I didn’t think I would be here when I went into the dealers to spec my JCW. Little did I know my choices and persona would translate in my JCW being loved the world over. I was that kid who picked up car magazine and flicked through them, wondering one day I could own a car just like that. Modern MINI Magazine gave me that chance for my JCW to grace its cover for MINI owners and for some kid to look up to my JCW.

I have always said that my JCW changed my life and it did, when I showed you ‘My MINI Story’ late 2013. The road to this moment was hard given the pain in 2011 but it was a blessing in disguise with my JCW keeping me going. Along the way the JCW has changed and so have I with the people I have met across the world. I still scratch my head on how a car can bring so many different people together because of their love of MINI.

It’s soon coming to 3 years since I drove my JCW out of the showroom and BT11 WRK was brought into the world, so I wanted to do something special to mark this occasion. I contacted MINI Modern Magazine about having a feature and asked for some tips on becoming a automotive journalist and Sarah didn’t shy away from helping me. I truly appreciated her advice and took it forward be contacting various local newspapers and media outlets for  a freelance or voluntary roles but sadly I was unsuccessful so I carried on with my website.

Some people have mocked it, I have told my big organisations my publication isn’t big enough to allow me access to events and I have been called a ‘talented amateur’. From all those negatives all it takes for a single person to come over to me at show just say I have read the blog and follow you on instagram for it all to vanish. It’s the passion within me that drives me, the loyal supporters and that random person saying ‘Nice car’.

People have asked why the batman references in my online presence and JCW?  Because Bruce Wayne lost everything dear to him and all that money he couldn’t do anything. Yet through his pain, suffering and angry he was shaped into The Batman a character which I have watched from my childhood to the present day. The caped crusader has battled with his inner demons and his direct opposite The Joker whilst sticking to his strict code of not killing and doing the right thing. I could do on for days I how draw upon this fictional character but I secretly wished I was a billionaire philanthropist and had my own Alfred.

Will you wanting the Batpod, Sir? In the Middle of the day Alfred not very subtle. The JCW then?

You can read into as much as you want about me or Batman but the ‘Dark Knight’ nickname wasn’t given to my JCW by me but instead of other MINI owners after meeting me. But you will have to wait a bit longer for me tell you the meaning behind my Instagram name of D4rkhorse…

The email came through in the middle of the 2013 nearing the end of the show season, Modern MINI Magazine wanted to do a feature on my JCW and wanted arrange a date for the shoot. I was contacted by James Wallace aka Jimbo a freelance car photographer who is outright car nut!

Here is his story

I’ve loved cars and everything with wheels ever since I could bury Micro Machines and Matchbox cars in my Mum and Dad’s garden as a littl’un.

That genuine passion and enthusiasm for everything automotive miraculously turned into a job as the Deputy Editor for VW GOLF+ magazine back in 2003. Fast forward to 2010 and the decision to try my hand as a freelance snapper and writer has seen my work published in Performance VW, Volksworld, Camper + Bus, Miniworld, Classic American, VW GOLF+, Total BMW, Fast Car, Performance BMW. Redline and Retro Car magazines.

Primarily it’s a passion before a job and the people who have spent months, years, even decades building their dream machines deserve someone who cares about the results as much as they do

Top Bloke!

For more info here is his website

You see what I mean that he loves his car and being around them so you can imagine the time he had around me and the JCW.

With a time and date set, I got my Mr Miyagi on for my JCW’s big day

The next day James arrived at my house so we could travel together to my photo shoot location of choice and as luck would have it rained : /

With introductions done and the JCW met we rolled out together to Cannock Chase the location of the photo shoot. The CQuartz  coating and CarPro Reload were working their magic at motorway speeds as the beading was insane as the JCW was self drying. By the time we got the Cannock Chase all I had to do was to blast the JCW with a quick detailer and she was ready to go.

You might be wondering what Cannock Chase is?

Cannock Chase is located between Cannock, Lichfield, Rugeley and Stafford. It comprises a mixture of natural deciduous woodland, coniferous plantations, open heathland and the remains of early industry, such as coal mining. In short its like a national park/area of beauty but it happens to have long straights and some twisites which was perfect for my shoot as I didn’t want the generic parking lot or graffiti wall backdrop as I am NOT NORMAL.

I found a spot which was perfect because it allowed plenty of space for different shooting angles, backdrops and rolling shots.

I parked up her up to the backdrop of the forest and clear blue skies

Jimbo whipped out his camera gear and began working his magic whilst all the walkers, cyclists and drivers buzzing around came to a stand still as they saw the flashes and peperami action (that’s not a typo – Ali G movie reference).

We had a great little chats about how I went about choosing a JCW after I test drove a lot of cars before settling on ordering a JCW

Jimbo had a few cheeky stories to tell which brought a smirk to my face as he said the birds love the MINI

I dived into the history of my JCW, MINI UNITED 2012, national geographic shoot and all the people have met along the way

The feature on my JCW is for everyone to see how my MINI changed my life and that is more than the some of its parts while being a personification of my personality.

What I loved about working with James was hee understood that every car has past and every owner has a story.

He wasn’t mucking about when he was taking SHOTS as he began to lying down on wet mud???

I was like what are you doing mate?  I can great a shot from down here!

You sure James? Yeah I am fine mate

What about your clothes? Doesn’t matter

A real photographer and car lover going above and beyond his duty

As we began getting some great shots it started to rain so everything got packed away but we were back at again it as it was short sharp showers but it was a constant battle as mother nature had other ideas. I was constantly drying down my JCW whilst James was trying not to get the gear all soaked whilst flashing away with the camera.

After all the still shots were done we went for some rolling shots as I wanted to show off the DRLs given the lack of MINIs having them plus I knew a nice little section of road with a banking corner which would look amazing. Yet again it rained and whilst James sat amongst the grass, mud, stones and drive by traffic near the road like a ninja and took shots of the JCW coming full throttle out the bends and driving past him as I went the other way for multiple runs.

As the batteries and memory cards filled up or ran of juice the shoot came to an end with me only seeing a few images on the little camera back screen I knew I had to wait till the next issue of Modern MINI Magazine before I would see them which made the drive home gut wrenching.

As the days rolled past and last event of the MINI show came to a close and winter drew in everything was quiet expect my inbox when James emailed back saying the write up needs to done to fill the pages of my feature. I filled in the questionnaire and sent it back which was returned with a phone call from James saying you couldn’t have it even more passionate if you hand the keys to me for a week. I am just happy to share my story with everyone and I hope everyone enjoys reading as I am only a newcomer to the MINI scene since the summer of 2012.

To mark the 2nd year anniversary of jcwadventures.com I will be flying over to the states to do MINI TAKES THE STATES but I will be bringing along two members of The Fast Five (Christine and Phil) so look out for the infamous black and English accent. I am riding shotgun with LilCoopr aka Christina in her Cooper S Convertible ‘Stell4’ and I couldn’t think of a better person do the trip with!!! She is another MINIac who has deep-rooted passion for the brand and our MINIs are very much personification of our individuality.

Why not ship over The Misses? I looked into it and it came to £3,000 which is too much consider without me selling a kidney

I am most looking forward to meeting alot of my US Instagram followers and supporters of the website

Back to the flashing lights! My JCW will be gracing the cover Modern MINI Magazine on this month – 28.03.14

It is available to buy in all good news stand and news agents in the UK

For the digital techies and international readers it is available to digital download on the App store & Android by searching for – Modern MINI Magazine

I would like to give a special thank you to Sarah of Modern MINI Magazine for publishing my JCW and being great person to talk for advice and all things MINI.

James thanks you for making The Misses look sexy and putting up with the rubbish weather. I don’t know how you put with me for a few hours but I am truly thankful for the shots and  immortalising my JCW to pages of Modern MINI Magazine.

www.modernmini.co.uk

Next Blog Post: F56, GP2 & R56 model range reviews 

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The post Behind the Lens: Modern MINI Magazine Photoshoot appeared first on JCW Adventures.

MINI and Porsche are two brands close to my heart because of their heritage in motor sport and their engineers relentless pursuit for driver focused vehicles.

Yet both the MINI and 911 became icons to many people for various reasons and instantly recognise worldwide to the mass market. But dig deeper into both manufacturers history there is a lot more than meets the round headlights…

The 911 and MINI were ahead of their time from an engineering and design stand point.

The MINI was designed to fit a specific criteria: small dimensions, large interior space, utilise existing parts and cheap to manufacture. The engineering team cleverly engineered the front wheel drive layout to utilise the same oil sump for the gearbox and transmission thus giving a compact design. The radiator was mounted at the left side of the car so that the engine-mounted fan could be retained, but with reversed pitch so that it blew air into the natural low pressure area under the front wing.

The suspension system designed by Dr. Alex Moulton used compact rubber cones instead of conventional springs. This space-saving design also featured rising progressive gave a rate springing of the cones and provided some natural damping in addition to the normal dampers. Built into the subframes, the rubber cone system gave a raw and bumpy ride accentuated by the woven-webbing seats. The rigidity of the rubber cones together with the wheels positioning at the corners of the car gave the Mini go kart-like handling.

Little did British Motor Corporation (BMC) know they would create an icon and a runaway success when all they wanted to do is make an affordable car for the masses during the fuel crisis of 1956.

The Porsche 911 was destined to be a replacement model for the Porsche’s first car the 356. The 911 aim was to be a much more powerful, larger and more comfortable car. Strangely the name would have never came about if it wasn’t for the Peugeot’s trademark as Porsche wanted to call the 911 the 901. Peugeot protested on the grounds that in France it had exclusive rights to car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle.

