyles in the range. It makes more sense than the two-door Paceman, and though it can’t match its smaller, feistier brethren for outright thrills, it does retain much of the racing spirit that the brand is so well known for.

Art: MINI Goes To The Dogs

Check out this sculpture by Rachel Cawley!

[Source: 6stardanes @ YouTube]

Ask Patty's Favorite City Car Is A MINI Cooper S

AskPatty.com, a female automotive advice column, concedes that the one vehicle she would have in Manhattan is a MINI Cooper S and discusses why she would make that choice.

A Real MINI Cooper Roller Coaster

MINI Canada helped retrofit three real MINI Coopers into roadworthy roller coaster cars for the Not Normal campaign. Here's the video. psfk has the story.

A Wet First Place Autocross Run

At a Wichita SCCA event in a 2005 MINI Cooper S -

[Source: addictedv2dubs @ YouTube]

The AutoCar Show Looks At The "Practical" MINI Countryman

[Source: BloombergUTV @ YouTube]

Car And Driver Gets Up Close And Personal With the GP2

[Source: via takecartv @ YouTube]

Gizmodo exhibits these after-market (in fact, I don't know of any manufacturer that actually provides them as OEM) side mirror visors. We have no idea what utility they provide although the article says they help in the rain at night.

"The Mini Story: The Original, The Cooper, The Legacy"

[Source: ElectricFederal @ YouTube]

F60 MINI Countryman To Arrive In 2015

BMWBlog reports the next generation F60 MINI Countryman will be released in 2015 positioned as the "family friendly" model of the MINI brand.

Top Gear Australia Looks At The 2013 MINI Paceman JCW

Top Gear Australia takes a "First Drive" in the 2013 MINI Paceman John Cooper Works and concludes:

What would you give it out of 10?

It's tough. For sheer dynamics, it'd be close to a seven. It's a heap of fun on the twisty stuff - more so than it probably deserves to be. But for practicality and value? Maybe a six. Look, it'll sell to people who want a high-riding, two-door Mini with some grunt.

Checking Out The MINI Cooper JCW And The Girl

In Chinese?

[Source: OurLoveForMotion @ YouTube]

Will Regular Gas Hurt Your MINI Cooper S?

Car Talk's Tom and Ray tell writer Howard that using regular unleaded 87 Octane gasoline won't hurt his MINI Cooper S since premium gasoline is only recommended in the owner's manual. Tom concludes:

So, for your own mental health, I suggest that you forget this whole incident ever happened. If you have trouble letting it go, I suggest going to see your Mini dealer's in-house hypnotist. He's conveniently stationed next to the cashier at the service department's pick-up window.

So, you MINI Service people tell us. Are Click and Clack, the Tappet Bros., right or wrong?

MotoringFile Reviews The Paceman Cooper S ALL4

MotoringFile looks at the MINI Paceman Cooper S ALL4 and concludes:

It's likely that the Paceman’s lack of sales success will hurt the car’s reputation. That’s a shame, because in the Paceman we finally have a crossover that actually feels like a MINI. For me, the Paceman works as advertised —sportier than the Countryman, with more utility and a higher seating position than the hardtop. For all the things this car is, and all the things it is not, the Paceman slots nicely into the MINI line-up.

BMW Attempting To Settle R50 MINI CVT Class Action Lawsuit

MotoringFile reports BMW is seeking California Federal Court approval on a class action lawsuit settlement between BMW of North America and 1,200 MINI owners whose R50 CVT transmissions were replaced out of warranty. It says:

Under the terms of the proposed class action settlement, BMW will reimburse drivers under the eight-year/150,000 mile warranty for all of their out-of-pocket expenses associated with the transmission repair. The plaintiffs have estimated their repair costs to range from $6,000 to $9,000. The proposed class action settlement will also provide a maximum of $4,100 to Class Members who had their Mini Coopers repaired at a third-party facility and up to $2,000 to consumers who sold the vehicles at a loss due to the transmission defects. BMW has also agreed to cover all future repairs for Mini Coopers up to $150,000 miles and eight years.

LATE NOTE: The Federal Court has approved the settlement.

Chad Haire Reviews The 2013 MINI JCW Roadster

[Source: chad haire @ YouTube]

DIY: Detail Your Engine

Jalopnik's DRIVE CLEAN shows you how to do it safely in this video:

2013 MINI Cooper Coupe One Of Best MPG Small Coupes

The 2013 MINI Cooper Coupe, with gas mileage of 29 city/37 highway/32 combined makes it one of Green Car Reports top five small coupes.

