mini gp3 Archives - JCW Adventures

The Big MINI Adventure 2: MINI TAKES THE STATES 2022

Ali Mir — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:50:46 +0000

The open road was calling, and I thought too much time had passed, so I had to head back to the USA to do another Big MINI Adventure! MINI USA planned another MINI TAKES THE STATES, so it was only right that I packed my bags and head over for my 2nd MTTS. This year’s event started in Burlington and finished in Greenville-Spartanburg, covering 1,700 miles of memories, laughs and MINI fun.

Over the next five days, over 2,000 MINI owners with over 600 MINI Cooper vehicles from across the model range will explore a total of nine states and eight cities, raising money for Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the euthanizing of dogs and cats in American animal shelters by 2025. Making its return after four years, the biennial MTTS trek will cover more than 1,700 miles in total. MINI owners will be travelling down an inland route from Vermont to South Carolina on state and county roads, stopping in eight cities along the way, with more than 80 pets and their owners coming for the ride. The MMCA will be present at the morning Rise & Rally events in all eight cities where MTTS stops during the week-long road trip. MINI enthusiasts in attendance can learn more about the club and sign up for more information as the club prepares to launch its official membership. More information on the club can be found at minimotoringclub.org

MINI TAKES THE STATES 2022 – July 9th to 17th – Enjoy my MINI Adventure across the Pond to Re-Unite & Rally

Day 1 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – Sign Up & Drive from Burlington Vt to Vernon, Nt

Day 2 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We travel from Vernon, NY to Pocono PA

Day 3 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We drive from Pocono PA to Frederick ML

Day 4 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We drive from Frederick, MD to Roanoke, and I get to drive GP3 Number 1 owned by Nick, aka The MINI Vlog

Day 5 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We drive from Roanoke, VA to Bristol, VA. This time I ride with Nick, aka The MINI Vlog in his MINI GP3

Day 6 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We drive from Bristol, VA to Ashville, RR I ride with Nick, aka The MINI Vlog again in his MINI GP3 and get behind the wheel myself

Day 7 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We drive from Asheville, NC to Spartanburg, SC in Mike’s F54 Clubman Cooper S ALL4

Day 8 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – We stay in drive Spartanburg, SC for some track action in MINIs at the BMW Performance Centre

Day 9 – MINI TAKES THE STATES – MTTS 2022 is now over, so it’s time for goodbye and taking pictures

That’s a wrap for another MINI TAKES THE STATES

Thank you, MINI USA, for everything & Memories

Briana, Mike & Nick for making it MTTS 2022 special

Looking forward to reading the comments on Youtube; all feedback is welcomed.

Please subscribe to the channel so we can help grow it together

Here are my recommendations for MINI UK & Overseas specialist to visit:

Lohen – lohen.co.uk

1320 Mini – 1320.co.uk

Sussex Road & Race – sussexroadandrace.co.uk

Millys Auto – millsysautos.co.uk

TWG Automotive – twgautomotive.co.uk

MiniWorks – mini-works.co.uk

RSI C6 – rsic6.com

Outmotoring – outmotoring.com

ESC Tuning – ecstuning.com

Detroit Tuned – detroittuned.com

My list is made on my own opinions and me speaking to respective companies & other owners worldwide, and this is not sponsored post for full transparency.

If you got the modding bug, don’t forget to check out JCW Adventures Store or Official eBay Store for some stickers for all generations of MINIs or R56 JCW carbon fibre exhaust tips seen on my MINI R56 JCW to support the blog & YouTube channel.

All your support over the years, and please offer that same support by following my Youtube Channel as well : )

As Always, it’s a MINI Adventure. Try to keep up & Stay Safe!

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Coming In Hot: All The Details On The F56 MINI GP3

Ali Mir — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:55:31 +0000

No more teasing shoots and here are all the details you want to know on soon to be arriving in March 2020 the MINI GP3 the last hurrah to the 3rd Generation F-Series MINI.

