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After the trial some MINI Es were displayed in museums, others shipped to Germany for further lab testing and the rest dismantled/crushed. The 40 Mini Es that participated in the UK trial were kept in use after the trial ended in March 2011. They were used for promotion usage as BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet for the London 2012 Olympic games.

The fun didn’t stop there as MINI being MINI went fully looney and hit the Nurburgring, because why not!! Track Day BRO!!

MINI’s skunk work team took the MINI E 50kW/201bhp electric motor & batteries but gave it the ultimate shell to sit in. Every panel excluding the roof being swapped for a carbon-fibre counterpart and useless stuff like air con was ditched resulting in drastic weight loss of  225kg!

Yes, I am thinking about what you thinking?? Where can I get those panels or moulds? How much on earth did it cost MINI to make one-off panels?!?! Also for further proper measures race suspension, brakes and a limited-slip diff topped off the list.

Former DTM racer Thomas Jäger was the pilot for the lap of a distinctly foggy ‘Ring to which he hit 116mph at one point with a lap of 9 minutes 51.45 seconds.
The only issues on the day were the less than ideal weather and the problem for overheating batteries after a few laps.
The project went away in the history books and was forgotten until the 2017 Frankfurt Motorshow which amped up the new MINI E concept was shown.

No figures were given, but it’s official that the MINI E would finally become an official production MINI Model to purchase worldwide like any other MINI.
MINI will official unveiling the model soon at Geneva or Frankfurt Motorshow 2019 to mark the 60th Anniversary of the marque.

The rumour mill is turning with the price and specs of the MINI E but here is an educated guess on what we will:
Price: £26-28,000 minimum including £3,000 Government Grant
Power: 181 BHP & 270 NM – Parts sharing with BMW i3s
Performance: 0 to 60 – 7.4 Seconds
Top Speed: 98 MPH
Battery: 90 KWH
Range: 150-200 Miles (Real world figure)

With the stats out the way! Will the concept looks remain???
Well, 100% the wheels are staying as test mules have been seen running the exact same wheels as the concept.
The recently teased F56 MINI GP3 has the carbon side blades, so it seems logical the MINI E will gain them as well for the case of aerodynamics and economy of scale to reduce development costs between the two models.

As cool as the headlights are they won’t make the cut to production as the F56 has just been facelifted so the new Headlights will be carried over and LED headlights will come as standard as they consume less electricity as Xenon units. The same goes with the different LED dot matrix rear lights, but the standard LED Union Jack LCI Lights will be standard again to finish the LED look all around.

The yellow grill will likely come to production as there is nothing really to cool up front in the engine bay and touch of yellow upfront to distinguish this electric from the rest of the model line up. There will fancy cap at the front to add more juice but a simple socket point in the traditional fuel cap position.

There is talk that the F56 Interior LCI will a small but significant update with the Speedo going completely digital with an LCD screen. The sister brand BMW has made the jump with all new models so it makes sense and it was seen in the GP3 concept pictures.
The only worrying thing about an electric car is getting more juice on the go, and BMW has a partnership to negate this setback via ChargeNow card or public charging points. Your other main source will have to be your home so it’s an overnight charge via regular mains socket or install a home charger which will be around £570 to £870 plus installation. The UK government will give you another grant on the charger allowing you to get £500 back and when you buy your MINI E, plus you are eligible for a £3,000 grant as well to make the EV jump.
The real question is are you willing to make the jump into the digital age with MINI E?
Let me know what you think in the comments below or on social media.
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The post Fully Charged: The Electric MINI E appeared first on JCW Adventures.

This was it for the SNM gang as they headed back to the UK while me and Tom headed to Paris for some sight seeing.

We said our goodbyes and headed into Rush hour French traffic with my EYES WIDE open as I saw a few cars with some dents.

Nous sommes arrives en Paris to which it was raining and the roads where all funny with faded arrows and not knowing which lane to be in for turnings or to go straight on. I solved this problem with my right foot : p

I have to say the JCW did sound really good in Paris because the exhaust note was bouncing off all the tight alley ways and roads hehehe

Tom was looking at the TomTom to see exactly where our hotel would be. Good thing to as I was rusty on my French vocabulary plus I had 3 Toms in the car lol

We had to stop to ask for the road as the 3 Toms couldn’t find the hotel but we knew we where close. After getting some directions we had to find a place to park as i booked the hotel because i knew there was a underground parking near by. Having found the car park we unloaded all our stuff and tucked my JCW in for long deserved rest.

Hotel Mistral in Paris would home for the next 2 nights. I booked it for a old school French vibe and plus it was 10 minutes walk to the train station.

