» Mini Cooper

Used MINIs Still a Smart Choice

Ben Johnston — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:41:57 +0000

When shopping for a new car, it is easy to overlook a brand that has symbolised British chic for decades. While they may now be manufactured by German firm BMW, used MINI models are still a wise choice when looking to buy a second hand car.

The first generation MINI One and MINI Cooper both maintain a timeless charm, despite some models now being as much as nine years old. BMW injected both models with a transversely-mounted four-cylinder engine, which along with the lightweight nature of the cars makes for an enjoyable driving experience. Furthermore, the MINI is perfect for inner city travelling due to its relatively small size and ease of handling.

Few cars hold their value as well as the new MINI, making it a viable long-term investment for any would-be car owner. Stylish and cool, and forever immortalised by the film ‘The Italian Job’, the MINI is well worth considering should you be on the lookout for a small car with a bit of personality.

MINI Cooper S Named 2009 Green Car Of The Year

Marcus — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:37:07 +0000

The MINI Cooper S has been named What Car? 2009 Green Car of the Year in the sports car category.

The iconic hot hatch held onto its crown having received the same award in 2008 thanks to BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology.

In keeping against the need to broadcast through each and every medium about green initiatives, BMW have gone about their eco friendly business almost under the radar.

Such features as Auto Start-Stop whereby the engine switches off when the car is stationary; electric power steering which only utilises energy when the wheel is in motion; and the Optimum Shift Indicator which lets you know the most fuel-efficient revs to change gear all help to make the MINI Cooper S be as eco friendly as any sports hatch on the market.

And of course, with no compromise in driveability and sex appeal, the Cooper S could not be toppled from the top of the chart.

With a combined fuel economy of just under 46 miles per gallon and with CO2 emission levels of just 149g/km, the MINI Cooper S encompasses all that is required in a hatchback – class, style, coolness, speed, handling and eco friendliness.

The History Of The Mini Cooper

Marcus — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:52:12 +0000

It’s one of the most iconic cars in the world, but how did the Mini Cooper come to fruition? The inventor of the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, had always intended on the Mini being the car for the everyman, but his good friend John Cooper, who owned the Cooper Car Company specialising in Formula 1 and rally car design, had the foresight to see that the Mini would be suited to motorsport so Cooper approached Issigonis with his ideas, but Issigonis was reluctant as he had never intended his brain child for racing.

Cooper was determined to have his way so approached BMC, they approved and commissioned the idea and the rest is history… The first Mini Cooper’s stuck to Issigonis’s model of being a small and economic car, but with that extra poke up the backside which it into one of the most popular sports cars in history.

After the Mini Cooper became so popular since hitting the market in 1961, two years later Cooper designed a more powerful Cooper, the Mini Cooper S, which won the Monte Carlo Rally three times between 1964-67 which added to the acclaim of the little hot hatch.

Through the years various different models of the Mini Cooper have been produced as the motoring trade evolved along with innovations in mechanical engineering, design and technology. And of course the Mini Cooper became a British icon, synonymous with British cinema following the Italian Job and was also incredibly popular with some of the world’s most famous celebrities including John Lennon and Steve McQueen.

By the millennium, Rover had encountered financial problems and the Mini line was completely taken over by BMW, with Rover’s other Marques, MG and Land Rover being sold to Pheonix and Ford respectively. The Mini Cooper continued to be produced by Rover on a temporary basis until the last ever Mini Cooper was produced on October 4 2000 – a red Cooper Sport – which was presented to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.

The Mini Cooper was no longer. The Mini Cooper is dead, long live the MINI Cooper. Of course BMW had plans to revamp the Mini, now known as ‘MINI’, and the Cooper was to be dragged into the new millennium in style.

The MINI Cooper is mechanically and technically unrelated to the original Cooper but bears distinct aesthetic similarities as well as some mechanical ones including front-wheel drive and the transverse four cylinder engine model.

The new Cooper and Cooper S became instant successes, escalated by the remake of the classic film, The Italian Job, which paid homage to the original film and featured three super charged Cooper S’s which got the juices flowing of car enthusiast across the globe.

Of course there were purists who did not agree with BMW discounting production of the ‘old’ Mini and those who criticised the MINI as being a small BMW with no soul or character, but you only have to look at the numbers to see what a success the MINI, and in particular the MINI Cooper has been.

After only six years of production at MINI’s Oxford plant, the one millionth MINI was produced, and it remains one of the most prudent cars you can buy as it depreciates at a considerably lesser rate than many other cars.

John Cooper was right to follow his heart and bypass his friend Issigonis in order to push through the production of what is today an iconic motor car.