Here all the main details you need to know about the MINI GP3:

Limited to 3,000 units worldwide (UK – 575 units & US – 400-500 units)
306 bhp & 450 nm of Torque from the revised 2-litre engine
0 to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 164 mph
8-Speed Steptronic Automatic & Torsen Mechanical Differential
Multistage traction control with GP Mode
Lightweight wheels with Hankook track-focused tyres
20mm wider front track & 10mm reduced ride height from JCW with adaptive suspension
Rear seats deleted with a rear brace
Nappa Leather steering wheel with metal 12 o’clock position and GP metal paddle shifters
Digital & Analogue Dials
Improved Aerodynamics with Carbon Fibre Arches & Rear wing
90mm exhaust tips finished in matte brushed stainless steel
Darkened LED headlights & rear lights and Black MINI badges
Exclusive metallic Racing Grey paint with metallic melting silver roof
Unique GP side stripe with individual numbers on Carbon Blades
Preorder is now available at your retailers with RRP of £33,895 (US – $44,900)
GT Touring Pack (£2,000 – Option)- Adds dual-zone air- conditioning, heated front seats and Navigation Plus – which includes Satellite Navigation and wireless charging
First UK deliveries start in March 2020

Now with the key points outlined will this be ultimate F56 when it comes out?? I still loved R56 GP2 which I test drove for review a while a back which was still raw, and they just turned the R56 up to 12.

I am not gonna lie the F56 series MINI has been a bitter disappointment to me and the only model that I have driven from the range that has made me smile has been the F56 MINI Hatch Cooper and F56 JCW Convertible as they charm to them. The Cooper had all the power you wanted as it was fun extracting it from its peppy engine while the Convertible JCW brought back some of the visceral rawness of what a MINI should be.

I am yet to drive the F55 Clubman JCW with its ALL4 drive with the same engine as the MINI GP3, but in the real world, the clubman will be faster! It’s ALL4 will allow a quicker 0 to 60 dash at 4.9 compared to the GP3s 5.2 plus you can take your mates with you.

The proof will be in the driving when I get a hold of a set of keys from MINI or a JCW clubman owner willing to borrow it me for a while. Probably the car I am most excited to drive along with the MINI Cooper SE.

Now the car has officially unveiled it has grown on me, and I see more details on it which are cooler than first perceived. The Carbon blades don’t look that much out of place, but I can see it being a nightmare in the real world – people trying to clean them and a lot of people touching them when you are away from it. Plus I am annoyed there is no manual option as the torque figure was too high for them to justify so auto won that fight : (

They should have made the mirror caps Red to follow tradition and the lower grille should have been black as that lower grille is something you don’t want to highlight…

GP numbers on the roof again for tradition reasons but the mega disappointment has been the wheels as they are very much lacklustre. The whole 3rd Gen MINI range as it’s like they gave up in that design department. But the person who made the centre caps deserves needs promotion to head of wheel design.

The wing again should have followed tradition with being carbon fibre and my OCD is kicking off with the base being red next to a silver roof!! Just why why why why

The paddles look nice, but the top parts should have been longer as everyone drives differently and they should have looked to supercars for better inspiration.

Alright, enough of the negatives here are my positives – dark line headlights & rear lights, black door handles, black fuel cap and black badges are perfect but that new racing grey paint though really pops under the sun! The upper red bar grill intake is a pleasant update to get more in and go with the GP3 more power theme.

Interior is where they did their best work with the rear seat delete being something to behold than a rush job with the GP logo, flush carpet and new back strut brace design. New seats are a nice touch with the grey and GP logo, but you will be glad for the new digital with GP interface. It will make you feel that much special every time you got in with GP door stills and mats.

The better diffuser is welcomed as well but could have had a more menace to it. My favourite touch of them all is the matte brushed stainless steel trim exhaust tips. They are something very different much a new look, so it caught my eye straight away.

I thought they were titanium when I did walk around the Goodwood festival of speed back in the summer.