Next on the list was getting some food!!! I get hungry every two hours and it had been a few hours drive so my tank was on empty. We found a local takeaway place where we both order a full platter of lamp chops, chicken fillets, chicken tikka, plain rice, peri-peri rice, salad with chips.

With food devoured like cavemen, we headed to the train station to check out the sites on foot. The train station looked amazing itself with it architecture, statues and clock tower.

Its GO GO GO for the Paris Grand Prix

We looped around the roads near out hotel and me being a car loony i loved the chequered road markings. It just made we wana take the JCW out and join the Paris Midnight Club to race between the lights.

Walked on down La Rue De La Paix to see the momentum

We came across this majestic Cathedral

I came across this cheeky bit of French Graffiti/Street tagging

I noticed in Paris there was an awful lot of restaurants and it always hard to pick a place to go to eat. But me and tom decided that night to get some Chinese food before midnight before everything shut. The restaurant had this awesome Purple lighting you seeing in clubs in the movies.

Morning came and it was time to explore Paris with the Tour bus heading over the river Seine where we given insight into Paris making and history over earphones. There was a library with was shaped as an open book.

We passed some beautiful building and i noticed that French building has a real presence about them with a Victorian Royal stone feel to them.

There is something about the air there and the vibe i was getting from the people and atmosphere as tourists and residence went about their business.

We got off the tour bus to grab some breakfast in a cafe. I thought it was the coolest thing about the cafe was the menu was done in a layout of a new paper.

With my hot chocolate drank we headed back on the next tour bus which headed to the Infamous Arc De Triomphe which was like close quarter battle with cars entering at every exit and darting between each other.

The bus went around the famous French Art gallery Louvre then on to Place de la Concorde is at the foot of the Champs-Élysées, built as the “Place Louis XV”, site of the infamous guillotine.

The Egyptian obelisk is Paris’ “oldest monument”

I am sure you can guess what came next…

The Eiffel Tower which was erected in 1889. Its primary use was for science experiments and in 1910 – Father Theodor Wulf measured radiant energy at the top and bottom of the tower. He found more at the top than expected, incidentally discovering what are today known as cosmic rays.

We got off the bus and headed to the Top of the Eiffel tower to which i wanted to do but i am not a fan of heights you see

What cant tell from this picture of me. I am holding on the side rail like Lord Dark Vader with a Death Grip

The View from the Top was EPIC!!!!!

Then we went shopping like two little girls buying everything we liked

This where I brought my Infamous Black Hat

Some say he wears it to look mischievous

And that given the chance he will chat you up

All we know he drives JCW

The real reason why I brought it because i was in the fashion capital of the world and i wanted take some style with me. There is something about that Hat when i wear it my alter ego/persona is amplified!!!

You have been warned!!!

As the sunset in Paris we knew our time in France would be over the next morning so we snapped up all of Paris with our iPhones and headed back to our Hotel.

Bye Bye France

All packed and ready to leave the next morning we took the JCW out of the underground car park and headed for the Channel Tunnel. Thinking about all the memories we had made at MINI UNITED with people who never met before and laughed all the way back.

Our MINI Adventure was over and Tom would be heading back to China after this trip but the MINI Adventures would continue for me…

Thank you France, MINI & BT11 WRK for making this the best moment in my life. For creating these memories I will cherish forever with people who mean the world to me now.

Thank you for being apart of My MINI Adventure

“Money comes and goes, But Memories are forever” – Ali Mir

DropBox Link for more Pictures – https://www.dropbox.com/home/Public/MINI%20In%20Paris

Next Post MINI Festival Brands Hatch 

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The post MINI In Paris appeared first on JCW Adventures.

With a Few millimetres burnt off my tyres from The Track Day at MINI UNITED and still BUZZIN from lasts nite Concert.

I rolled out of bed and gathered myself for the next day of MINI UNITED!!!!!

After yesterdays MINI MADNESS i want MORE!!!!!

Sadly i got PULLED OVER by the Police

I JOKE it was only the MINI CARE POLICE

They pulled me to the side and gave me a ticket to get my MINI washed

By some lovely ladies in MINI Tops & Shorts

MINI Care Car Wash

But this didnt stop them getting the batons out & handcuffs out LOL

They Finally caught me

I signed myself to test drive the JCW Coupe and to my amusement it was left hand drive

I have never shifted with my Right Hand and instructor who came out with me had to shift for me as i was messin it up quite abit – Sworrrriiii  BY-856-BH

JCW Coupe

He didnt like the way i drove either saying i was driving too fast!!! I told him this is how you drive a JCW lol

I know a few people off the web and on instragram and i actually bumped into one of my followers – Matteo Ziccardi from Italy