Porsche were seen to be quite mad at the time to have the engine at the back which still doesn’t make sense to this day given the weight out the back. Yet despite this strange layout the Porsche arguable build the worlds best handling cars.

Yes old 911s will kill if you’re not fully focused or back off mid corner hence ‘The Widow Maker’ moniker but the modern 911 is a driver friendly car that will not try to kill you every 5 minutes like Cato from Pink Panther. But the boxer engine was fine engine choice as they offer a low centre of gravity and reduce body roll given the compact and even motion of the engine.

I did say MINI is the new Porsche and meant it as both brands have moved forward through their generations, so has the demands of their owners and customer markets often against their purists wishes…

Both brands have entered the SUV/Offroader market to keep them afloat. This opened the door to the  mass market to increase sales number and profits in the forever diversifying world of 4 door coupe, luxury offroaders, compact SUVs, etc. I personally have no problem with both brands making 4×4 as it just means for money for R&D and performance variant models like the JCW, GP, GT3 RS, 918 Spyper and so on.

2002 saw the introduction of the Porsche Cayenne to cries of Porsche pursuits every saying the SUV would ruin the brand. Yet the model has been a runaway success and the 2nd generation arrived in 2010 with even better credentials. Autocar pegged a 911 against the Cayenne around a track and the difference was shocking given there was only a few seconds between them. Yes an £82,000 Cayenne Turbo was used against a 911 Carrera 4s yet the fatty Cayenne was 1.2 seconds behind it on a handle course.

2010 ironically saw the official unveiling of the Countryman to outrage of MINI fans worldwide but again the model has been success! In 2013 saw the 250,000 Countryman being sold and shipped across the world. A lot of people have said MINI has gone way from what the brand means literally given its name. Yes I didn’t like when I first saw it but I loved the look of its two door brother. The Paceman has that BMW X6 sloping roof line and better looking rear end.

The Countryman has brought the masses and yummy mummies to the brand, however recently I have seen Countryman been taken up by MINIacs who been modding them like crazy. It seems the north hemisphere of the world is where all the Countryman’s live with the US seeing the most tuned ones and finest examples. Another interesting thing was MINI’s own four-wheel drive system called the ALL4 which was another worrying moment for me.  I booked out a JCW Paceman ALL4 for a test drive/review and the drive ability was improved by an early entry full throttle and improved power delivery to the road. There seemed to be no downside to the ALL4 system just the fact this JCW Paceman was £30,000 plus!

Moving on to sport SUV or sport compacts SUV or whatever you want to call them both brands have released their own models. MINI ALL4 drifted in with the Paceman and Porsche gave the world the Macan. However the Paceman hasn’t been popular amongst buyers yet the Macan officially sold out its first year allocation of 50,000 vehicles which gave it a waiting list when it wasn’t even on sale yet!!!

In order to make a more practically or a five door version of their models MINI will introduce the F56 5 door MINI and Porshce gave the world the Panamera.

Another sore subject was the engine changes which were met with pitch forks after the change from supercharged to turbocharged and air-cooled to water-cooled. This change was met with resistance but after the cars were driven by owners and newcomers all worries disappeared on the performance and drive ability side. Yet some will miss theatrics of the engine & exhaust noise and whining of the supercharger.

Another famous heated outrage in both brands was the switch over to electric steering from hydraulic systems where many die-hard owners have said the steering and road feel has been corrupted. The move has been said by both manufactures to be an emissions one as the engine power is being diverted to hydraulic pump for the steering.

Hmmm But what they wont say is the electric ones are cheaper, more reliable and lighter??

However there a lot of other benefits of the electric such as you don’t need Chuck Norris’s arms to turn the wheel and all the electric systems can work in harmony for drive ability with parking being much easier.

I am sure at some point the feel of the hydraulic system will come to the electric system just like how traction control didn’t allow any slip and constantly cut power but now there are adjustable stages of TC.

I have driven the new 911 and compared to the hydraulic steering in the 997 and you will hard pressed to know the difference besides the ease of the turning the wheel. However it is a different ball game with the R50 & R56 where the difference is glaringly obvious to anyone. The gearbox and steering is a workout in the R50 MINI in comparison with the R56 where you change gear and steer with one finger. A worthy upgrade on the R56 would be to upgrade to powerflex bushes installed as the OEM rubber ones are prone to wear if you enjoy the twisties as they give a better steering feel.

Another try by MINI was to introduce the Coupe and Roadster another move Porsche did 1996 which was the Boxster. This move by Porsche saved the company as it allowed new customers to come into the brand via this entry-level model. The Boxster introduced a new way of production efficiency as the car was manufactured using pre-assembled modules including the front and rear suspensions, which were the same components front and rear thus reducing tooling and production costs.

The MINI Coupe & Roadster were both designed on a computer to save time and money in both production and development costs. This method has been key in reducing any delays in production as the coupe and roadster as share the same production line as the hatch. Any change in time of any new MINI leaving the line at every 68 seconds would ruin the just in time production methods and increase production costs significantly.

Like I said at the begin, all these mass market orientated vehicles have allowed both companies to develop and sell limited edition or track focused models for your inner Hoonigan to come out to play. The MINI GP & Porsche 911 GT3 RS are the pinnacle of driver focused vehicles for each brand which both ask for at least 25% percent premium over the normal models. These Halo models have been very effective for the brands to cater to the DRIVERS market whilst bringing people into brand again who can’t afford the upper models. This target group but want a slice of the action so buyers in the lower end models will often opt to buy performance options or accessories.

All the money made from normal variants allows more money for r&d and engineers to be let loose on what they actually secretly want to create as they are not limited by noise levels, fuel efficiency, ride comfort or Miss Evans who cant park so we need it needs a auto park system. You might be wondering why should I pay for the lucky 2,000 to have the ULTIMATE MINI or the Porsche RS models? Because this pursuit of speed is good as this creates a basis of development on the next generation model or facelift models. Motorsport is the proving ground for new technology and the pinnacle of tickle down technology to everyday road cars.

The undertray and aero on your MINIs and Porsches are there because of the motor sport to reduce lift and increase stability at speed. Traction control, Stability control, ABS are all developments from racing to keep the car on road whilst they are fully adjustable on race cars we are all not racing drivers as much as we would love to think. The Top Gear star in a reasonable priced car highlights how much a driver can make a difference in lap time around the same track in the same car.

If you look at the F56 Cooper S spoiler is reminiscent of the GP2 spoiler with the wings sides for aero another lesson learnt from developing the GP2. Also looking at the forthcoming F56 JCW alot of the performance tweaks are again from the GP2 with the diffuser, wider tyres, bigger brakes, aero tweaks on the spoiler and arches.

Both manufacturers are loved the world over which is key to their success in any segment of their respected markets. Alongside this love for the brands is the customisation options translating into tailored cars which bring greater profit margins. Here is a fun fact – Porsche is the most profitable car manufacturer in the world given the options available and level of customisation owners request or spec. Looking at each brands options list which runs into many categories and sub categories ranging from aesthetics to performance options is a modding bible in itself as you are only limited by your bank balance.

The customisation virtually limitless on the Porsche and MINI with the billions of combinations ranging from paint, wheels, interior trim to creature comforts. I spec’d up at 911 Carrera S with a base price of £76,376 to £106,860 that £30,000 worth of options which roughly the price of the GP2 new in the UK.

Yes I went for the optional two grand paint, sport performance pack another 2k, some nice wheels, bucket seats, some carbon trim bits and some other bits but I skipped the PDK which is actually saved me £2,500. You can clearly see how Porsche’s are hugely profitable given the amount of money you can spend on options.

Would Sir like the Porsche logo on your head rest on your seat? £400 please.

MINI has been top trumped on this part given their aren’t any real performance packages for say unless you get the JCW tuning kit but that’s it! However on cool factor and little trim pieces MINI are up there. There are trims options on inside and out with them being easily interchangeable pieces. From what I have seen from the F56 brochure and marketing material the customisation is going to another level on the F56 with the key fob, mats, roof, side vents etc being available to customise to various tastes.

The Recaros and JCW Tuning kit top are the level of expensive options to spec on a MINI compared to carbon ceramic brakes on a Porsche. The MINI brand has many more small items which can be changed unlike the Porsche where you have sell your misses or kidneys to buy but then have to kill someone to get it fitted to keep the Porsche warranty intact.

If the factory doesn’t supply the parts you want then the aftermarket has always been ready to supply and meet our demands. Anything from rims to subtle upgrades are readily available to enhance the noise or performance of your motor.

If you utter the words Singer, RS, GP or John Cooper Works this induces a smirk or a knowing nod from another owner or enthusiast. They know these iterations are pinnacle of what model is and can be. Owning any of these said models opens doors to world of eliteness amongst other owners where we are kings of the hill and admired for it. Yet we wont look down on other owners as our passenger seats are always open for you join in the fun…

Being an owner of either brand we like to talk about them.

When I mean talk I mean we try to steer the conversation towards our car or event we went on the weekend.

Our owners club are the biggest in the world spanning across continents, all boundaries of life, colour or wealth. Our love for our cars has connected us with most unlikely people together. This love and passion will always continue on as it is passed on to the next generation to pick up the torch to carry. They are unwittingly apart of the family from the moment they are born.

As you can see the two brands are very similar in their ethos as both have roots route back to famous race wins.

