Jalopnik: BMC

The Mini Deluxe: She'll Like It Going Up And Down!

Murilee Martin — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT

"No more sliding windows for Australians considering buying a Mini! Not only that, you can go into multiple spins on wet pavement and recover cleanly- it shows it right there in the ad! We're a little puzzled by the the conversation between the swimsuited man and woman at the beach; we get the "up and down" double entendre, but are we supposed to think that there's some longing for the old sliding Mini windows here?

This Japanese Mini Cooper Does Everything Backwards

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Here are things we know about the BMC Minis: front-engined, front-wheel-drive, tiny wheels, Brit motor. Here are things we know about this racing Mini from Japan: mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive, gigantic wheels, Honda B18c engine. We're not sure what compelled this individual to take the original Mini platform and flip it on its head, but we'd like to see this thing take on a Renault R5 powered by an SR2ODE motor for some reason. Clearly, what the Mini has been missing all this time is Integra Type-R power.

[Reese at Japanese Used Cars via JPCN]

Black Mustang Club Tussles, Then Makes Nice With Ford Over Fair Use

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:15:00 EST

Sometimes mountains and molehills are made of both made of thin air. A couple of weeks ago the Ford Mustang enthusiasts site "Black Mustang Club" was contacted by their publisher, Cafepress, regarding the calender they were about to publish. The club owners had compiled a 12 month calender of pictures of their rides and intended to sell them to any takers. Cafepress notified the club of contact from Ford lawyers regarding possible trademark infringement. Normally this is where we'd raise a stink about missed marketing opportunities and botched brand management. In this instance though it seems that what happened was a case of the telephone game going awry.

Below is the initial entry from the BMC site, bmcforums.com bemoaning the apparent cease and desist from Ford.

BMC 2008 Calendar NOT Available Due to Ford Motor Company I got some more info from the folks at cafepress and according to them, a law firm representing Ford contacted them saying that our calendar pics (and our club's event logos - anything with one of our cars in it) infringes on Ford's trademarks which include the use of images of THEIR vehicles. Also, Ford claims that all the images, logos and designs OUR graphics team made for the BMC events using Danni are theirs as well. Funny, I thought Danni's title had my name on it ... and I thought you guys owned your cars ... and, well ... I'm not even going to get into how wrong and unfair I feel this whole thing is as I'd be typing for hours, but I wholeheartedly echo everything you guys have been saying all afternoon. I'm not letting this go un-addressed and I'll keep you guys posted as I get to work on this.
I'm sorry, but at this point we will not be producing the 2008 BMC Calendar, featuring our 2007 Members of the Month, solely due to Ford Motor Company's claim that THEY own all rights to the photos YOU take of YOUR car. I hope to resolve this soon, and be able to provide the calendar and other BMC merchandise that you guys want and deserve! This thread will remain open for you to comment however you wish, and I'll update it as needed.

Thanks for all your support of the BMC!!

However, this is not the end of the story. Our sister site Consumerist got a hold of the story, which got the attention of Whitney Drake from Ford Communications. We spoke with Whitney at the Detroit Auto Show the other day and she was still flummoxed over the whole thing, but glad that it had been resolved. She pointed us to her response on Consumerist:

My name is Whitney Drake and I work in Ford Communications. We've been watching this discussion with interest and I'd like to clarify what is essentially a misunderstanding.
Yesterday we spoke to both Cafe Press and the Black Mustang Club and explained the situation (about the Black Mustang Club's calendar) to everyone's satisfaction. Ford has no problem with Mustang or other car owners taking pictures of their vehicles for use in club materials like calendars. What we do have an issue with are individuals using Ford's logo and other trademarks for products they intend to sell. Understandably, we have to take the protection of our brands and licensing very seriously.

Ford did not send the Black Mustang Club a "cease and desist" letter telling them that they could not use images of their own cars in their calendar. The decision not to allow the calendars to be printed was made by Cafe Press, because we had gotten in touch with them in the past about trademark infringements on products they sold.

I think it is great that the Black Mustang Club, and any other enthusiast club, would take pictures of their own vehicles for use in calendars or other materials.

I'm looking forward to purchasing a copy to hang in the garage next to my Mustang (even if mine isn't black).

Thanks for giving us the chance to have our say.

It's good to see that both sides have worked things out and it was just a misunderstanding to begin with. BMC is once again offering their calenders for sale (and they are definitely chock full of black Mustang-ness). You can check out the calender on their site at bmcforums.com

Workhorse Engine of the Day: BMC B-Series

Murilee Martin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:30:01 EDT

Anyone who thinks the B doesn't belong in this series, consider this fact: the Hindustan Motors Ambassador, perhaps the world's most workhorsey car since the Model T, was powered by the BMC B until the early 90s. Starting in 1954, if it was British and had wheels you'd have a good chance of seeing this engine when you popped the bonnet. Why, even the Nash Metropolitan had B power! Once they went to a five-bearing crank, the B was actually much more dependable than most of the cars it powered. We say it's a workhorse! Engine photo credit: Stephen Foskett [Wikipedia]

1969 MG MGC-GT

Murilee Martin — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:30:31 EDT

I was out for a walk in the East End and came across this car on Versailles street (note: Alamedans pronounce this street's name "Ver-SAILS" and will jump down your throat if you call it "Ver-SIGH"). From a couple blocks away, I thought it might be a Jaguar E-Type, given the shiny black paint and wire wheels. Then I thought it was an MGB-GT, and it was only when I saw the strange hood bulges that I realized I was dealing with the much rarer MGC-GT.

Hey, that photograph sure looks familiar!

The MGC was basically an MGB with a 7-main-bearing version of the 3-liter inline-six engine used in the Austin-Healey 3000 (and a bunch of other British cars we've never heard of over here). To go with the new engine, the MGC got bigger brakes and some other goodies.

That sounds great, only the car got a rep for funky handling with the heavy new engine and the MGC never sold very well. Only about 9,000 were made, of which roughly half were the GT type.

This car is pretty much in showroom condition, only no MG ever came off the line with black paint this perfect. This car doesn't normally live on the street; I assume it spends its time garaged nearby. There's a 60s Mini on the same block (stay tuned for photos), so it's possible the same ~~masochist~~ connoisseur of fine British automobiles owns them both.

I drove a '73 MGB-GT as a daily driver for a couple years, and I loved and hated it in roughly equal measure. All I'm going to say is: everything they say about the Prince of Darkness is true.

So what? Just look at this thing! All is forgiven, MG!

Sadly, my B didn't have the wire wheels; I think most cars look lame with them, but 60s British designs really do well with the spokes.

Hmmm... does this car have true dual exhaust? I suppose I should have stuck the camera underneath to find out, but that might have triggered an unpleasant owner/photographer confrontation.

The six-banger fit in the engine compartment all right, but the radiator and carburetor failed to clear the hood. Rather than redesign the radiator and/or intake manifold, BMC's engineers took a very 60s-British (i.e., totally cheap) approach and put a couple of bulges in the hood. Sure, it looks funny, but it works!

That Pininfarina-designed hatchback body looks great, especially in black. This town really is Car Geek Heaven.