He drove down in his Cooper S with Challenge Number & Stripes with Blacked out Chrome trim & Headlights finished off with Red Plastic Dipped JCW wheels

Matt’s Cooper S

Matt’s Cooper S with Red Rims

Bellissimo

Whilst meeting and talking to Matt & his sister (Matilde) there were was this Tasty JCW Coupe which was just EPIC with full carbon trim inside & out, Bigger Wheels, Recaros with Sabelt seabelts, Go Faster JCW Side Stripe, Rear diffuser and awesome Akrapovic Exhaust with Carbon Trim

JCW Coupe Ready for Track Time

JCW Coupe Interior

I cant begin to think how much he spend on his JCW Coupe given it was only out barely 2 months ago

JCW Coupe

I actually bumped into another one of my MINI MATES – Claudia from Germany with her Matt Purple Cooper S, which i think is just a show stopper (I have a thing for the colour PURPLE)

Claudia’s Matt Purple Cooper S

I walked on to the Motor Sport section of MINI UNITED to find the MINI E Race car which was the fastest Electric car around the Nurburgring at the time.

MINI E Racecar

Next was the Dakar Rally Countryman MINIs which has some serious kit on them

I was fascinated by the suspensions and shocks on them with the level of travel and they genuinely looked cool at the same time – Form & Function

Next to them were the Countryman Rally cars which were so clean which is strange given they were bash around the nastiest roads in all kinds of weather.

MINI Rally Car

I was impressed my the figures they were pushing out of the Countyman and my god the noise they make was Ear Bursting loud to which i enjoyed and asked if they had a spare exhaust lying about, sadly i couldn’t blag one this time

MINI Rally Car Engine

They has all the parts the rally cars ran in a booth next to it ranging from a Rear Carbon Wing to spiked tyres.

Out side in the heat was this JCW Coupe Race car for 24 Hour of the Nurburgring with a Matt Black paint job with Mooosive Front Splitter, Rear Diffuser & Rear wing

JCW Coupe Racecar

I was fortunate enough to hear Rauno Aaltonen and Paddy Hopkirk speaking about their LEGENDARY win at the Monte Carlo rally as well as the MINI Rally & Dakar Drivers

MINI Motorsport Drivers

It was amazing finally seeing them and speaking with them in real life as i they are always at shows or promoting the Brand but I never got close to them.

We managed to get their autographs and have a chat with them

Garry got his Monte Carlo speeding ticket signed by them whilst Christine got her driving license signed

On the 2nd Day of MINI UNITED the new GP was unveiled to the world

MINI GP

Sadly wasnt impressed by it given it didnt look as special as the last GP which was made by Bertone in Italy which custom parts, whilst the new GP didnt look that much different from a regular JCW

However i did like the touches such the 6 pot calipers up front, Carbon rear wing and rear diffuser. Alot the development went into the suspension and aero of the car to which is why its so fast around the Nurburgring at 8:23 Minutes. I am actually tempted to get the GP under tray put on the my JCW due to it significantly decreasing rear lift

I later learnt my local dealer will have one in as Dawn asked me for some pics and what i thought of it as she took an order & deposit for one for a customer who had never seen it

I went to get my carbon handbrake and gaitor fitted sadly they the MINI team there didnt know how to do and kind of broke my handbrake.

With this happening i was annoyed given that it happened but it was resolved quickly by Stefan who managed to sweeten me up with some FREE SWAG & hot passenger laps in the MINI Challenge Race car.

With the day closing we headed back to the Villa for a quick dip in the pool and BBQ.

BBQ at the Villa

We talked about the new GP and I wanted everyone to come this time to the concert as it was such a laugh. After hyping everyone up, all the guys jumped into my JCW whilst and the Girlies jumped into Mrs MINI (Janet) Cooper S with the Bandit at the wheel (Phil – Janet’s Husband)

Christine brought her ‘Special Orange juice’ with her which was more like 2% orange juice and 98% vodka or something. She was giggling and merry all night with Janet, Nicole and everyone.

This actually a night to remember as Gossip and The Ting Tings where playing. The Gossip rocked it out and The Tings Tings SMASHED IT!!!

The Ting Tings rocking it out

They had me dancing away all night with Fast Five and we made some more friends that night with some local people and i met the beautiful Mika Romeo a local girl who was training to be a nurse. She was an absolute stunner and spoke every good english and we had a right giggle together.

We bumped into the Belgium group again and made even more M&Ms that night (MINI MATES).

This is why i love the brand, it brings people from all corners of the globe regardless of religion, faith, nationality or cast all together.