Now that we have done everything at face value, let’s dive deeper into the changes under the hood and beyond.

The engine was revamped to achieve the new power levels with the following upgrades:

Reinforced crankshaft with enlarged main bearing diameter, specific pistons, bushless connecting rods and a new torsional vibration damper with optimised cooling.
New turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold and fitted with a divert-air valve that optimises response.
The compression ratio has been reduced from 10.2 to 9.5 in line with the increased boost pressure provided by the system.
The updated intake air duct has an enlarged inlet, and flow cross-sections and the increased capacity of the noise damper ensure maximum de-throttling.
New multi-hole injectors, arranged centrally between the valves to increased flow rate and transporting the fuel into the combustion chambers at an injection pressure of up to 350 bar.

Maximum torque is created at 1,750 rpm to 4,500 with 306 bhp is achieved at 5,000 to 6,250 rpm in the rev range.

With all this new power there was a need for more cooling so there an additional two external coolant coolers. The expansion tank is enlarged for increased volume with a specially designed coolant module storage system and an electric fan with increased output to maintain the optimum operating temperature at all times. In addition, the crankcase cooling system can be temporarily shut off employing a new split- cooling valve to optimise the engine’s warm-up response.

The transmission helps put the power down with an integrate Torsen Mechanical Differential, which can lock up to 31%. To avoid track action issues the transmission has it’s own separate cooling circuit when you out chasing down lap times. GP mode makes a return to give you some slip with traction control but always there on hand to keep you safe if you need it when hooning or a track star.

GP3 has been given underbody bracing by the tunnel bridge is replaced by solid support for the modified rear axle. While the front has been its strut brace for increased rigidity with refreshed new suspension setup and increases front and rear camber.

Continuing with the steering of the GP3 there are stiffer rubber bearings in the support bearings of the front and rear axles. The four wishbones on the rear axle are fitted on the outside with clearance-free metal ball sleeve joints instead of rubber mounts, while on the inside there are highly rigid rubber mounts.

Now if you want to slow everything down there 4 pot front calipers are made of aluminium and combined with 360 × 30 mm ventilated discs. These are encased by 8-inch lightweight forged wheels (8.0 J × 18) weighing less than 9kg. 225/35/18 Hankook tyres make a return to the brand with a choice of road Ventus S1 Evo Z or semi-slicks TD. These are covered by the carbon blades which are formed reclaimed carbon from the i8 & i3 manufacturing. The carbon fibre goodness also helps widen the front track by 40mm wider than a standard F56 JCW.

Hopefully, with all these significant upgrades and improvement, the GP3 will live up to previous to GP name both on track and road. As soon as I can get behind the wheel of one I will be sure to give you my feedback whether it fills up the shoes of the legacy of the slaying everything around its class.

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Track Star: 300 BHP MINI GP3

Ali Mir — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:41:47 +0000

It’s official the MINI GP3 is happening, and it’s coming out swinging in 2020. The no holds barred MINI GP3 Concept stunned people at Motorshows and it seems the radical looks will be carried over to the real world for the public to buy.

Let’s get straight to business with the headline figure and MINI are finally leaving the 200 BHP realm with the last 2 Gens JCW & GP2 with the official figures being at their highest at 218 BHP officially. The standard 3rd F56 JCW brought more power to the table at 228 BHP courtesy of extra displacement now with the 2.0-litre engine instead of the outgoing 1.6-litre capacity. The MINI GP3 will use the F56 2.0-litre engine but pumping out 300 BHP which is a massive jump of 72 BHP from the JCW.

God knows how fast it will be now and how it will put down through the front wheels!!!! I predict the GP3 will shave a 1 second of the F56 JCW and hit 0 to 60 in at least 5.4 seconds with some of limited slip differential.

The limited run model will be 3,000 units worldwide which is a 1,000 increase over the last two GPs which only had 2,000 units worldwide. I gather all the original GP1 & GP2 will soon be getting emails/invites like last time to secure their slots and have matching numbers of their current car/s.