Racing is in our blood.

MINI has been a giant slayer by winning in British touring racing and the infamous Monte Carlo Rally whilst in the present day it has won the Dakar Rally with all 3 podium spots on consecutive years.

Porsche has virtually one at least one time in every championship it has enter from 24 hours of Le Mans to Dakar Rally.

Porsche did have some success in the rallying with privateers and factory teams with the most famous rallying wins being in 1968 to 1970 where Porsche won the Monte Carlo 3 years in a row with 1 & 2 positions (don’t worry Mini came 3rd in 1968 behind the 911s). The most strange and wonderful 959 supercar won the Paris Dakar rally in 1984 and 1986.

Both brands love to drive their cars and get them DIRTY!!!!

On a marketing stand point of view both brands don’t really tend to flex their muscle with outright BHP figures but instead to focus on the driving pleasure and everyday usability. Our rivals often laugh at our lack of power but they can’t get away from us on the bends to due lack balance and power transfer to the road.

Lets not forget we have a sense of humour when we advertise.

Then were was the infamous battle between the two brands when MINI USA threw down the gauntlet for a race. MINI lost but not by much. I was disappointed to hear they used a Cooper S when they should have gone for the full fat JCW for the WIN!

Continuing the image theme, when was the last time you got cut up by a MINI or Porsche? Never?

No one will ever say anything bad about you if you own either but you will get more respect if you own a classic…

Next Blog Post: Behind the Lens – Modern MINI Magazine Photoshoot

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The post Is MINI the new Porsche? appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Two months later she was born to take me on my MINI adventures far and wide. It has been over 2 years on I still love her like the day I first picked up her. 2013 was year for celebration for MINI & Plant Oxford as it marked 100 years of car making at plant Oxford and the MINI brand celebrating 50 years of the Cooper S and 250,000 Countryman left the factory.

The MINI brands has taken leaps and bounds since his it rebirth in 2001 when BMW release the R50 to the world. That famous badge and brand power drew in old and new consumers to the brand for nostalgia and the infamous go karting handling. Now in 2013 the brand has expanded with the hatchback not being the only variant with the Clubman, Clubvan, Convertible, Coupe, Roadster, Countryman and Paceman.

There is a lot more choice when you buy your MINI with over a million combinations of parts and accessories no real MINI is truly alike which is big difference from 1959 when only 3 colours were only available Clipper Blue, Cherry Red and Old English White for the first 3 years of production.

Lets bring the lime night back on to me I am always been firm believer that you should always give back to the world. I have saying ‘The way you treat people is the way you feel inside’ and I have searched long and hard to find a charity to work to make a real difference to people’s lives.

I came across the Action for children charity as I was applying for graduate roles. I put my name forward to volunteer for an event called Byte Night which is a sponsored sleep out to raise money and to remind yourselves what millions of homeless people feel every night. The big IT companies employees and high-ranking board member were there for the sleep in with over £1 million being raised that day with events across the UK. After learning more about the Action for children from Kim I will be organising a MINI event in Birmingham which will be my own take on the London job which will happen in April.

Details will follow soon…

Modding bug isn’t too far away too far away from me and I finally picked up the carbon fibre boot handle for my JCW to finish the carbon touches to the outside of my JCW. Installation took 5 minutes as it was just a few torx screws. Too match my shiney new carbon fibre goodies I clayed and waxed the JCW ahead its homecoming to the Factory. Time to bring out the SNOWFOAMMMMM It being ENGLAND it rained on the day : / But on the journey there I spotted a camouflaged Land Rover. He tried to get away from me taking piccies but I was having now of that!! POOOOOWWWWAAAAAAAA!!!!! The closer I got to Oxford the more MINIs I began to see on the motorway and normal roads. As soon as I went to turn right into the plant I spotted the Surrey New MINI (SNM) convoy at the lights and so I slowed down for all of us to roll in together

: D

There was an addition to the SNM family as Vickie had trade in her JCW Clubman for another new JCW Clubman to her spec NOM NOM

She went for the Reef Blue paint previously a exclusive paint to the Hampton edition and then specd the Harmon Kardon system, Chilli and Media pack with championship leather with red door and dash trims.

It is a REAL STUNNER with the colour coded arches in the Reef Blue paint and its been given awesome name of ‘Squidward’

I was filled with excitement as it has been a long time coming for me to do the factory tour as I had watched the National Geographic channel Mega factories documentary on the production of the MINI Coupe & Roadster.

I wanted to see in person how machines and people put all the millions of parts and billions combinations of options together day in day out. It was made clear from the outset that MINI was proud of the factory that plant Oxford had been producing cars for 100 years given the number of banners and logo plastered everywhere. I gave my autograph at the desk to sign in and grabbed the MINI black overalls for the factory tour and placed all my belongs into a locker, as no cameras or phones would be allowed into the factory. Do not worry! Where I was allowed to take photos I did. First up was the MINI museum which housed all the R56 onwards concepts and other models produced at the Plant Oxford. It was the breath of models and manufactures that stunned me and how tastes, culture and customer demands have shaped the automotive industry over the years. It funny how what once was an option extra is now standard in alot of cars. This hall of fame of how the MINI brand has evolved over the years is amazing from the marketing, advertising, production and worldwide success has brought millions of consumers in to buy that infamous badge. The factory hasn’t just produced car as during the world war parts for machinery and even planes were made. Me being me I decided to take on the robot for a dance off to see who could the best robot dance moves. Sadly robo arm is retired, Pssshhh Excuses. The SNM crew were all called up and bundled into a van to which would take us into the MINI factory to see how this four-wheel pocket rocket was made.

We were honoured to have Ian Cummings as our factory tour guide for the day. You may not know who is he but he has worked at the plant for sometime so he has seen different cars and models begin and leave the plant under his leadership.

The factory is separated into 3 sections:

Body in white – This is where the panels and exterior shape is formed

Paint – This where every individual car receives it colour

Assembly – This is the final stage where all the components come together

A MINI rolls off the production line every 68 seconds Every MINI life starts out in the body of white where robots apply 4,000 points weld to each body shell including adding the roof.

Once the welds are complete a random check is done by a specialist auditor to ensure the body weld are correct.

If are doesn’t meet this checks it scrapped and recycled to begin the process again but a lucky few are given a chance again as they are turned into track cars for the MINI Challenge series.

The body shell continues it life in the body of white assembly line where the bonnet, boot and doors are added.

Each are car is inspected by human using their hands to find any blemishes and to address them if need be. If each major faults are found this information is relayed back to see what caused it and to stop it from occurring again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1vWr2ufSbo

After passing inspection the body is continued on a conveyor belt to the paint section. The MINI body which has a chemical bath and a rinse shower to ensure each MINI is dirt free of anything especially including oil and dust before it receives it colour.

An Human inspection is done again to see if they are as clean as possible before the coat dip (primer). Next up is the sealing process where every hole and joint is made water tight by hand (Fun Fact – Every week 4 tonnes of sealant is used).

The sealing continues with the undercarriage is seal with a plastic coating to protect the body of stone, road grime and salt.

The body is then cooled for one hour then dusted by ostrich feather which is strangely still the best way to attract dirt, dust and oil. Now the paint can be applied which is done by both human and robots to ensure every corner of body shell/panels gets painted.

A final clear coat is applied to protect the paint and to give that gloss finish.

Off to the oven the for the MINI to make sure the paint is dried then inspection begins to find any imperfections. If any problems are found they buffered out and once there aren’t any a final buff and wax is done.

Now beings the final production stage at the assembly plant which has 5 major stations with a workforce which is spilt into 2 crews which fix on around 2,000 parts to each MINI.

Each worker has a specific role to complete in a 68 second deadline and 850 individual MINIs leave the factory every day!

Once the MINI hits the production line its given its VIN number and the doors are removed to allow easy access to the inside of the car.

Now the wiring harness of car is fitted which is 1 and half km long and runs from the boot to the engine bay.

Once the wiring has been fitted the dash-board and interior panels are installed, elsewhere whilst this is going the engine is simultaneously being built every minute. Once the engine is complete the engine is loaded on to pre assembled front suspension frame.

The marriage of the body and engine can now begin where robots and human install the engine together. Now all the other major components such as the seats, rear suspension, exhaust and wheels are added on.

The doors come back to the car to be reinstalled and last few touches are now the final touches and badges are applied give the MINI is identity.

All the fluids are added to drive the newly born MINI off the line to be tested to find any squeak or rattles before its put on to trailer to sent to the customer.

Now that I have gone through the process of how your MINI was made its time to let you guys and girls know how it felt to be there and extra surprise for me to see the F56 in production in both 3 door and 5 door variant.

It was a shock to see them there and were told not to look?? So I leaned against the guard rail to see the interior, the finish and to see what options were fitted on to the models.

They were a few Coopers and Cooper S in that Volcanic Orange and Deep Blue which were probably be press and demonstrator cars leave the factory to go around the globe. I am still not sold on those rear lights and lower bumper intakes on the S as they bigger than my head & ego combined. However everything else is on point with increased plushness in the cabin, more toys and options to be had.

Will I buy a F56? Yes but It’s another few years before I take the plunge again on purchasing another JCW as this powerhouse is coming in 2015 and it will be at least 2017 before I put my hard-earned cash down again for one. I will be requesting a custom paint for mine…

Some might moan about the increased sizes but I welcome the longer wheelbase as that extra few inches in the Clubman makes the car handle better on handling and ride comfort front. I fell in love with the Clubman when I had a fully loaded JCW Clubman from MINI UK when I was having a nightmare with mine.