We stayed to the end of the concert where 3 DJs spun their decks all together at once for a serious set of dance & dub-step tunes. We headed back down the hills to back to Villa for the Final day of MINI UNITED tomorrow which was Bitter sweet.

This was our final day at the Villa and MINI UNITED : (

We headed out in convoy to Paul Ricard circuit for the last time

Today was my Hot Lap in the Challenge Car which is essentially my JCW just stripped with a roll cage, front splitter and rear wing.

MINI Challenge Car

I popped on my flame proof mask and racing helmet and climbed into the floor sitting Bucket Recaros and I was strapped into the 6 point racing harness.

Rally Ali is Ready!

The driver was Henry Littig from Germany who runs in the MINI Challenge series and the very first thing i said him was “Dont hold back and just go flat out” which there was a polite hod.

I gave Henry the thumbs up I was ready to roll we rolled out the pits and the spilt second the pit light went off the Exhaust blarred out the exhausts fumes with a POP and we hurtled towards the 1st bend at 80mph!!!

I could barely hold on to my camera as the acceleration was so violent as dawned upon the 100m brake zone he didnt brake!!! Then the 50m marker came he didnt brake!!!! then a second later he slammed the brake pedal for a second shaving off some serious speed whilst throwing me forward hard against the harness. If that was enough he turned in for the bend and the grip was IMMENSE from the Dunlop slicks with held the asphalt like magnetic stuck down to the ground.

I have never EVER experience grip like that before and i was actually throw again to the side of the Recaros with my helmet hitting the side

We clipped the Apex and he bang through the gears like that were nothing and i thought he would brake for the next bend and HE DIDNT!!!! The Dunlops just gripped and gripped like we sucked to the floor

This was the best ride i have been in a car FULL STOP. I have driven some serious cars so far ranging from BMW M3s, Bentley Continentals, Porsches and a Lamborghini Gallardo but nothing compares to the way this MINI carried its SPEED, POWER & GRIP through the circuit like it was freight train.

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and thank you Henry for nothing holding back, i loved every second of it!!!

Next on the list was get my handbrake sorted and my JCW Sidestripes fitted

The handbrake was fitted properly this time with the proxy resin glue used to hold it position.

Carbon Fibre Handbrake

I got the JCW Stripes fitted lower than normal because i thought they were a bit too high on the JCW Roadster I saw them on

JCW Side Stripes

The guys fitted them perfectly on my JCW and i was actually speechless when they showed when it was all done

JCW Side Stripe

It was a nice subtle decal which reminds me of the Porsche GT RS side stripe to finish off my JCW. Plus a few months on I am yet to see anyone with them on : )

I parked my JCW up against the Plane Hangar in the shade to find my 1st sad story at MINI UNITED, which was a R53 Cooper S from Russia whose Coil Pack had gone and they couldn’t do anything about it as dealerships were closed : (

R53 Cooper S From Russia With Love

I hope MINI can learn from this as they travelled all the way from Russia for these 3 Days and nothing could be done. I hope they bring a team with them next time with parts as likelihood of a MINI breaking down is possible. Plus performance parts or complicated parts couldnt fitted on MINIs which were brought at MINI UNITED due the team not having the experience which was a shame. But fair play to MINI any parts that were brought that could be fitted were fitted for FREE!!!

I went to check out the MINI Design section of MINI UNITED to see all the concepts MINI have came out with the Countryman, Clubvan and Paceman.

MINI ClubVan

I loved how MINI turned the Clubman into a van which i was telling my dad before I left for MINI UNITED that it would be a perfect 2nd car to lug around stuff in and it would be a MINI.

MINI Paceman

The Love the look of the Paceman with its Coupe like appearance which is vast improvement on the Countryman’s look.

There was this countryman where you could put your name or a message on and it was absolutely covered on the last day, the paint is actually ‘Blue’ on it.

Messaged Countryman

Our Final Hurray was on another track but not with a MINI but in Go Karts. This was the MOTHER OF ALL RACES with Honour, Respect & ENDLESS BRAGGING RIGHTS to THE END OF TIME on the line.

Garry, Me, Tom and Phil race prepared ourselves putting on our sexy hair nets then our helmets. Moby (Garry) was told to remove his saddles and told put some trainers which had seen better days.

We stared each other out and picked our weapons of choice and slid into the bucket seats of the Petrol Go Karts.  We given our racing instructions about the track and quick tips on how to drive them.

I wanted a Le Mans style starting but that wasn’t allowed but the marshalls started up the engines and we blipped our throttle whilst closing our visors.

