Post by clambod on Jan 11, 2010 12:53:23 GMT
I don't want to fuels another debate about this as I’m no particular fan of the new MINI but the piece about MINI’s vs mini’s (in the bin) got me thinking about why the MINI has been successful.
The classic mini is just that a classic. When it was first launched is was really radical and I suppose those that had been used to rear wheel drive did not consider it to be a proper car. The mini has been with us so long as it was iconic and suited the times it was born in.
The mini has seen some design changes over the years, better gear lever, better brakes, bigger engines and finally SPi and MPi.
However, these were “tinkering” with the basic design with little real change. The power output from even the MPi’s is not brilliant, compared to similar cars of the same period. Rover were still using a pushrod engine and still the same 4 speed gearbox when most other cars were 5 speed and had overhead cams. Luggage space is also somewhat limited.
One of the reasons I will be fitting the 16v BMW K1200 DOHC cylinder head. This will give me 130BHP from a 1380 A series block. I’m sure rover could have done something easily to improve performance of the engine and everything else, had they really wanted to.
The MINI from BMW is what Rover should have developed and sold. The MINI is a good piece of German engineering and is a good modern car. Some say that the new MINI was actual a new Rover design in the first place. BMW bought Rover to get the mini and cooper names as they knew that these would promote their model better. They also got the knowledge of the 4 wheel drive system from Range Rover for their X series 4 x 4’s too.
The Mini is here to stay and people like Mini Sport have accepted and embraced this. Whilst this BMW model is not a classic mini it is nonetheless here to stay. It provides employment for people in the UK both building them and the after market, which has to be good.
I personally don’t see why they can’t be included at shows etc as the people that attend the shows in their MINIs are the same as us. They love their MINIs in the same way we do. In fact I know people who own both.
Look at the Beetle, the new one is recognisable as a Beetle but it is a completely different car.
Things evolve and if they don’t they die. The mini has been a fantastic car and has a much longer life than a lot of other cars. The problem was British Leyland and Rover did not invest in, or develop the model.
Fortunately, there are still many left and a lot of enthusiasts who have the equipment and facilities to keep them on the road.
So finally, hats off to BMW for taking a dying marquee and injecting new life into the whole mini / MINI scene
The classic mini is just that a classic. When it was first launched is was really radical and I suppose those that had been used to rear wheel drive did not consider it to be a proper car. The mini has been with us so long as it was iconic and suited the times it was born in.
The mini has seen some design changes over the years, better gear lever, better brakes, bigger engines and finally SPi and MPi.
However, these were “tinkering” with the basic design with little real change. The power output from even the MPi’s is not brilliant, compared to similar cars of the same period. Rover were still using a pushrod engine and still the same 4 speed gearbox when most other cars were 5 speed and had overhead cams. Luggage space is also somewhat limited.
One of the reasons I will be fitting the 16v BMW K1200 DOHC cylinder head. This will give me 130BHP from a 1380 A series block. I’m sure rover could have done something easily to improve performance of the engine and everything else, had they really wanted to.
The MINI from BMW is what Rover should have developed and sold. The MINI is a good piece of German engineering and is a good modern car. Some say that the new MINI was actual a new Rover design in the first place. BMW bought Rover to get the mini and cooper names as they knew that these would promote their model better. They also got the knowledge of the 4 wheel drive system from Range Rover for their X series 4 x 4’s too.
The Mini is here to stay and people like Mini Sport have accepted and embraced this. Whilst this BMW model is not a classic mini it is nonetheless here to stay. It provides employment for people in the UK both building them and the after market, which has to be good.
I personally don’t see why they can’t be included at shows etc as the people that attend the shows in their MINIs are the same as us. They love their MINIs in the same way we do. In fact I know people who own both.
Look at the Beetle, the new one is recognisable as a Beetle but it is a completely different car.
Things evolve and if they don’t they die. The mini has been a fantastic car and has a much longer life than a lot of other cars. The problem was British Leyland and Rover did not invest in, or develop the model.
Fortunately, there are still many left and a lot of enthusiasts who have the equipment and facilities to keep them on the road.
So finally, hats off to BMW for taking a dying marquee and injecting new life into the whole mini / MINI scene