Anyway back to the factory floor, tucked away in the corner were a few camouflaged MINIs which were the 5 door variant Hatch and what is the forthcoming Clubman. Another thing that caught my eye was the lack of the JCW models being made on the production line as I only saw 2 JCW being made which both were going abroad given the different front plate mount.

The tour was finished by Ian Cummings leading us back into the Van to head back to the Museum to gather our belongs. After this we lined up all our MINIs across the 100 years anniversary banner outside the Museum for piccies : D

But where ever I go the press isn’t far behind with their cameras and tape recorders…

But seriously the local paper had come down to take photos of the SNM clubs but sadly the finish article was the total opposite to what we expect.

But sad news was later heard as the R56 Hatch had officially stopped production marking an end of era and but the beginning of another…

After leaving the factory behind I had this sense of pride that manufacturing still occurs in the UK and MINI brand is very much still deep rooted in every generation in the UK. Its one of the reasons why the Fast Five had British flags attached to their aerials with pride at MINI UNITED. No matter where we have gone the red, white and blue flag is our home and those famous 3 colours were donned on the Minis in the Italian Job, which arguable the greatest car film ever!

The R56 will always be the greatest car ever to me given the personal and emotional connection I have my MINI as its more than a piece of metal but an extra of my personality.It has taken me on a journey of a life of lifetime and introduced me to people who I would have never met whilst put a smile on my face.

Thank you R56

Next Blog Post: Is MINI the new Porsche??

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My website has been a successful because of everyone who reads, comments and follows me.

I have hit another milestone of 15,000 views early this year

But like my JCW I am forever evolving and becoming better, stronger and faster.

But this time I need your HELP!

I want to know you opinions on what you LIKE & HATE about the website

I have set up up an anonymous comment box so you can help with the direction of the website. It will be undergoing a revamp to celebrate the 2 year anniversary and my JCW turning 3 this year.

The JCW will be undergoing some modifications soon…

I mean exactly what I am saying when I ask for your opinions on the website, so be as nice and nasty as you want…

Before that here are my plans for the website this year

1. Reviewing the F56 & All of R56 Model range
2. Charity Run – Its time to give back to the world
3. MIR RUN II – This is my own MINI run I plan over the UK
4. Manufacturing my own line of MINI Car parts
5. Instragram Meetup – 3 Meets in the year
6. Track Days
7. More videos – An insight into me and the JCW
8. Competitions/Giveaways (It will be open to everyone worldwide)
9. MINI Factory Tour
10. Behind the scenes of MINI & tuning specialist

Here is the link to the anonymous comment box to leave your advice and criticisms

Anonymous Comment box

Next Blog Post: Castle Combe Circuit – Track Shenanigans 

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The post MINI Roll Call appeared first on JCW Adventures.

So when an owner and MINI Mate says he wants to start his own show we are all like…

Tony Walker has never been shy to the MINI scene as I met him, his finance and father early 2013 at the MINI Dragon Run. Both father and son both owning 1st & 2nd Gen GPs meaning fast MINIs runs in the family.

From what I gather from Tony he wanted to start his own show as he felt more could brought to the table. The aim was to create something new from the norm as there isn’t a true a new MINI show out there in the UK.

This man was on a mission so cue the music, lights and camera

Soon as it was official announced I ordered my ticket and waited the day for the Surrey New MINI to come down to my neck of the woods so I could roll out the red carpet for them. I decided to enter my JCW into the show and shine to see how it would affair against these pernickety cotton button touting warriors.

Prior to all this MINI Madness was a spur of the moment photo shoot with a few friends who were keen photographers.

Mo with Momography and Philip aka Phex Photography taking the photos.

An old school Ford Fiesta XR2 was there to join the lime light

After all the autographs were done we headed out to a trip to London for a day trip.

Having been born in the UK yet I haven’t really explored London fully given its only 100 miles away. I wanted to visit the infamous Piccadilly circus and Leicester square.

Here are some piccies and smiles that ensued

As you should all know I am through and through car nut so super car spotting was in ordered after watching Billionaire boy racers as Knights bridge would be full of them but little did I know that the Salon Prive would be on the UK’s very own Pebble Beach was in full swing.

I will let the motors do the talking

Then was a short trip off Knights bridge for more car porn

Who said Money couldn’t buy you class

Here is the lucky 1% of the world enjoying their opulence

I spotted this debadged and blacked out JCW Clubman sleeper sitting there with its Rotiform Monoblock BLQ rims
We visited a few museums and art galleries to take in some culture and learn a few things or two.

All this walking and taking pictures is hard work so it was back on the London underground for our next stop before the trip back home. I always wanted to see what all the fuss about Lebanese food so there is only place in London to go to…

I released my inner fatty, yes I am foodie and yes that is all my food : D

All filled up we headed back home and enjoyed an empty motorway for once but there isn’t any rest for the wicked as I would be attending a wedding of old school friend the next day.

Time to SUIT UP!!!

Told you lot I do have hair!

It felt like a school reunion as all of my old school mates were there and the old gang was back together again. I hadn’t laughed and smiled for that long in quite sometime hearing one another escapades and stories. We settled down as the bride and groom came in thinking we might be next soon…

I wish Kiran and her partner all the best in her marriage

Back to schedule my tickets arrived at my door

A day before I got my Mr Miyagi for my JCW its first show and shine appearance

Just as I finished I heard the familiar roar of a four pot turbocharged MINI engine driving up my road to see Ashley’s pepper white Cooper S come over to say Hi.

Christine called me saying that the Surrey New MINI crew arrived at the hotel near by house so we headed out to meet up with them.

As I said before I would be rolling out the red carpet as SNM crew were in my neck of the woods so I took them to my favourite restaurant called Oodles & Noodles.

A good catch up was had with SNM as laughs and stories were poured out followed by giggles and smerks.

The smerks disappeared as we all moved to the bowling…

This wise guy Ash from Croydon aka The Professional said he was quite the bowler.

So I decided to get my game face on

I am not sure how to commentate this one given there is no gas pedal or stick shift but it went abit like this. A bunch of guys and girls picked up some medium and heavy balls and threw them at these white milk bottle looking things called a Tenpins.

Good times we were had making it a great night out for all

It all the fun and games done we all bundled into two MINIs then I showed Ashley why the JCW is better than Cooper S and to tell Jay to hurry up to get one.

The night was over but tomorrow would bring the BIG Event, pun intended!!! The rest of the SNM crew would be arriving in the morning so we could roll out as one BIG convoy.

I arrived at the meet point to a long line of MINIs all awaiting my arrival so we could sent off together to the show. There had been some long over due meetings with a few members.

All together we created a long convoy stretching the whole hotel car park.

I led the convoy to the show but got a little to excited on the motorway with a few members which broke up the convoy which was my fault. But everyone came together at the end as I stopped at the entrance of the show.

But as soon as we arrived the heaven decided to open up making all my hard work pointless but nether the less our spirits were still high. I was eager to meet another of my IG followers who was another Simone from Northampton who again likes her ride sitting low.

Her ride is an R53 Cooper S with performance and looks mods to match her obsession madness. Tucked chambered DEEP dished rims with R56 JCW Brembos tucked in to hall back it from the fun she has on the twisties.

I still don’t know how she keeps those rims clean and not bad given its her 1st car

Another great MINI Mate made

My prep for the show shine went a little bit like this. A wipe down and then I walked away from it as it seemed pointless given the rain after passing over the paint work to find it was covered in rain again.

Plus I am people’s person as I would rather go around looking at the motors and talking to their owners. Every car has a story so does every driver.

I went around seeing who had turned up to the show given alot of clubs were coming far and wide for the show. The MINI Torque guys where there respecting low stance nation ranging from the hobo to the OEM plus look.

Platty aka Mark with his ford frozen white MCS which was a real ground up project to which I have enjoyed watching as he posted up his progress on the forums.

My 3rd Family Mersey Side MINI were there as well (God I love these bunch alot but ssshhhh don’t tell them)

The Full On MINIs Crew were literally off the wall this time with a graffiti wall all to themselves to show off their one of a kind MINI Madness – Website

Holly aka little miss lowered ass aka The Show Off was hitting them switches on her air bagged ride

The GP Owners club came in force as well with Sam’s GP standing out by a mile

I have to admire her for going fully looney on the looks of her GP

Not worry SNM I saved you to last as it seemed we have the biggest stand again

This next MINI made me worried how on earth he got here given his ride height and no it doesn’t have air ride suspension its on coilovers

The owner Ben won lowest MINI of the day and now has upgraded to an airbag system so I guess he got stuck in a pothole on the way home.

Knights MINI South Staffordshire were there representing MINI UK

They were very keen of me to buy the GP2 sitting there, till next time guys

Given the show was mainly promoted online and through owners clubs there all the main UK MINI clubs were there.

This stickered bombed clubman was awesome take on this Jap/Euro look

Someone call me a Taxi as this is one sweeet clubman

The rain was on and off during show which put off some people given the journey some had made but it was the people who made the show and the traders.

How to clean your car demonstrations were going on from Autobrite

Orranje were there with parts on offer along with their show car.

Maybe at some point I will do a feature on them given they have raised the bar for MINI modding and they are a group of MINI enthusiasts themselves so what’s not to like?

It was abit of sad occasion as this show marked the inevitable end of the show season and MINI Matt would be moving away from the scene because of life and commitments.