MINI didn’t release pricing but let’s look at the MINI timeline:

R53 GP aka GP1 – Original RRP – £22,000 in 2006 – 2,000 units worldwide
R56 GP aka GP2 – Original RRP – £28,790 in 2012 – 2,000 units worldwide

If I use my maths and look at how the price changed over 6 years here are my estimates on how much the sticker price will be:

F56 GP aka GP3 – Estimate – £34,950 in 2020 – 3,000 units worldwide

The price might be lower if they are producing 3,000 units instead of 2,000 so the economy of scales might be on your side but even then expect to pay at least £30,000 for MINI GP3.

Looking at the teaser shots the large front and rear aprons, a striking roof spoiler and the extensive use of carbon fibre will make it to production after all. Engineers have said aerodynamic properties, optimised weight and suspension will be a crucial part of the GP3 toolbox to make the most of the power and go-karting handling as they want to beat the GP2 Nurburgring lap time of 8 minutes and 23 seconds. I think with the aggressive aero and power the GP3 could break the 7 minutes barrier with a lap time of around 7 minutes 45 seconds.

As soon as I hear more information, I will update this post, and hopefully, I can get some seat time with the MINI GP3 with some road and track time.

Since writing this I have now seen the MINI GP3 at Goodwood Festival of speed so here is my walkaround video:

Let me know in the comments or on social media what you think of the forthcoming MINI GP3? Hit or Miss

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Above & Beyond: 70 Years of Land Rover

Ali Mir — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 18:14:58 +0000

Every once in a while I like switching things up and going outside of my comfort zone. That day came when I went to watch the WRC rally in Wales with my friend Rob as this was something I have always wanted to watch. Something about rally cars that fascinates me about rally drivers that are driving to their absolute limits with a fine line of in control and imminent roll off into a thick woodland. Maybe its the fact these are road-based cars re-engineered from the ground up for speed, power, grip, traction skirting machines toeing the line between in control and out of control.

I have always said every car has its moment just like how every song in my MINI has a memory attached to it. The vehicle in question that was taken to the WRC was really fitting the ground we were travelling on….
After we watched the WRC, we head to our chariot with the infamous words on the bonnet RANGE ROVER

Yes, Rob deliberately parked it like this!! He was showing off how the auto levelling works on the air suspension.
This wasn’t the first range rover I had been in, but my first encounter with one was back in my childhood at the ripe age of 12 years old with a Mark 1 Range Rover. It was owned by dad’s friend who had two (one black and the other yellow).
Heading back to the Range for comfort, we dial in the sat nav details to lead us to black rocks beach for some off-road action for ourselves. I was presented I was handed the keys to the Range Rover Sport HSE 3.0 TDV6 – 240 BHP & 600 NM on the beach to have my first dose of off-roading fun.

Rob showed me all the buttons and what the functions did with the suspension, ride height, terrain, locking diffs, high and low range. All mind blogging at the time and the excitement of finally driving the king of the hill was immense. My exuberance took full effect when Rob raised the ride height and set it in low range while talking me through all the buttons and tech onboard.
I got a little too excited with the throttle as I was going too fast in low range, so the car told me off followed by Rob saying you gonna overheat the box : / sorrrrryyyyy
After getting familiar with the Range Rover Sport, it was time to see what it could do climbing the dunes and entering craters full of seawater.
This resulted in an impromptu full-on live-action photoshoot.

After the photo shoot, Rob asked how to do a doughnut? I was like that’s easy you just turned the traction control and dump the gas pedal all the way and keep the revs steady and apply opposite lock accordingly to make a circle. Look I will show you??? Firstly I forgot to turn the traction control, so all that resulted in us going an in a circle really fast like I was James May.
I looked at Rob and said sorry my mistake I forgot to turn off the TSC. I then planted my right foot sending the rear tyres into a scrabble as they dug deep into the sand as the front end lifted up to the horizon. The rear end slid away as I guided the front with opposite lock guiding her around to form a perfect circle with the palm of my hand on the steering wheel. I turned back to straight motion and let off the accelerator and said to Rob that how you do it! Let’s switch seats so I can show you?