This MINI Autocross Be Crazy!

[Source: apocalypse7011 @ YouTube]

Automobile Magazine Not Enthusiastic About 2013 MCS Paceman ALL4

Automobile Magazine's editors are not as a group keen on the vehicle. In fact, in their reviews one of the associate editors provides this bottom line:

The Mini Paceman is an expensive style statement with an only average driving experience.

Join Us For An Exclusive Night Tour Of Hearst Castle!

ATTENTION ALL MINI MOTORISTS! MINIS TO MEET IN THE MIDDLE!

NORCAL MINIS has reserved all available tickets (54) to participate in a unique opportunity - an exclusive evening tour of Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA, on Saturday, October 12, 2013. The tour starts at approximately 6:00 p.m. We ask that all MINI attendees arrive by 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $37.50 per person 13 years old and over, and $18.75 per child 5 through 12 years old. The Tickets are being offered at cost (ticket price plus Paypal fee) on a first come first served basis.

Tickets MUST be purchased before midnight on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - no exceptions. Once purchased, Tickets cannot be cancelled.

Purchased Tickets will not be mailed. Rather, they will be distributed at Hearst Castle prior to the tour. Please use the Paypal Button below to purchase your Tickets.

Bring your Paypal purchase confirmation letter and a photo I.D. to claim your ticket on the evening of the event.

NORCAL MINIS will run to Hearst's Castle from Monterey down Highway 1 the morning of October 12, 2013, and also visit an olive farm on Sunday. Meetup location and time to be announced.

NOTE: NORCAL MINIS has NOT made group accommodation reservations for Saturday night. Please make your own reservations early as it is Columbus Day (a bank holiday) weekend. Here are links to some accommodation suggestions in local communities:

San Simeon, CA - Cambria, CA - Paso Robles, CA - Templeton, CA - Cayucos, CA
LET'S ALL "MEET IN THE MIDDLE" FOR THIS ELEGANT AND EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HEARST CASTLE AT NIGHT!

Kurt Hammond's First Track Day At Oregon Raceway Park

In a 2004 MINI Cooper S.

[Source: Kurt Hammond @ YouTube]

Introducing The R53 "Wyatt" MINI Cooper Cup Holder

[Source: Mike Wyatt @ YouTube]

Jalopnik Reviews The 2013 JCW Paceman

Jalopnik gives the 2013 MINI John Cooper Works Paceman a dismal 54 out of 100. Read the article to find out why.

Get Ready For More "Not Normal" MINI Marketing

MotoringFile reports MINI marketing may hit back hard against the Chevy Spark and other competitors, for younger drivers with more of the "Not Normal" marketing campaign that was conceived by the firm of Butler Shine, Sterns & Partners located in Sausalito, CA.

JCW Adventures Reviews The MINI Cooper S Roadster

JCW Adventures provides a thorough written and video review of the vehicle giving it a four out of five.

Is This The BMW Roadster To Be Built On The UKL1 Platform?

Carscoops, citing Auto Express, believes the BMW Roadster counterpart to the new MINI Roadster, both set to be built on the new UKL1 platform, will be front wheel drive and called the Z2.

An Express Espresso From A Handpresso

Wired brought the 12V automotive espresso machine to our attention. It says,

Handpresso fits in your car’s cup holder and uses 16 bars of pressure to make 1.79 fl. oz of espresso. The process takes only two minutes, so your espresso is ready by the time you peel out of the neighborhood or onto the freeway.

DIY: Plasti-Dip An Entire Car

So you want to change the color and look of your MINI, but protect its original paint. One way is to Plasti-Dip the entire vehicle. This almost 1/2 hour video shows you how to do it right. We warn, however, that watching this video is like watching paint dry!

[Source: DipYourCarcom @ YouTube]

MINI Countryman And Paceman Recalls For Fire Risk

But don't you North Americans worry. According to Australian site The Motor Report says MINI is recalling R60 diesel MINI Countryman and Paceman models because:

. . . MINI Countryman and Paceman models may suffer from moisture build up in the electric power steering unit, causing a fire in extreme cases.

No information has been provided on why gasoline powered MINIs have not been included in this recall.

Half A Minute Inside The 2013 Countryman JCW

[Source: CarTopVideos @ YouTube]

Mad MINI's 2002 With A 350 Chevy Engine

[Source: Rod Andrews @ YouTube]

DIY: Fix Paint And Rock Chips

DRIVE shows you how.