We wish you all the best matt in Volvo land and beyond

There were various raffles for prizes for charities and good causes

As the day came to a close we all gather under the shelter for the winners of various competitions and all important show and shine

SNM member Roger who is retired racing driver walked away with two show and shine awards

I honestly don’t know how he does it? I am still scratching my head how he owns one of the slowest MINIs you can buy and he keeps it immaculate. Doesn’t he feel the need for speed??  I guess we all have slow down at one point of our lives.

Hats off to Tony & Sami for their 1st show as I can imagine it must have been tough to organise and many moments of trying to kill one another when stuff wasn’t going right.

With over 600 people attending, 250 MINIs on displays, 15 traders and £240 raised for cancer research

I think it all boils down to the fact that we actually like Tony that many attended the event as the first time I met him was at the dragon with Mersey side MINI club & MINIs Unleashed it was pleasure talking to him and hearing him talk about the show. He did exactly what he said he would do.

Bring on The BIG MIN SHOW II

Next Blog Post: MINIs On The Mind

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The post The BIG MINI Show appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Whilst they were out hooning on the rear wheel drive BMWs my half of the group was learning about how continental develops a tyre from the compound to the thread pattern and all the research and development that goes into the process.

I asked the question – What if I or tyre company copied your thread pattern would it perform the same or better?

Reply – Even if you copied the exact thread pattern, the compound of our tyres is very different and that’s where our extensive R&D developments goes into

I have always been a preacher about buying good tyres and brakes as these are the only things that keep you on the road. People forget that contact patch between you and the road is only the size of your palm. It was our time for some rear wheel drive shenanigans in the white BMW 1 series and they were fitted with cheap import tyres. I mounted my Go Pro 3 to the back window to showcase my driffftttoooo ability whilst on the wet handling track. I jumped into the driver’s seat unaccompanied and put the paddle shift gearbox and car into sport mode.

We followed a pace car upfront with radios on board which talked us through the lap and how to push the tyres to the limit to feel the difference. To be honest I was being a right yob with me hanging the back out on every corner for a continuous drift.

It was laughable how easy it was to induce over-steer all the time with the cheap import tyre being very loose in the wet handling track and gave no confidence what’s so ever when you pushed the car. When you reached the limit of grip you were met with snap on over-steer which is fun on track but deadly on public road.

All these characteristics are stupidly fun on a closed track which makes you wonder why doesn’t someone offer a track day like this?? Joking aside these handling threats of the tyre would deadly on the open road. Still grinning from ear to ear fun, I suction mounted the Go Pro to the grey BMW fitted with ContiPremium Contact 5s to see how Continental’s tyres could fare better even with the worsening wet track. Into the first corner the difference was evident with the BMW front end would not wash into under-steer and the rear end refused to swing out as I mashed the loud pedal middle corner.

I was being a right lunatic to get the BMW to over-steer as I had to go specifically out of my way to do it. The difference with the Conti tyre was it told you exactly before it let go whilst being controllable.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/wreXP1uB9WY]

It was a no contest between which tyre you would buy.

Tread carefully was the next station which was designed to show you how much a difference tread difference can make

We would drive 3 VW Golfs with different levels of thread – 8, 3 and 1.6 mm at different speed starting at 60 kph (37 mph) then 70 kph (43 mph) and finally 80 kph (50mph) to see the difference. My Group elected to learn the theory behind changing your tyres at 3 mm opposed towards the legal limit of 1.6 mm. 1.6mm is the legal limit for tread depth on tyres. But tests show that at this tread depth, tyres are only performing at 55% efficiency, meaning stopping distances are greatly increased in wet conditions.

We learnt about how the efficiency of the tyres decrease when the thread reduces and about the structure of the compound, side walls and thread pattern make a difference. With the theory dusted off we head towards the car to which there were two people per vehicle because it made easier to switch seats.

I was joined by the motoring journalist queen aka Geraldine Herbert the founder of wheelsforwomen.ie  who has written for newspapers, magazines and websites including the Sunday Independent. It was an honour having her on-board and we had some good discussions about the event and wider car industry. My driving skills had to be at their A game with her on board so no pressure at all. We entered the first car which had 3 mm thread and went around the oval track building our speed up to 60 kph and keeping it steady at that speed whilst we drove through about a 2 metre long patch of standing water. At 50 kph there was a slight slow down in the vehicle but nothing that really phased the tyre.

Next we built up 60 kph and felt the car slow as you noticed the tyre was trying to move the water but with a slight struggle. Once again we ramped up the speed and noticed the car twitched by it moving it to the right which was nothing uncontrollable. It sort of felt like torque steer with reduction of speed of about 5 kph. The Golf fitted with 8 mm tyres was up next so everything was going be fine due to the thread depth and it was true. The car never struggled with the standing water at the different speed and the only teeny tiny difference that was felt at 80 kph even then we were pointed straight ahead.

Next up where the 1.6mm tyres and me and Geraldine gave each other that look, were we we going slide into the barrier plus she elected me to do it first such a Lady. Sadly at this time we were being rushed as our allocated time at this station was coming to a close.

Therefore we dashed into the other Golf and began our first run at 60kph and as soon as we went through the stand water the car aquaplane. It felt like the car was being pushed sideways I was temporary stunned by how the car acted but my reflexes kicked in with me adding opposite lock to steer the car through the cones. We looked at each after it happened and we were like ‘WOW, are you OK?’ Then the radio crackled again saying we need to speed things up so we were moving up the speed to 80kph.

You should have seen my face, WHAT!! An extra 20kph (17mph) we are going hit the barrier at this speed or I am going spin it front of all these motoring journalists. Great I am gone tonight’s topic of laughter at the bar.

We went back around again and I held the speed steady at 80kph and in the corner of my eye I saw Geraldine clutch the door pull so I told her ‘I got this and you got your seat belt on right?’.

Around the bend we went on to the stand water and everything went into slow motion with the car being violently throw to the right like we had just been T Boned by another car.

My fingers buried into the contours of the steering wheel as reacted to the aquaplaning and I meet it with an equal force to correct the car to stop it under steering into the barrier. I caught the car and the grip returned the dry asphalt so I powered it out the cones in front of me. I looked over and said ‘I genuinely thought we were going hit that barrier as didn’t think the front tyres would regain grip’. We were in slight state of shock with the adrenaline still pumping for a while after that encounter. The message was clear from this test – change your tyres before or on 3mm thread is only left

We have been drilled in by the theory test and motoring laws saying 1.6 mm is legal limit. Therefore we have been miss education to change the tyres when its close to legal limit which is completely wrong thing to do. Next up is all the track time madness I have spoken and promised everyone by telling them to wait for Part 2.

We arrived at the next station called ‘Driving Performance For You’ where there was a line up of some tasty cars – 2 x Audi RS3, A Class AMG, BMW 335i, Porsche Panamera GTS and a Porsche GT3 RS.

I looked at these tasty motors and thought – ‘Oh yes time for some track action and they are not my tyres’. Someone had to come over to shuffle us into the white tent for the briefing about the performance tyres made by Continental. We were shown the Sport Contact 5s, Sports Contact 5P and Conti Force Conacts with the 5s being for a fast car/road tyre and the 5P being more of a lower profile track orientated tyre which can be used on daily driver but wont grip as much in the wet as the 5s given the thread pattern and compound.

The Force Contacts are a track bias tyre will with them being lower profile and the compound being suited to a dry track but they were still street legal if you wish to drive around on them a daily basis. It was ironic as this was the dry handling track but it was wet and still pouring down. So I wasn’t sure how to handle the cars on a wet track with ridiculous amounts horsepower on a track I didn’t know.

First up was the Audi RS3 and strangely Geraldine came with again after the ride in the Golf, I guess my recovery of the aquaplaning impressed her.

I mounted the Go Pro to the back window and enter the larger leather bucket Seats of the RS3 which were very comfortable. I fiddled with the seat and adjusted the autobox to sport and put the car into sport mode and eyed up the line the track and listened to the instructions coming from the walkie-talkie.

This was my 1st time in the RS model and everyone raves on about them but I honestly don’t like Audi’s at all! I actually loathe them with them all looking the same with them just being a longer and shorter of themselves with their boring driving feel and input. I wanted to keep objective so I set aside the my dislike and I hunkered down in the RS seats and gave the throttle a few blips to hear the exhaust note which was nice. Off we went following the lead car a black BMW 335i and mashed the gas pedal as soon as we left the lay-by area with the four-wheel drive hooking up and all 335 ponies from the forced induction 2.5 litre TFSI engine propelling us forward with a jot to push us back in our seats.

I went into the first bend all cautious as I wasn’t sure about the how the car would handle in the wet but I soon realised that you didn’t have to do anything but press the loud pedal as the car did everything and all that was left was for you point the thing in the right direction.

The Audi was quick with it reaching 140kph on the back straight but my god was it boring it drive with no feedback to the wheel at all. I could have driven it one hand and texted my mates to telling them what I was doing and take a few snaps whilst I was there. I left the AUDI unimpressed by its driving feel and here is my summary of the car – If you want a point to point fast car the RS3 is perfect, actually it should be THE getaway car of choice if you want to rob a bank. If your after driving involvement, road feel and laughs then don’t buy it, sure it fast but it’s so uninvolving I would rather go shopping for door mats. Into the much incapacitated A Class AMG which had nice subtle menacing look from the outside and was very tasty inside. SLS AMG air vents and carbon fibre look dashboard with some nice subtle red accents around the cabin. So far good, I looked to the console to turn everything on to get it to sport mode which took a little longer than I like but minor grumble given the performance on tap.