Rob was dumbfounded on how easy I made it look as he got out and saw the perfect circle in the sand. I said when I had my BMW I used to mess around in the loading area of where I used to work, so I learned a lot of car control just by messing around. Time for you to learn how to drift pro with some car control which resulted in some giggling moments. I am sure the onlookers on the beach were thinking what a bunch of ‘Yobos’.
With offroad test drive done we head back to the asphalt where I got to drive the Sport on the B roads of wales which are tight, twisty and chambered. I felt the Range Rovers size which felt like a battle tank to me as we glided over the road with grace. I felt the sensation to be very commanding on the road as the driving position makes you look down to small cars.
I finally understood why people buy a Range Rover, it makes you feel tank commander! There is nothing that can beat you on the road or offroad and it a nice place to be. You are very much astounded in luxury on board HMS RR Sport in your own gentleman’s quarter. What else amazed me was how the air suspension was levelling out as I was tanking away down the country roads and this BMW couldn’t keep up with me.

This what the BMW saw…….

Amazing as the ability of the Sport was down the road it was this random selective feedback to the wheel. I know I could point it where I wanted to go but there road feel was lacking as it appears one sweeping bend then it just disappears a few seconds later???? This didn’t change in Dynamic mode either which was complexing, but hey at least it’s showing up a BMW. This aerodynamic brick weighing in at 2.5 tonnes and demolishing the ground underneath with ease.
Rob did tell me as I didn’t know that the Sport is essentially a modified Discovery 3 chassis. This makes even more mind-blowing given the Discovery looks like it will fall over if you whipped it around a corner to fast. My hat goes off the LR engineers who made the Sport as it’s a modern marvel to me. It now has a special place in my heart after a few hours behind the wheel. I am sure at some point I will own one add it to ever-growing JCW Adventures fleet.

Now it’s time to fast forward over two years but to the beautiful summer of 2018 where I was invited by Land Rover PR team to make history with them. 2018 was an essential year to them as it was 70 years ago when they Range Rover was launched, so it was only fitting that they graced Goodwood Festival of speed in an opulent manner.
I had my invite, and I knew who I had to take given Rob’s childhood obsession with the brand. You mention the word Range Rover or Defender with him, and you can see the excitement go off in him. I love passion especially when it’s around cars and their stories.
We headed out in my JCW given I wanted to give it a nice run to familiar grounds before to find faults before the heading on the MIR RUN: Euro Trip which would cover France, Germany, Austria, Switerzland and Italy in 10 days and cover over 2,000 miles, 3 Racing Circuits and 4 Car Factory Tours.

Rob had found a gem of a place to stay the night before to allow a more leisurely ride to Goodwood as the traffic queues have got bigger and bigger over time. Plus it allowed us to freshen up, relax and catch up over a meal at a Wagamama.
The sun rose, and it was the next day as we got ready our host had already prepared breakfast for us which was a delight as we conversated in the ambience of the grand room with a beautiful summer’s morning light filtering in. We thanked her for making our stay a pleasant one and we hoped to see her this time next year.
JCW all fired up we headed out to the back roads leading to Goodwood Circuit as Land Rover PR team had a welcoming event, registration and day outline plan to run through to make this one in a lifetime opportunity and a great memory.
There is something about driving to Goodwood: Festival of Speed. Is it knowing what awaits me or is the fact it’s a day driving my JCW in the back roads in the summer with the windows down?