We were off with Garry taking the lead with Phil not to far behind with me in a close 3rd and Tom somewhere behind us eating our dust (Actually he was doodling taking in the sites). As we learnt the track go around the 1st time, Phil was taking no prisoners hurtling at each corner at break neck speeds and clipping apexes.

Garry in the meantime was having a wardrobe misfunction with his hair net getting his eyes (He virtually has no hair). Typical racing driver excuses- told him not to use my L’Oreal shampoo in the morning.

This left a gap for me too sneak past and chase down Phil who had just started lapping people. I was giving it my all drafting the competition and sneaking in on the apex when they ran wide under my pressure.

I lapped Tom and had a quick chat with him as i passed him on the course. He was like a granny on electric scooter and told him to speed up.

Garry rejoined the race again after his issues with the hair net but to his misfortune Phil had some plans for his own. Lets just say there was some ‘slight rubbing’ which spun Garry out when Phil passed him.

Garry was out again and i was right up Phil behind on the last lap but it wasnt enough as couldnt make up the pace to overtake. I swear Phil must have down something to his Kart as he is a engineer/mechanic by trade.

Phil was victorious and the debate of the slight rubbing goes on to this day

This was the bitter sweet moment we headed back to the Villa and finished packing to leave and head back to the UK.

Our next stop was somewhere special in France where was a bridge which was actually designed by a British Architect

It was the The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. It is also the tallest bridge in the world with one mast’s summit at 343.0 metres (1,125 ft) above the base of the structure. The viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Montpellier. Construction cost was approximately €400 million.

Once we reached the Viaduct we drove across it and it was like we driving through the clouds. We all parked up at the Viaduct Museum and went up the hill to take some snaps & videos of the breathtaking view of the bridge and the valley below.

Garry wanted to line up all our MINIs into a shot where the Viaduct could be seen. So we searched on the maps and on the Navs to find a spot.

Surrey New MINI at the Viaduct

In the end we found two good spots

Surrey Toy New MINI at the Viaduct

Our MINIs look like toy cars in the shots

With that Final visit done, we hit the toll roads and head to Dijon for overnight hotel where we met up with Mark & Ian for a nice dinner together. It was a nice final day together eating and sharing our laughs and stories over a beauty French food.

We actually bumped into a very interesting lorry driver on the way home, he was transporting the McLaren F1 Formula car to UK after it was finished being test in preparation to for the Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren F1 Racing Truck

He said that the lorry drivers have competitions whilst they drive across the world to see who can use their brakes the less. He had only finished a set of brake pads after 4 years!!!

I had the time of my life with people i have never met in my life and they made me feel welcome into their little family and they became my family.

I genuinely love you guys & girls

Christine – Thank you for bringing me into the club and helping me out even when you can barely hear me. Sorry about speaking so fast on the phone all the time and thanks for all the PDFs & Check lists. I would have been a mess without you xxx

Garry – I love your witty charm and grin when we talk & the WC50 is truely a GREEN MONSTER

Janet & Phil – I appreciate you making me feel welcome and all the laughs we had. I hope some day my relationship with my partner will be like you two

Phil – Thanks for bringing all the stuff to MINI UNITED in your Clubbie and you are truely are  good mate to me. Your Clubbie sounds better than my JCW sometimes

Nicole – You were a great laugh on the trip and you put a smile on my face through out the stay

Ian – Thank you for helping me with my MINI passion and allowing Surrey New MINI to be platform to promote my blog

Mark – Thanks for all the giggles, laughs and support on the forums, Instragram and the blog ps I am slightly jealous you have a Hampton Clubman

Tom – You have become one of my closest friend and you have picked me up when I was down and I thank you

I dont think MINI UNITED would have been as LEGENDARY without you guys & girls

Surrey New MINI

This wasn’t the end for me & Tom as we wouldn’t be heading just home yet…

Videos

Monte Carlo Rally Drivers Interview on their infamous WIN – http://youtu.be/8yfkOxwEqc4

Entering the MINI CHALLENGE RACE CAR – http://youtu.be/CgkHtXkGk2o

HOT LAP IN THE MINI CHALLENGE RACE CAR – http://youtu.be/lRzMxZasmRE

JCW Side Stripes being Fitted – http://youtu.be/uTX6HKZKfDw

SNM Driving back to the UK – http://youtu.be/JC6jQVq4ECY

SNM Driving on The Millau Viaduct Bridge – http://youtu.be/XE2OKDTpggM

The Millau Viaduct Bridge – http://youtu.be/WvpUoXVfO2E

SNM Photoshoot at The Millau Viaduct – http://youtu.be/SdvnaAZ8OWM

Photos

DropBox Link

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ez5hf5otc4h03bh/aVhBprk7fa/MINI%20UNITED%20PART%202

Next Post MINI IN PARIS….