Now I would have another 4 wheel drive vehicle but with 2 litre four banger developing a laugh out loud 355 BHP. Again this would be my first time driving the hot version of normal Mercedes as I had only driven the C Class CDI C220 a while back.

I have always wanted to drive an AMG given how loony the division is with copious amount of power they extract from engines and the noise they make which sound like the heavens have opened up and THOR has arrived. Again I blipped the throttle to her what she sound like but it was slightly muted but I wasn’t sure about the reason given how new the car was but meh.

Off we went around the track again with me being directly behind the lead car so I could push on more as we would setting the pace of the other cars behind us. Straight way I felt the AMG feel more eager to rev and pull harder in the corner but I didn’t like the driving feedback but it was significantly better than the RS3.

I had a lot more fun the AMG with the feedback and it was more playful with it reaching 147kph on the straight way which made me wonder what it would be like in the dry.

I left the AMG impressed as this was their first proper attempt at hot hatch and I would definitely recommended one over the RS3 as its faster and roughly the same price – WIN WIN!! Next up was the blacked out BMW 335i which looked menacing as hell and me being brought up in BMW and owning a 323i for a while I looked forward to testing performance variant of the 3 series. Into the 335i I went with a big grin as I knew some sideways drift action would have happening with the rear wheel drive power.

It’s very dangerous coming out four-wheel drive vehicles as you got used to giving the car full throttle mid corner. This pre mindset was evident in the first corner where I pressed the loud pedal mid corner resulting in the back-end of the BMW going into 60 degree slide then finally me realise and catching the slide with opposite lock and powering out of the corner.

I looked over to Geraldine and said ‘Do not worry I will make sure we will stay on track as I know you have two kids but I will be pushing it hard’. I proceed to get use to the 335i making sure I was getting the most out of the turbocharged 3 litre in-line six developing 300bhp and 300lb ft of torque to tail happy rear wheels. It was quite tricky getting used it due to the conditions of the track and the seat time I would have.

This is what made it way more fun than the Merc or Audi as you the driver had to work learn the cars behaviour and find the levels of grip instead of the electronic nannies and clever four-wheel drive vectoring power behind the senses.

The BMW was the quickest on the back straight with an indicated 160kph but the brake pedal feel was worrying as the consecutive pounding was showing in my time around in the track. Minor grumble as this isn’t a fully fledged skunk works of the M division unlike the RS & AMG as I am sure the forthcoming M3 would have power slided to victory.

Time was now running short and I had to make a tough decision drive the Panamera GTS with Ferocious V8 putting out 430BHP or jump into the Porsche GT3 RS for some hot laps.

By the time I had decided to take the GTS some had nicked it from me so GT3 RS was awaiting me to dawn a racing helmet and to climb through the full roll cage to hunker down into the racing bucket seats. I gave the thumbs ups to the driver who actually worked for Continental on tyre development. Off we went and hell he could drive with his braking and feeding the power in and never letting the power being wasted even in the wet. Not once did miss a clipping point or apex and he drove the GT3 RS like the track was dry. The GT3 RS was fitted with Conti Force Contacts.

I was told later he is very fuss about driving as drove the track first early in the morning and adjusted his tyre pressures then went back out again. When it rained during the day he took it out again to find the better line in the wet and adjusted the pressures again. I got told by the guys that Mercedes C63 AMG would have been out today buy didn’t due to the rain as it would be too lairy, plus the other day one person decided to leave the track in one and go off-road. Typical I have always wanted to drive one as well.

The next experience was up next called ‘Chill Out’ but I didn’t think we would be literary chilling out as we were taken into the where the winter tyres were tested. It was freezing in the testing area and we were told now how a winter tyre were made.

The silica is key to grip in temperatures below 7 degrees due to the properties of it being a soft compound and the tyres have snipes/groves to increase traction on snow or ice. Continental had a novel way of showing you the difference between a normal tyre and winter tyre with slippers.

Yes slippers!!! They had made slippers out of a tyre which looked amazing when you flipped them over – 1 slipper was a normal tyre and the other made of a winter tyre We all rolled out to get our slippers on to the long sheet of ice and you felt straight away when you stepped on the ice with one leg sliding forward to rip your trouser and your other leg staying put like it was glued to the floor.

My left leg had a mind of its own on the ice and it was good thing I wore slightly baggy chinos at the time.

The day was coming to close at 5 and we were all called back to the press room where last parts of the brand experience would happen. We would sit down and listen about Continentals history and developments/partnerships through a presentations.

We learnt how Adidas approached Continental for their expertise to develop a outsole with a strong grip ideal for trail and outdoor sports shoes. The first range of trainers with Continental technology was the Adidas SuperNova Riot 3, featuring Continental’s Traction Compound Technology – which allows confident grip on all surfaces and conditions. Continental has strong brand relations within football industry with sponsoring the UEFA Euro 2012, FIFA World cups and Champions league.

Now most recently with St. George’s Park, the national football centre in Burton-upon-Trent. The new partnership will see Continental Tyres become an ‘Official Supporting Partner’ of St. George’s Park.

With a focus on preparation for driving performance, the Continental presence at the National Football Centre will include a 60-metre indoor ‘high performance’ running track, a goalkeeping ‘stopping zone’ and a bespoke ContiWarmUp area to enable all players to prepare before a game or training session. I have personally visted the grounds and I was genuinely astonished how gigantic they place. You have to drive down a short road network and then it all opens out to Hilton Hotel and the training grounds with 5 areas of parking. Continental has been a partner in excellence with Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands by supplying them with tyres for both on and off-road driving experiences. The Brooklands site offers an interactive world full of the passion, heritage, values and innovation of the Mercedes-Benz brand. These include a wet circle and a 10-acre off-road course, a high-speed handling circuit and acceleration and braking strips.

I missed the chance at going to an event there as I have friend who is driving instructor who works at the Brooklands site. He messages me every now and then with pictures of what he will be driving today!!! I got jealous when he said I have driven the Black series AMG C Class and we have the SLS AMG Black series coming soon to which I will be putting it through it paces! : O

The final presentation of the day was about all the compounds that go into a tyre and how some are natural, synthetics, oils, rubber and how various elements are added to give the tyre compound different properties.

A tyre is a complex high-tech product made up of up to 15 different compounds.  Each compound contains 20 ingredients and up to 30 different components. The tyre is not just made up of rubber compounds; engineers also employ reinforcing materials such as nylon, polyester, rayon and steel to perform varying functions depending on where they are used. For example, nylon and steel cords are used under the tread to restrict tyre distortion and minimise heat build-up in the tyre, whereas rayon or polyester is used in the plies to withstand the inflation pressure of the tyre.

The brand experience was over so we headed back into the coach and head back to the hotel to freshen up for all us to head back out to have dinner together. We went to a local restaurant in Hanover which was couple of kms away which was nice and where I spoke with other motoring journalist about the experience we had during the day and the other events they had been to. It was a pleasant way to end the antics over the 3 days. Thank you Continental for inviting me and I had good laugh on the experience and went away with in-depth knowledge about tyres and stories to tell for years to come. But don’t worry Germany I will be coming back soon….

Next Blog Post: Cooper S Roadster Review 

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The post Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 2 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

I had written to Continental on the off-chance I would be able to see their facilities and they obliged by inviting me down to their Brand Experience and they would be paying for everything with flights, hotel etc.

I received their email back within 24 hours saying I was going which was fantastic given I would turn 24 and then 2 weeks later be heading to Germany : D

One week before leaving I would make a small trip down to Northampton to meet another MINI Looney – Simone aka Work experience girl and her unique R50 Cooper ‘Mimi’

I had only seen her MINI on instagram and it has always been amazing to meet my followers who are now like family to me.

Why is her MINI so unique given its Orciari Bodykit which I had never heard of or seen in my life

It’s now sitting on Coilovers suspension with Porsche D90s rims going on very soon

I have been into the ‘Low N Slow’ or ‘Hella Flush’ look as it’s not performance orientated but after sitting in her ‘Mimi’ I was shocked how good it rode. Thats the day my coilover fund began for GP suspension/B14 Bilstein as I wouldn’t mind my JCW sitting 15mm lower for better handling and ride.

I made a bet with Monie that if she got a certain job I would allow her to drive my JCW. Guess what she got that job : /

I hand her the keys after she beat up me and she loved every second driving my JCW at some speed around an industrial estate.

Had such a laugh up in Northampton with her & Matt who made me feel so welcome and it felt like we are like old mates catching up

It still amazes how my MINI has introduced me to the most amazing people ever!!!

Before I headed out I dropped my JCW off to Midlands Car Care to be detailed whilst away as too many cheap hand car & dealer washes had dulled the shine on the metallic eclipse grey paint.

I had seen Russ’ work first had whilst visiting him before to get quotations and recommendations on the work i should i get down. When I was down the local Phantom Drophead Coupe was there and it seems like every Ford Focus RS ever made gets detailed there

My JCW would be getting a full paint correction, dent/chip removal and C Quartz protection. I looked forwarded to the results when I came back and forecast was good on the day I came back – Sunny 16 degrees which is classified as take your top off in the UK

I got dropped off by one of  Russ’ detailers in an Audi A3 which is sooo low we scrapped a few times on the drive back to my house.