We arrived at Goodwood Circuit to a sight of every iteration of Land Rover every made. We had to take a lap of honour around the parked up Land Rovers throughout the years which is a great marvel in itself.
There was everything from civilian vehicles, special forces, army, emergency services, police, G4 Challenge and special editions to vehicles I didn’t even know Land Rover were remotely capable of manufacturing.
Here are some of those vehicles:

Fun fact for everyone my previous boss David Sparks drove for G4 Challenge who is now the head of branded good for Jaguar Land Rover. He was a great boss and all around nice guy who loved cars, and his car history was an awesome collective mix from a Lotus Exige, Honda S2000, Golf R to a Range Rover Autobiography.
We signed on with JLR for registration and got our wristbands for the festival along with a special booklet, t-shirt and keys to our chariot for the day.

I was given the keys to car number 57 – A Phoenix Orange Discovery Sport in HSE Luxury spec with the black pack. It was a cool looking car on a British summer day which was made even nicer with a luxurious interior.
Once we had done nosing around, we were all brought together for a group briefing to discuss what would happen on the day and how the convoy would drive to FOS.
We would mark history by driving up the Goodwood hill in 70 cars to mark 70 years of Land Rover which is truly an honour.
All the Ranges fired up! We headed out in formation to mark this occasion.

This gave us time to get acquited with the new Discovery Sport which is a massive step from the last Discovery 4. The older Discovery had charm as it was a box on wheels and it felt like when you drove it as it would have massive lean in corners, but it destroys any obstacle under its wheels.
Its often is a car’s faults, and quirks that actually make it a good car in a positive way like the BMW M5 V10 was a great M-Car. The V10 howl is its soul but there are too many settings, drinks fuel and everything breaks on it but you will still love it when it works and you open the taps on it.
The new Discovery Sport drove well and it very much felt like a car but the Diesel engine let it down. It didn’t give it a sense of occasion as it didn’t have low-end torque I thought it would have for an offroader. The gearbox is perfect and but you can run away from the fact there should be shove on hand. There is a massively delay between you pressing the pedal and momentum actually occurring which is let down given how good the outside looks. If that delay would be reduced or completed eliminated the Disco Sport would be a great car as I feel it’s missing that just that bit extra to make it a great car to give you the fizz.

Looking at the exterior of the car as it unmistakable Land Rover in every way and everything is where it should with buttons and layout. The cabin is a great place to be and sit in with leather and soft-touch plastic. The utility of the function of the Disco is perfect in every way as everything is where it should and you can tell it was designed by people who actually take cars offroad.
If you have an offroader, please lock the diffs, take it offroad and get it DIRTY!!!!
We stopped by a farm to regroup and get acquited with one another whilst nosing around each other cars.
Some of her majesty armed forces were with us and they were given a Range Rover Sport SVR which was in Madagascar Orange Metallic paint (vibrant orange paint that contains ChromaFlair giving it a warm yellow to red ‘travel’). By god, it sounds amazing!!! V8 Supercharged glory with a metallic grasp like a swarm of wasps, locusts, rattlesnakes, flying ants, bees and ball bearings fighting out in a dark metallic tube.

So came the time to finally to head to the Hill Climb so we proceeded in a timely fashion and grided up. This was a surreal moment as everyone had their phone outs and they were videoing us like we were some kind of celebrities??? I leaned to Rob said let’s go cement ourselves in history as I smirked.
Who would have thought I would get to drive up the Goodwood Hill? I am just some dude with a car and website there is no special sauce here.
Either way here I am defying all odds like any other plucky brit which is what the Land Rover Brand is all about! It’s about conquering anything in front of you and to go Above & Beyond whatever the obstacle comes your way.
We drove up the hill together making videos and taking as many pics as could to capture the moment. Not too many to miss the moment but saviour the moment which a lot of my generation seem to miss nowadays.

It was a surreal moment as my four years for working for JLR’s owned marketing agency came flooding back. I started doing their marketing since I returned from the states from MINI TAKES THE STATES 2014. Having know people on the factory floor, engineers, artworks, marketers I was proud I was doing their hard work an honour as I rolled this Discovery into the history books.
I was outlining the track layout as I went around to Rob as only a lucky few get to drive or ride shotgun on this asphalt. It only sank in when went under the bridge next to the Goodwood House with the Porsche sculpture captivating the skyline.

