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50 Years Young: The Five Best Minis Ever
Mini Countryman Is The New Mini Crossman?
Detroit, 2:39 AM
Thu Nov 26
22 posts in the last 24 hours
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50 Years Young: The Five Best Minis Ever |
Mini Countryman Is The New Mini Crossman? |
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But the new Mini is, on its own merits, a good car. The estate agents may just be getting lucky (first and second gen Miatas were bought by the boatload by people who had no clue about cars), but the new Mini is a better car than you're pretending.
08/27/09
They're good cars when they're not falling apart.
08/27/09
08/26/09
The only thing that could be better than the original Mini is a Mini with door lock improvement made by Mr. Bean
08/26/09
08/26/09
What about the Red Bull Mini?
08/26/09
EDIT: Boo, no more strikethroughs?
08/26/09
08/26/09
I used to have a MINI, it was shit.
08/26/09
Edit, well it didn't post so go check it out here: [www.lazareth.org]
08/26/09
From talking to him, the GP is pretty hardcore - Stiffer everything, no back seat, etc. He said only 1000 were made, with about 400 making it to the States. (Taking that with a grain of salt after reading this post). The carbon fiber rear wing on it is pretty awesome/flashy/wonderfully mechanical all at the same time too.
08/26/09
what about that mini pick up? I still find it absolutely hilarious that it exists!
08/26/09
I cant think of any other situation where a car has been made by more than 2 manufacturers.
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That's not entirely true. There were a lot of transformations, takeovers, and buyouts going on, but that doesn't account for all of the manufacturers. For example, Innocenti was an independent company but built Minis in Italy under license from BMC. Authi did the same thing in Spain. Along with other companies in Chile, South Africa, Brazil, etc. Both of mine, being an Austin and a Leyland were built directly under BMC, but not all Minis were.
So ploopsy was right in a way, not really a franchise, but BMC would sell you the rights of manufacture in order to have the Mini more effectively permeate the global market.
08/26/09
Generally the GP was considered to be vaguely pointless, as it had far too harsh a ride, looked a bit aftermarket, killed the back seats in favour of a rollbar and had an LSD which was harsh and robbed some of the steering feel. The JCW kit was far cheaper, steathier and just as fast in the real world.
08/26/09
Seriously, thanks
08/26/09
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08/26/09
After he retired, Mr. Hopkirk was still keeping up with the rally best as he drove the camera car for the Rally of Ireland...
08/26/09
08/26/09
'Any question' was answered quite adequately...
08/26/09
this is all
08/26/09
Let me make the following three statements for record:
1) I love the original Minis.
2) I love Wagons.
3) I love Woodys, be they wagon, truck, or sedan.
That said, the Countryman Woody is veritable London Fog of Fail. I mean really: if someone took an xB or a Flex or modern Clubman... and proceeded to do nothing more than outline half of it with fifteen bucks' worth of furring strips, we'd probably immortalize their efforts with a LOLCAR award.
Heck, this same treatment is essentially how the last American woodies (Roadmaster, Caravan, et al) were done... except they outlined the whole car AND put simulated woodgrain inside... yet very few seem to wax poetic in tweed suits.
You want a "comfortable" and "rustic" woody? The 1948 Town & Country and innumerable others do a far better job.
08/26/09
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@skaycog-live,love,drink!:
08/26/09
By your rationale, would the unlamentable woody Caravans, LeBarons and Roamasters be more acceptable if the contact paper was peeled off, leaving just the furring strips?
08/26/09
Not sure I dig the wheels though. I appreciate and accept the intended sentiment, but man that's a lot of orange!
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