I started on packaging everything and making sure everything was charged for trip as I wanted to capture all the moments and report back everything back to my readers. All done off I went to sleep

The day dawned and I had to catch this long tubey metal thing called a Train to London Heathrow. Wheeling my suitcase I took to MINI UNITED 2012 with my MINI Dog Tag on it I waited for the train to arrive so the journey could begin. It actually arrived on time and I settled into my seat and popped on my headphones to zone out House of Balloons by The Weeknd.

With the train stopping at Paddington station and then I jumped through the underground system to get to Heathrow connect line. I was hungry at this time and fancied some nom nom so off I head to search for a restaurant in London Heathrow – decided on this Italian cafe and ordered a tuna wrap with fries and some pepsi.

With checking time nearing I head back to check myself in and to see who I would be going with on the plane.

I met up with a few traders and motoring journalists in the departure lounge and introduced myself. There was a few from Ireland but this one guy called Sean was hilarious with him cracking jokes all the time and selling stuff as he seemed to know a guy for everything.

We boarded on the Airbus A320 and waved the UK goodbye for motoring testing shenanigans

A few hours later we landed in Germany and went through customs and collected our bags to be greeted by Mark aka Continental Man to usher us on to the coach to depart to our hotel.

Whilst on the coach it was interesting viewing look at Germany architecture with everything clearly being built to last with stone building and open green spaces around homes. Everywhere I look there were German vehicles with VW, Audis, BMW everywhere and odd Europe car. Their dealerships were MASSIVE I guess stock or choice isn’t a problem there.

Our coach pulled up Courtyard Marriott Maschese Hotel which would be home for our short stay in Germany. We collected our bags and we were guided to into the conference room to be briefed about our stay and given our keys to our rooms.

Once briefed it was time for some nom nom and I picked grilled salmon, steamed vegetables and slice of whole grain bread from the buffet and enjoyed the view whilst the sunset on the day in Hanover.

At this time I bumped into another one of my Instragram follower Martyn Collins who is actually a Motoring Journalist and owner of the original GP. We had some interesting conversations over dinner and all the events he had been to and then a whole load of MINI talk.

Later I retired to my room to dump my bags up in my room and put my cameras on charge for tomorrows Hooniganism. I head back to meet up with everyone at the open bar we had to talk and learn about motoring journalism. We had some great debates about the industry, how cars have changed over the ages and various press/launch events. Also for me to talk about my JCW and the shenanigans and events I get up to.

Whilst at our table and enjoying our drinks and laughing away, the lovely Lorna came up to me to ask if she could borrow my Infamous hat for some piccies. I obliged as I laughed but didn’t want to be in any pics given my hat hair. We talked for a while about what we would get up to in the morning on the Contidrom visit and she made it sound epic with the tasty motors we would driving.

It was prompt start in the morning with me heading down at 8:30 am for breakfast and then to collect my Continental lanyard with itinerary on back along with a press pack memory stick.

On to the coach to head Continental’s Test facilities called the Contidrom. We then taking into the briefing room to have some light breakfast snacks and juices. We were given overview of brands history and developments through their 140 years in business. We were spilt up in groups and I was in the Red group.

Immaculate VW Camper Van

Here are some Facts for you

Continental is more than just a tyre manufacturer

1.  Continental is one of the top 3 automotive suppliers in the world
2.  Continental is spilt into 5 divisions – Chassis & Safety, Interior, Power Train, Tyres and Contitech
3. Over 170,000 employees worldwide
4. 291 Locations in 46 Countries

We were bundled into blacked out VW Transporters to our first station which was ‘The Future in Motion’ I thought this would marketing spiel but then after a short ride I saw VW Passat CC, Porsche Panamera and Renault Fluence EV all lined up the grass with Toyota IQ sitting by the white tent.

There was no messing around and we headed into the normal look Passat with a vinyl saying ‘Simplify your drive’ but once inside the dash was a LCD screen with buttons on the right. The tech guy spoke about continental makes various vehicle parts ranging from dashboards to ECU calibrations.

The idea was to showcase how continentals systems could fundamentally changed the cars feel and drive ability. Hit the prancing horse for sport mode the ride instantly firmed up, the throttle and steering became sharp and it blipped down two gears. I was shocked as I drove as car felt completely different as the body roll reduced and I felt the road more plus it made some naughty noises on the up shifts and down shifts.

As you can guess the feather turned the car into wafting car with the suspension absorbing the bumps the DSG box finding the higher gear to make it silent in the cabin with the throttle and steering slacking but still responsive to inputs.

Last but not least was the Flower button which ECO mode which made it near on impossible to stamp on the gas pedal as felt like it pushing your leg back saying if you press down on me again I will set off the airbag in your face.

This time I was chauffeured like A BOSSSSSS in Panamera which was fitted with Continentals air suspension which could drop and raise the height of the car by 20mm at a stand still or on the move.  The difference was apparent from the back seat as we hit the oval track and when going over the varied road surface which included the lovely cobbled surface. Even its sport setting it wasn’t off-putting but you knew that it soaking the bumps well.

Next up was an education of the tyres & air pressures sensors on cars and most people don’t have clue what pressure their tyres should be and rarely check their pressures. Modern air pressures are lacking technology to be fair with them only ever telling you they are low when hit a certain threshold by then you wasted fuel and increased wear on a under-inflated tyre.

Continental developed at sensor which would inside the tyre which would rely information to an app or in-car systems to inform you of your tyre pressure and even send you a message if one tyre was loosing pressure. Another way of integrating it into the Toyota IQ would to have car flash or horn when the correct tyre pressure was reached when you fill your tyres with air. I would personally welcome this tech as I have come back to my MINI to find I had a slow puncture but having this system I could have been pre-warned about checking my tyre and even ask for mobile tyre fitter to come to my work to check or replace my tyre.

Now for a step into the Future with the Renault’s EV

A problem that has plagued all EVs is it range and finding a source to charge up. The idea of conti’s system was to increase the range of the car by shutting down systems within the vehicle on low power and the sat nav to take you charge or even the car to inform you inside or by a message the car is low on juice. The proposal wasn’t world change technology but a common sense approach of how to get driver home or safely to a charge without it dying out on you – As always the greatest ideas are simplest ideas.

Back into the transporters we went for the next stage called ‘Mixed Up’ where I would be in my element with MINIs on a wet handling pad.

I went to the right side of the door of the MINI to find no steering wheel, so I went to the other side of the MINI Cooper D. All 3 of the MINIs looked the same but when you saw the lower graphics down the side everything made sense -The idea was to showcase not mix tyres or makes.

Mixed Tyres – Continentals upfront and cheap imports on the back

The first MINI had Continentals with an Asian import tyre on the back. There was a radio inside the car and guy on the other end guiding you in what to do. It felt weird changing gear with my right hand but I wouldn’t need to change-up or down on the wet handling track. I built up my speed on the oval pad and the back-end slid out around 30 kph as I turned for some sideways Hoonage.

As much as I was giggling and holding the slide this would be dangerous on the public roads as they are not always smooth and there obstacles and traffic so the room to correct or recover from a slide is down to a bit of luck and driving ability.

The second MINI had the cheap imports upfront with contis on the back but this time the handling was the direct opposite with the massive under steer occurring with the only way to correct it was too slow right down to get it turn properly. It’s interesting to see how on these two tests how the continental tyre is doing its up most to keep you on the road while the import tyre is trying to kill anyway it can.

The last two MINI was fitted with either 4mm or 8mm continentals upfront and 8 or 4mm on the back. All I wanted to was it to get it lift off over steer and god how I tried but it refused me to even with a Scandinavian flick but the ESP kicked when I did that. The contis just gripped and gripped the harder I pushed with me literally falling on of the seat before I could reach the limits of grip.

After all this madness we went cold down in the white tent and they informed about the limits of grip and how continental develops it tyres – how the tread pattern and compounds make a difference. The clear advice from this test was not to buy cheap tyres and if you need to change only two tyres on your car make sure you put the new tyres on the back because in the event of you losing control of the vehicle you will be correct it more easily and your less likely to aquaplane.

If you compare 4mm continental tyre to 8mm import tyre on this test it clearly show how it still trying to keep you on the road while the import tyre is not even working when it’s at optimum thread. Therefore for the sake of £20-30 more per corner having better tyre is always best as it only thing that keeps you on the road.

Continentals crown jewel was up next, the award-winning AIBA (Automated Indoor Braking Analyser) which is the world’s first fully automated weather independent tyres testing facility. This was the only place where camera were not allowed given the technology in this room and we were the only people outside of continental who had ever been access to AIBA.

AIBA is housed in a hall which is 300 metres long and up to 30 metres wide. It allows fully automated unmanned testing all year around irrespective of weather with testing being able to done both in wet and dry road surfaces. The facility has the capacity to carry out 100,000 individual braking procedures on wet or dry interchangeable road surfaces at different temperatures hot or cold without human error for optimum precision.

I was astonished by how they could interchange the road surfaces at push of a button to a different road surfaces such as a poorly surfaced road or smooth autobahn service. If thought that was mind-blowing they accelerated the vehicles on high-tech roller coasters which can linearly accelerate anything from VW Golf to 3 tonne Truck from 0-100 Km/h (62mph) in 4 seconds.

I got a real insight into Continental during the first half of the day. This behind the scene look showed me how day in and day out continental tyres are doing everything to keep you on the road.