MINI Cooper S Coupe In Focus

[Source: TheCheapCars @ YouTube]

Bare Russian Protest To Promote Safe Driving

Obviously, they didn't take distracted driving into consideration.

[Source: Сети НН Телестанция @ YouTube via Carscoops]

saabkyle04 @ YouTube Looks At The 2013 MCS Paceman, But . . .

Here's his in-depth review of the 2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman:

DRIVEN Goes Inside The Dakar Rally X-raid Team And MINI All4 Racing

[Source: DRIVE @ YouTube]

The 2013 MINI JCW GP2 On Motor Trend's "The World's Fastest Cars"

[Source: MotorTrend @ YouTube]

MINI Roadster And Coupe Replacement To Rival Mazda MX-5

U.K.'s AutoExpress writes that MINI's replacement for the Roadster and Coupe will compete with the Mazda MX-5 and will be offered as a soft-top and a hard-top. It claims:

. . . the new, sleeker sports cars will share virtually no body panels with the rest of the MINI line-up. However, the 2015 MINI will retain key styling cues from the rest of the new range, including round headlights with LED rings, larger tail-lamps and muscular curves along the sides.

The newcomers are believed to be codenamed the MINI F58 (hard-top) and Mini F59 (soft-top) and are due to go on sale in late 2015 or 2016.

RoadflyTV Reviews The MINI Cooper Coupe JCW

Motorbike Or MINI Roadster, Which Is More Fun?

It is a question this MotoringFile article tries to answer.

Edmunds Rates MINI A Best Buy

Edmunds lists what it believes are the 17 best cars you can buy - those 17 its staff would purchase. The first listed is the MINI Cooper.

2015 MINI Spotted In L.A. By Autoweek?

Autoweek has a gallery of spy photos, supposedly taken in Santa Monica, of what it characterizes as the "2015 MINI."

Car Styling Tips Likes This Modded Yellow MINI One

What do you think of Car Styling Tips' modified MINI taste?

Chinese Spy Shots Of The Interior Of The F56

Braminator @ North American Motoring.com has posted a few shots, purportedly taken at odd angles in China.

A Behind The Scenes Look At MINI Art Beat Illumination

MINI Space looks at how they go about illuminating the Countryman that is touring about London sporting your messages.

Is The Tail Of The Dragon Overrated?

PlaysWithCars thinks so and tells us why.

A Drive Around Istanbul In A First Generation R56 GP

[Source: dexterrevivo @ YouTube]

Street Sign Subversion

psfk looks at the visual art of Clet Abraham who takes signs and makes them into "art."

Enrique Shows Off MINI Cooper GP2 No. 1 Of 2000 To His Wife

[Source: Enrique Cortes de la Fuente @ YouTube]

A Word Of Caution From Braminator @ North American Motoring

Never leave canned soda in your MINI!

[Source: Braminator @ NorthAmericanMotoring.com]

It Wasn't Scary At All?

Ever take a passenger on an Autocross run who really doesn't know much about it? Well, It's kind of like this -

[Source: physmankd5 @ YouTube]

MINI Random Acts Of Fun

The new Not Normal from MINI @ facebook.

MINI Owners Not Trading Up To BMW So MINI May Go Big

Automotive News bases this surmise on a conversation with BMW Group chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk wherein he is quoted:

"We thought that young customers would buy a Mini and move up to BMW when they grew older," van Hooydonk said. "That hasn't happened, and therefore we needed the Countryman and the Paceman to open up the brand."

Down the road there could be even bigger Mini offshoots, he said. Asked about the viability of an SUV, he said: "It is something we should think about."

MINI Paceman Explores Urban China

MINI Space writes on the Paceman in urban areas of China. The article includes a nice photo gallery and this video.

What Is It Like To Co-Pilot A MINI WRC Car?

Something like this -

[Source: drive @ YouTube]

Behind The Scenes Of The MINI Not Normal Videos

MINI Space hosts a wide variety of stories and photographs from the filming of the Not Normal spots, including this video.

Co-Pilot Rautiainen Takes It Up The, Umm, Rally Car

What an, shall we say, uncomfortable stop to a rally run.

[Source: WhiteTiger08 @ YouTube]

What Colors For The 2014 F56 MINI Will You Choose?