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The post The Road to MINI UNITED PART 3: The Final Lap appeared first on JCW Adventures.

The sun rose hitting our MINI Badges and there was a smell of burning rubber from last night.

The Fast Five left the hotel leaving and headed forth to the airport to pick up Nicole – Christine’s niece from the airport.

Back on the Toll roads which was great fun with the smooth asphalt and the booths to stop at then race off at full throttle, they never got boring.

Having picked up Nicole we headed into the horizon with our little wavy UK flag on our aerials. The destination was the Villa which would be our home for the next 4 days which was located only a 5 minutes away from MINI UNITED at the Paul Ricard Circuit.

Cruising in our convoy we passed numerous MINIs old and new to which we later met at MINI UNITED and spoke with the owners at let. More interestingly we spotted the MINI Trophy Truck on the motorway to which we honked our horns but didn’t get any reply : (

We got off the toll roads and hit the back roads for the nice scenic drive but more importantly for some French cuisine. We stumbled on this small French restaurant which its pebbled and stone car park.

I was sceptical about the food with me being all picky and i didn’t think French food would be that good. God how wrong i was about it all. I had a beautiful three course meal starting with a simple salad & some fresh baguette slices. The main was grilled fish with a white sauce and French gratin potatoes and a chocolate moose for desert.

All fuelled we headed to Villa passing some beautiful scenery along the river the flowed across this little town we passed threw.

The Villa stayed in was fantastic with 6 bedrooms, fine furnishing, swimming pool, BBQ and plenty of space to park all of our MINIs behind a motorised gate.

The next MINI Adventure was to head to Nice airport to pick up my friend Tom from China (close university friend of mine) then reach our the glamorous destination of Monaco.

There is even a MINI on the Nice Airport Parking Ticket : D

Having pick up at Nice Airport we headed to Monaco along the coast with 32 degrees heat with clear blue skies and clear water. We headed up the hills to Monaco and stares insued as we headed into Monaco in a convoy.

Nice’s Coast

We all eyed up the casino with Ferraris, Rolls Royce, Bentleys all lined up outside. We had a better location to head to being the Infamous Monaco tunnel. We all entered the tunnel with Garry’s WC50 aka The Green Monster leading the pack. We all gunned it down the tunnel only for Garry to get pulled over by a waiting officer with his hand out with a speed gun.

Monaco Police – License & Registration Please

We feared the worst as France has very strict laws on speeding with hefty on the spot fine. We heard over radios that the fine 2250 Euros over the radio thinking that everyone would have to chip in for the fine. To our amazement it was only 22.50 Euros plus Garry got a cheeky snap with officer who caught him.

SNM Crew on the Monaco Circuit

We parked our MINIs up along the Monaco grand Prix circuit to nose around and take some piccies. We adventured around Monaco looking for somewhere to eat but we stumbled upon a Ferrari Dealership.

We set next the circuit having our lunch with these little tinnie tiny deserts which were to die for.

We managed to drive all the way around the whole circuit but we tried to do some shots at the starting grind but we couldn’t do the traffic. So I decided to leave my own mark there by leaving some 11s on the starting grid.

The day had dawned and it was the 1st Day of MINI UNITED!!!!

So got up early and washed the car with the arsenal full of cleaning products and pressure washer and snowfoam lance from Phil’s Clubman.

Snowfoaming our MINIs for MINI UNITED

All cleaned and polished we head up the hills to the Paul Ricard Circuit seeing MINIs from all places of the global waving and honking their horns. Forgot what it was liked to receive a MINI Wave off another owner but then again i will always shout MINI!!!! when I see another MINI.

MINI UNITED 2012

We all rolled up on the circuit and parked up on the grass and walked to the Check In Hanger where we received your free MINI UNITED 2012 Lanyards, bottle of water and wrist bands. We then had to walk  the long way around into what was called the Blue Zone.

There was bit of pavement where we go write our names and where we came from in chalk and this were we bumped into a MINI Group from Turkey

MINI Club From Turkey

There was this AWESOME MINI Rickshaw it was a Cooper S with 17 Inch rims and full leather seats. It was actually quite little to roll about in as i took for a flying lap on the pavement and the turning circle is good as well only downside its powered by what you eat in the morning.

MINI Rickshaw

There was this GIANT SLINGSHOT with a MINI on it

MINI Slingshot

There was HUGE Concert stage and 3 White tents which a food court, bar, internet cafe, MINI Accessories & Parts shop, MINI Show room ranging from the Cooper to JCW Roadster.