There is still more to come in the part 2 of my visit to the Contidrom and there is more things to come like High speed testing and shenanigans on track

Next Blog Post: Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 2

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The post Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 1 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

This an addiction in buying parts and accessories to custom your MINI which is never ending

Having seen the new MINI GP being unveiled at MINI UNITED 2012 in France I loved the HUGE Brakes and rear wing and diffuser.

I wanted that Rear Diffuser for my JCW sometime later now the line when the parts if they did came available

That day came earlier than I expected as the part numbers came available just before official launch of the GP. I ordered the parts and delivery took 3 weeks

The install was relatively simple as it was just a bolt on part with my carbon fibre trim coming off and then fixing on the diffuser part and brackets for under trays.

I haven’t stopped grinning after I have the diffuser on. I cant says it made a difference on the road but MPG has gone up slightly but forget all that it looks AWESOME SAUCE!!!

I wanted to add some more NOISE to the JCW

Don’t get me wrong the JCW sounds good all round with deep burble with Pops on the overrun, but I wanted it a menacing noise and BANGS on the overrun.

I only wanted the best for my JCW so an Evolve Sports Cat would be going on and MINI Specialist LOHEN for the modification along with a few other bits

Lohen has built its reputation well with their customer service being second to none and has been voted UK Best Independent New MINI Specialist numerous times by Modern MINI Magazine readers.

Further to this Lohen run their own R56 Cooper S aka ‘Polar Bear’ in the MINI Challenge series

Off I went to Lohen to get my bits put on and the roads leading to them were quite fun as well

First up was the Powerflex Bushes upper and lower engine mounts which reduces engine vibration and noise. Reducing the movement of the engine/gearbox helps to minimise torque steer and will make aftermarket exhausts less prone to failure due to reduced flexing.

The feel after getting them install there was noticeable difference engine response was much better. I would recommend them to anyone as its a cheap mod to do.

Out went the OEM oil dipstick because it unreadable at times and I don’t why its brown because oil becomes brown after time. In went the Craven dipstick which has easy to read with its notches and easier removed and inserted back in.

Time to hit the Dyno to get a base run of how much power my JCW was putting out

She was strapped now and the dyno fan at full blast, on she rolled with me eagerly waiting on the figures

The results were 209 BHP with 287 NM of Torque – There was a surprise drop at the top of the rev range with there being a dip before the redline

I was told by the techs that torque limiter was kicking near the redline

Out with the old and in with the new

The Evolve sports cat went on

On she went on the Dyno again to see if the sports cat made a difference

She made a few pops on the dyno ; )

There was no real performance gain but on the graph the curve was much smoother and more importantly no dip at the top end

On the road its felt with the turbo spooling way quicker and virtually no lag when you press louder pedal regardless of gear

Oh yeah it sounds hornets nest under full throttle with POPS n BANGS all the time and a meatier burble at idle : D

Lets say my JCW and Tunnels are best friends now

Before I left I picked up a Stubby Craven Aerial & Dodo Juice – Purple Haze wax for my JCW as I have heard nothing but good things

I cant not fault Lohen with the service they offered me with their knowledge and suggestions for later modification I want to do.

Now my JCW proudly wears their badge

I wish nothing them but success to Team Lohen & Polar Bear in their 2013 MINI Challenge season

Maybe my JCW will be catching up with the Polar Bear soon….

Videos:

Dyno Runs

Exhaust Sound Clips

Next Blog Post: Dragon Run: EVO Triangle

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WHY you ask because its MINI MARCH!!!

The fellow MINIac that is Andrew Singer started this MINI FEST of pictures being uploaded to Instragram this month of March

Thats 31 Days of PURE MINI MADNESS

Each day users upload MINI related pictures that are asked on the list of the MINI MARCH

Make sure you post up the hash tag of #MINIMARCH

If your a MINI Fan or owner join in the fun on Instagram

Mr Singer has been having some fun of his own recently having purchased a classic mini to make into the true Mr. Beanmobile

Its arrived just in time for Christmas : D

He didnt mess around and two weeks after taking delivery he began stripping her down for  sanding and body work prep for the paint booth

The Force is STRONG with this one

Leaps and bounds were made in a few short weeks with it being fully painted

Time to add some wheels & rubber

This all being done for his my special needs son Jayden who along with his sister Dakota who are the biggest Mr. Bean fans ever.

Cant wait to see it all finished : )

There is still alot to come for March as my MINI Adventures will come into full effect with Surrey New MINI

But my 1st MINI Run of the year came not with SNM but Merseryside MINI & MINIs Unleashed

Here is a Sneek pic of things to come

Next Blog Post: Lohen Vs JCW Adventures

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Two days before the event my JCW was booked in for warranty work as the airbox snapped and i was given the new 3 series for the day.

It actually a nice place to be in and it was a shame it was powered by the devil juice aka Diesel. On a side note the 3 series is actually the service manager’s personal car.

The 1st to arrive was the lovely Christine the one who brought me into the club. She has had her fair share of fast cars and MINIs but she wasn’t staying. She was leaving her JCW aka Sheldon with me whilst she away with work in Manchester.

My drive way didn’t look too shabby that day with over 800 BHP sitting there (2 JCWs & the Porsche). I was entrusted with her keys whilst she went away Murraahhhhh

Christine came baring gifts bringing my SNM Roof decals which are in the style of GP roof numbers

DS Graphics one of our site sponsors had made them up for me and they were Charcoal Grey. As you should know by now I am into my subtle touches and the number corresponds to my club member number.

She brought me ‘MINI temptation’ in book form with the 2013 catalogue for MINI accessories

I am gonna blame her for the bits I have order for this year so far…

The night before everyone was coming down Christine return from work and I got to show her the Infamous Queens way tunnel in Brum which I always bang on about. Let’s just say my JCW my exhaust is sounds fruitier in that tunnel for some strange reason  ; )

I took her out to my favourite Chinese restaurant Oodles & Noodles in Star City given it was Friday night and I wanted to show her around a bit more.

We headed back home for her to pick up Sheldon and intro her to my family and my close friend Simon who was over that night. Simon is the one who got me into MINIs.

This was it today was The Birmingham Job with everyone coming down the night before we headed to Cadbury factory tour NOM NOM NOM

I met up with Christine in the morning to get our JCWs washed before the event as we like our MINIs shiney shiney

We grabbed some Fish n Chips after that for lunch and I gave her a tour of the MIR residence and waited for everyone to arrive.

We met up with everyone at the hotel in the evening and this where Christine brought out her surprise present for me

I was lost for words for a few seconds which is rarity given the memories the custom calendar she had made for the Fast Five

Thank you Christine and it hangs on my wall next to my bed

The madness would begin with us heading out to Frankie & Benny’s

After we headed down to the German Market in Birmingham town which involved going through the Queen way’s tunnel. I think i now know why Birmingham has a nickname of Brum after 6 MINIs going Blat in the tunnel.

We all managed to have a look around the German market but didn’t get around fully as it was being closed earlier than last year.

The 1st day of the Birmingham Job was done but the next day would have the smell of chocolate in the air.

Me being the joker i am i wanted everyone to go away with a smile on their face and good memories of coming i dressed up for Cadbury Tour.

I got out my Sheikh outfit to wear which i brought when i went to Saudi Arabia

I lead the convoy of the 20 Strong MINIs to the Cadbury factory with me getting some interesting views on the motorway and around town.

When we drove into the Cadbury factory car park you could smell chocolate in the air, maybe there is some chocolate in my air filter hmmm

We managed to get all our MINIs all lined up together : D

Sheikh Ali managed to pull some girls whilst at Cadbury apparently it was 2 for 1 that day on English wives

We all followed the smell of chocolate in the factory

I was impressed by the Cadbury shop but I guess Sheikh Ali could have brought it all no problem

There was band playing Xmas songs in the lobby which added to the atmosphere

The tour of the factory and learning about the history of Cadbury was interesting seeing it come from a small shop to power house it is today.

Each zone of the tour had a different period ranging from where chocolate comes from to Mr Cadbury’s 1st shop to todays modern chocolate manufacturing and packaging.

There were section where you would sit down and watch a film about the history and the manufacturing process of making Cadbury chocolate. At one point it shoot air in your face or the chair with shake with the process which made for some frights and giggles.

The modern section of the tour went into the process of making chocolate now and how Cadbury’s advertising has changed over the years

My person favourite is Cadbury’s CRUNCHIE advert with ‘I’m So Excited’ track by The Pointer Sister

Dont worry guys n girls the Guerilla was there to playing the drums to Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight

Near the end of the tour there was chance to immortalise yourself in chocolate

So Sheikh Ali dawned his Dictator pose for all his loyal subjects

It was great day out and ironically I had never been before even though I live in Birmingham but Meh. It was great seeing everyone smiling and having everyone down in my home town.

Thank you James for the effort you put in making the event happen as this was your event and I was just helping out with my local knowledge

Mandy didn’t leave without giving me a gift as she knew I am huge Batman fan which added to my growing keyring which finishes of my keys with the Red bezel around my fob

The day wasnt finished for me as i would heading out to see the lovely Ellie Goulding Live

I am HUGE fan for her songs after hearing her voice in 2009 with the track Under The Sheet (Jakwob Remix). I have been infatuated with her ever since as her voice relaxes me and lets me zone out from everything.

Seeing her live made me stand there in awe as she truly has a voice of an angel

2013 is gonna be even Bigger, Faster and Louder than 2012

Next Blog Post: MINI UNITED 2009: MINI 50th Anniversary 

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