MotoringFile has posted the expected exterior and interior color options for the new F56 2014 MINI. It writes, in part:

To start with lets look at the exterior of Cooper S (US Spec):

White Silver Metallic
Midnight Black
British Racing Green II
Ice Chocolate Metallic (New)
Thunder Grey (Previously GP exclusive)
Deep Blue
Volcanic Orange (New)
Blazing Red Metallic (Carried over from the Countryman & Paceman)
Pepper White

Inside things dark but mostly new for the Cooper S:

Diamond Carbon Blk/Cloth & Leather
Diamond Satellite Grey Cloth & Leahter
Carbon Black Leatherette
Black Pearl Cloth/Leatherette
Leather Cross Punch Carbon
Cross Punch Dark Truffle
Leather Lounge Satellite Grey

CNET's Car Tech Video Review Of the 2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman

[Source: Carsandbykesz stuntszreveal @ YouTube]

How To Do PDR Properly

This video helps if you want to try to do it yourself or find a reputable technician who does PDR.

[Source: DRIVE @ YouTube]

Hey MINI! Tell Us Again Why This Isn't Sold In The U.S.

[Source: AwesomeCars @ YouTube]

Up Close With The 2013 MINI Countryman Cooper ALL4

[Source: racingcar552 @ YouTube]

"MINI Art Beat: Driven By Your Style"

MINI Space reports MINI is bringing a new art project to the streets of London, U.K. - a "one-of-a-kind MINI Countryman custom-fitted 360° in 48,000 LEDs" on to which you can stream your own live animation as it nightly drives through London. Your video can be streamed to the the MINI Art Beat car using the MINI Facebook app, or by tweeting your videos with #MINIartbeat.

Here's how you can participate -

"MINI Cooper, A Sworn Enemy Of Boredom"

[Source: MrAutoTop @ YouTube]

How Long Will You Keep Your MINI?

AutoGuide.com discusses a study by R.L. Polk that finds the average U.S. driver will, as of 2012, keep his or her car on the road for 11.4 years.

A Little R53 Autocross From Hershey, PA

[Source: mckpat03 @ YouTube]

Next Generation MINI To Debut On Sir Alec Issigonis' 107th Birthday

The next generation MINI will debut on November 18, 2013, the late Sir Alec Issigonis' (creator of the original Mini) 107th birthday, according to Jalopnik.

Close-up Look At The Exterior Of The 2013 MINI Cooper S Roadster

[Source: cemil menekşe @ YouTube]

Fireball Tim Sketches A MINI For The Caped Crusader

Check out his sketch of the BATMINI at The Fireball Tim Blog.

The Mighty MINIs Of The Italian Job

[Source: Jon Auty @ YouTube]

Peterhansel Wins Brazil's Rally dos Sertões

According to MINI Motorsport Stéphane Peterhansel won the 2013 Rally in a Black MINI ALL4 Racing rally car while driving for the Monster Energy X-raid Team.

Little Red Riding Hoods Chase The Big Bad Wolf

[Source: Bremen Motors @ YouTube]

The Guardian Reviews The MINI Paceman

Martin Love reviews the MINI Paceman for the United Kingdom publication the Guardian. Love concludes:

Mini has got it all right, except for one thing – the price. The car appeals to the people who can't afford it and not to those who can…

Test Firing A Jet Engine In A Vintage Mini

[Source: ChannelsNewz @ YouTube]

Spy Photos Of The Interior Of The 2014 MINI

worldcarfans has a few spy photos of the interior of the upcoming 2014 MINI Cooper. Check out the all the interior chrome surrounds on the vents.

Ten Facts About The New MINI

The United Kingdom-based Autocar provides ten interesting facts about the 2014 MINI that you should check out for yourself.

Motor Trend Gets A 2013 MINI Cooper S Coupe

Motor Trend has obtained a 2013 MINI Cooper S Coupe for long term testing. After a few weeks with the vehicle writer Carlos Lagos thinks, in part:

. . . I've become a disciple of its peculiar styling and questionable functionality for one reason: It's huge fun. It enters corners with entertaining authority and meets upshifts with addictive exhaust pops and backfires. Only when you apply throttle on corner exit does understeer appear, and the absence of a limited-slip becomes apparent. Though not as aggressive as a Focus ST, this Mini feels far more refined.

* * *

You could be a member of the tea party or the most loyal servant of the Internal Revenue Service. Ideology does not matter. After 1100km of driving in the Cooper S Paceman All4 over jarringly rough roads, you'd be ready to endorse any national infrastructure repair plan the government came up with.

WHAT'S COMING UP?