Mini MINI Showroom & Accessories Store

This is where I met Stefan from MINI Belgium who was the manager of the parts department where i probably left a mark with him with my wit and legendary blagging skills. While i was at the MINI shops i brought the MINI Flap Clock, Some Tees, Carbon Fibre Handbrake, Alcantara gaiter for the handbrake and JCW Side Stripes.

We jumped at the chance to go into MINI that were DRIFTING!!!!!

Drifting a MINI you say. Yupp!!! Its done by having special tires on the rears whereby when you break the back end slips out making the MINI handle like a rear wheel drive car

Easy Drift Tyres

How much are these tyres? £1,000 EACH

DRIFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We then had a good nose around looking at the MINI Collection ranging from R53 Carbon Fibre Roof Cooper S to Calvin Klein Countryman.

R53 with Carbon Fibre Roof

Calvin Klein MINI aka Drug Dealer ‘Car of the Year’

We booked some track time one with a control lap where there was a lead car who you followed but you were not allowed to overtake

This wasn’t even for me so i booked ‘Race Your MINI’ – what i call no holds barred racing where RallyAli comes out to which Garry wanted to see plus secretly he wanted to sit in my Recaros.

Sport Button Engaged and All electronics safety nannies switched off and as Colin McRae said “If In Doubt, Go Flat Out”

At the end of this madness my new tyres were tourched with serious scrubbing on the side walls and i must have worn off at least 2mm off a new set of tyres which my dad brought me as a going away present.

Sorry Dad : /

I clicked through the settings on my mini to see what mpg we were getting on the track

We got wait for it ……………………………………13MPG!!!!

After all this MINI Madness we headed back to the Villa for a swim in the pool and BBQ  NOM NOM NOM NOM

After all the mischief in the pool and nom nomin some good food. The Lads got ready for the 1st night of the Concert with Gossip, Iggy & The Stooges and Martin Solveig headling the nite.

Everyone jumped in my JCW as i dont drink and you should have seen everyone scrambling for a front seat in my JCW for the Recaros

With Harmon Kardon system blarring, windows down and exhaust note burbling we head up the hills to the Concert in 26 Degrees heat at 9 at night

Everyone got a little merry after a few drinks and we danced away with other MINI Owners and a small group from Belgium

MINI Concert

The concert was amazing with Martin Solveig having some serious skill on the decks at one point he was controlling 3 decks all the same time

Still buzzing after the concert, we all drove down the hills blaring some TUNEEEESSS.

We were stopped by the Police for a standard breathlyser test along with 5 other cars. The French police officer recognised it was UK car and moved to the right hand side of the car and politely asked to me breathe in the machine. I have never been asked to do one and he explained everything to me and asked where I had been. You should have seen his face when the machine came up with nothing. He must have thought it was broken and he spent the next 10 seconds checking it LOL

This was all done within 30 seconds if that with no attitude or anything. I have to add it was actually a nice experience to be fair. Hats off to the French Police they were very good, i wish UK Police were more like them. Even when I was told i could drive off he was still looking at the machine like it was broken.

With the 1st Day of MINI UNITED over I still couldn’t believe that I had drive 1,200 miles across another country I have never been before with people I have never met in my life and i was having the time of my life. I never of thought i could ever go to Monaco let alone drive around the circuit and meet all these MINI Owners from across the Globe and stay in a beautiful Villa.

I stayed up that night for a while looking outside my window thinking if I never had a MINI I would have never done any of this.

Surrey New MINI aka The Fast Five on the Monaco Circuit

Thank you BT11 WRK – Your worth every penny I spent on you

Video of Noisy SNM En route to MINI UNITED – http://youtu.be/NLImG3UYVZA

SNM Arriving at MINI UNITED – http://youtu.be/oL-xcLfTJrI

MINI Drifting Action – http://youtu.be/GbMAPDFTtHw

Parade Lap – http://youtu.be/M31r9JScssU

Racing my JCW – http://youtu.be/M470UnY0qVo

More Pictures of MINI UNITED 2012 – https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ez5hf5otc4h03bh/Yhk22N9Tzv/MINI%20UNITED

Next Post The Road to MINI UNITED PART 3 – The Final Lap

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With my Birthday just passed I turned 23 and a week later I would be travelling over 2,400 Miles off to Another country with 5 other MINI owners who I had never met before.

With the MINI Prepared more than me, I set off from my house and headed to Dover where I would meet the people I would be sharing this MINI Adventure with.

It was a long drive there so I set the cruise control on at 70mph and just relaxed with the Harman Kardon sound system providing the sound and the Recaros providing the comfort.