We drove near the flint wall which is literally what is and it looks unbelieve sharp. If you take that corner wrong at high speed you will get understeer which will result in you shattering the front end to pieces. Over the years it has become a formidable foe and claimed many race cars and driver’s egos.
Today wouldn’t be my day as switch back past it as I hugged the straw bales and kept the correct line and headed into the woodlands towards the infamous finish line for our own personal victory.
I felt the sense of pride like when Top Gear drove down the mall with everything made in Great Britian.

With history made we parked up next to the Goodwood rally stage all in formation in model years which was another sight in itself. But the temptation to drive on to the rally stage was immense as all I had to was slot the terrain system into loose gravel and mash the throttle into the forest. If Land Rover wants to give me that chance to do that another time I would love to do it…

Having parked up, I bumped in Adnan Ebrahim the founder of Car Throttle who was climbing out the Land Rover Defender Works V8 which sounds exactly what it is. It’s literally Defender with a V8 slot under the hood. I moaned why hadn’t JLR made a G-Wagon rival??? If Mercedes makes the G -Wagon there is clearly a market for Defender to have a V8 with a luxury interior???
Fun Fact: G-Wagon is the most profitable car Mercedes makes in their entire range.
I am glad Land Rover finally did make but they should done it a long time ago!!! But like anything, It’s Better late than never! Let’s hope the next Defender due for 2019 reveal has room for a V8 Motor (Insert Jeremy Clarkson’s American accent).

It was good to chat with Adnan to understand his outlook for Car Throttle and how it has come to age with the manufacturers finally understanding the digital age and communities that surround them. The age of traditional print has moved on and the digital landscape has taken hold to newer generations, and how it opens to everyone in the world wherever they are. Carms & Miss Emma Walsh was in our line up of Land Rovers as well so the world of IG & Youtube royalty was with us on this landmark day.
Rob and I went off to enjoy the rest of the festival of speed. The rally stage part of FOS is the only part I had never been to from all of my six visits since 2011. It was nice hearing and seeing some rally legends in the pit area.

After being done with the rally legends, we headed over the main FOS area to which we had to go through the VIP parking area. Two Mclaren Sennas, Huracan Performante, 670 LT, XJ13, Bullit Mustang, Aston Martin AMR & Giulia Quadrifoglio marked it as no ordinary.

Everyone knows where my next stop is….
MINI’s Stand
MINI Electric Concept – Due 2019
MINI GP3 Concept – Due 2020
Next up was a mix of other brands which I am excited to see and hear on the road and at shows for 2019.
Lamborghini Urus

Hurcan Performante Spyder – Hmmmm that Satin Blue paint

I went over to the URBAN stand to catch with an old MINI friend who works for them as a painter and in sales along with another at the Alpina stand who is in sales.

The next selections of cars were my favourite from the show
The moving motor show had a great selection of the new latest and greatest from Manufacturers.

JLR PR team had a few more surprise for us before we headed home so it was off to the Jaguar Land Rover stand. There was a small presentation with a few drinks to thank everyone who came and brought their own cars to fill in the cars not owned by JLR. Then was the final two gifts left by JLR which was some drifting in Jaguar F-TYPE V6 and offroad experience in the Range Rover to show its capabilities.

First up was Jaggggggggggg and the Ex-racing driver. He told me to buckle as we drifted in a continual onslaught of V6 howl tyre shredders smoke around a short technical circuit with little room for error. Sadly I have forgotten his name but I remember him telling he used to race on real street circuits which were the golden days. I wished myself that it would come back to more towns so people could be inspired and a new generation would follow motorsport and go into motor industry-centric roles.

Finally, the Range Rover arrived, and I took a back seat for this one so Rob could be in his element. We had another driver who took the Land Rover to its limit on the confined course to its climb and descent capabilities. This was a showcase of the full articulation of each wheel separately on the latest Range Rover.

It still amazes me how easy any Range Rover product makes offroading look whilst being basked in luxury. I guess there is nothing like Great British Engineering…

I had a good nose around the Jaguar Land Rover stand and there some fantastic cars for all your needs and terrains. The I-Pace was there which is JLR first full-on plunge into the electric car which is a real contender for the Tesla in every way.

The SVR sunk worked F-Pace which has the full-fat supercharged V8 (This was the last car I did some marketing on)

XE 300 Sport

Range Rover SV Autobiography – Which was in Rob Spec

Range Rover SV Coupe
£250,000 of Two-Door Luxury which will be uber-exclusive at 999 units worldwide

There were a few cars in Darkhorse spec, but the one that caught my eye was Range Rover P400e which is a sign to the future. Hopefully, I will get the chance to drive it and experience where the Range will go into the future…
That was a wrap for the day, and I found more than I thought I would. I got to make history with Land Rover and with creating a great memory with best my friend.

Thank you for everything you have and will do for me Rob, and I hope this friendship lasts a lifetime as I can’t see a day without. Here is to the future and our adventures ahead wherever they make take us. Rob is now part of this once solo team as he will be joining on my adventures and be contributing editor & photographer of the site. Don’t worry he has a Chilli Red R56 JCW N18 as well and few more special other vehicles.
Thank you Land Rover UK PR team for everything and making our time with you priceless & memorable.
A few months later the JCW Adventures fleet grew to have something special amongst the ranks. Here is our Black on Black on Black – Range Rover Velar
Let the Adventures begin….
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The post Above & Beyond: 70 Years of Land Rover appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Please Take The Next Left: Where has JCW ADVENTURES been?

Ali Mir — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 15:31:06 +0000

Some roads lead you away from your destinations but sometimes it’s the route you need to head down. With that said in mind allow me to reintroduce myself…
I started this MINI Adventure back in 2011 to share my MINI Adventures with my JCW which was built to my spec and she is still with me. Even after all the roads, tracks, counties, magazine shoots, tv appearances, countries and continents she still puts a smile on my face with well over 100,000 miles on the clock I will never sell her. She was made for me and me alone and she has given me so much I don’t think she will ever part from my side regardless of the cost as its memories, smiles, laughs, adventures and friends which have joined me on this MINI Adventure that makes her special to me.
Oh god, she has cost me some money with the high mileage use I do but I couldn’t stay mad when I looked back at her when I parked her or drove her! She just makes me smile every single time after all these years. God, I sound like I am in a relationship with my MINI.

My absence from posting has been for multiple reasons with work, life and other commitments taking me elsewhere so finding the time to sit down and write became difficult.
Fortunately, the adventures did continue past MINI TAKES THE STATES with the now infamous invite only M.I.R Runs, MINI Shows, Press events and European road trips. I have plenty more tell everyone now along with being able to offer advice on how to keep an R56 going past 100,000 miles. It’s even more so given my JCW is LCI model but with the much misunderstood and underappreciated N14 Engine.
Along the way, I have helped join my lifestyle with the MINI community or actually help them purchasing a 1st, 2nd or 3rd Gen BMW MINI. There will definitely be buying guides coming out from to help you look for a used hero or building one to your spec I will give you the low down on everything you need to know.

There will be an official launch of JCW Adventures shop, monthly runs, new and used reviews and partnerships with brands.
Along with this, there will be a relaunch of the Youtube channel as many of you have requested me to get in front of the camera instead of being behind of it.
JCW Adventures will expand further across the automotive landscape as the fleet has increased beyond my R56 JCW. I wanted to touch base with everyone again and just to let you know as with all great legends I will be making a comeback.
Here is a sneak peek to what I have been up to…
Thank you for all your support over the years from all corners of the world!
As Always It’s a MINI Adventure Try to Keep up!
Ali
Founder of JCW Adventures & Owner of BT11WRK

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The post Please Take The Next Left: Where has JCW ADVENTURES been? appeared first on JCW Adventures.