I drove past Oxford on the way to Dover with the beautiful yellow fields of buttercup flowers and windmill in one. Hopefully I would be taking my MINI one day to the place where it was born at the Oxford MINI Plant.

With miles racking up and the sunset in the UK the JCW was eating up the miles with ease. I hit the motorway here London Heathrow Terminal 5 and the traffic started to mount up on the 5 lanes with variable speed limits being imposed due traffic and accidents : /

Darkness fell and the Xenon lit up the road ahead of me perfectly given i had never driven so far south before. I called Christine to see how far they were from the Hotel and they had stopped for some dinner but would be setting off again in 20 minutes. Lets say i was lagging abit so SPORT BUTTON was engaged and every gap exploited for clean overtaking to maintain a constant velocity.

With only 5 miles remaining to the Hotel i thought i wouldn’t catch up but in the distance I saw familiar looking rear lights, so i put my foot down to catch up and it was Christine and Phill & Janet in their MINIs so i flashed and tucked in behind Janet’s Fully Loaded R53 Cooper S infront of Christine’s Tasty Hyper Blue LCI R56 JCW which had only 2,000 miles on the clock at time.

Christine’s JCW & Janet’s Cooper S

We parked up at the Hotel and spoke in the the lobby about each others MINIs, MINI UNITED and how each their journey had been.

The next day we all drove down in convoy to meet Garry with his WC50 at Dover where we would drive on cars on to the train to Channel Tunnel to enter France within 30 minutes. Garry’s WC50 is no ordinary JCW or WC50 by a long mile and earned its nickname of the ‘Green Monster’ during this MINI Adventure. With the stock look of an WC50 there is FMIC Intercooler, Sports Cat downpipe, Alta Blow off valve and remap which brings it up from the standard 208 BHP to 280 BHP & 320 Ft Lbs of Torque.

Garry’s WC50 aka ‘The Green Monster’

We lined up the cars to board the train to which would taking us to France in 30 minutes and then drove on to the train parked inside up whilst listening to the on-board safety announcements.

Boarding the Channel Tunnel Train

With this time we had onboard we spoke about each other MINIs and all the adventures they had and what mods they had done to their MINIs. These owners were all member of Surrey New Mini (SNM) who knew each previously but made me feel at home the moment i met them (they are like a second family to me now).

MINI Laughs all around with SNM Crew

We rolled into France and disembarked the train and reminded ourselves to drive on the wrong side of the road. Sat Navs set and Radios sorted Top Gear Road Trip style and we headed for our half way point hotel in Dijon to enroute to the Villa near MINI UNITED.

MINI Convoy

With being a national holiday when we arrived, the motorways were completely empty and we only passed one car after 2 hours of driving. We stopped at a service station to fill up the cars and grab a snack at which point we met up with another member of SNM – Phil with his Clean R56 Clubman Cooper S with JCW Exhaust system. All fuelled up and feed whilst causing a stir at the service station with all our MINIs we left to reach our hotel before night.

Phil’s Cooper S Clubman

We reached our hotel and freshen up only to find Ian (118) on SNM/TotalMini Forum Moderator and Mark from Ireland with his Uber cool MINI Hampton Edition Clubman arrive. I just adore the Hampton Edition with its Reef Blue metallic paint and the WHEELS with the burnished lip Damson Red touches centres. Its just not the exterior of the car i am mesmerised by its interior with the Lounge leather seats with Damson red piping and custom dash board trims make this MINI the apple of my eye. Given i have a soft spot for the Clubman and especially Hampton Edition would make a perfect 2nd car to me given i have driven a JCW Clubman extensively as well as the Hampton Clubman SD as a loan car.

Mark’s MINI Hampton Clubman

We all then went over the road from the hotel to a lovely little pizzeria where I introduced myself and my JCW. We had a beautiful meal sharing stories & few jokes and I made two new MINI Mates.

MINI Mates aka My M&Ms

This is the story so far!!!! Given I had just turned 23 travelled from the UK and into France with 5 people i have never met in my life. I was having the time of my life with people i wouldn’t have never met if i didnt have a MINI

SNM Crew Fly By with Their MINIs – http://youtu.be/WKdFUfQo_a8

The tagline for MINI UNITED 2012 sums everything up perfectly FRIENDS.FESTIVAL.RACING

Next Post The Road to MINI UNITED PART 2….

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With MINI UNITED around the corner I decided to prepare the car for the Long MINI Adventure

First up was an Oil change at 10,000 miles only because I think 20,000 miles for an oil change is too long.

I had the MINI Dealership to 60 point Check on my JCW

Next up was a set of new tyres. From the factory my JCW had Dunlop SP Sport 01s which were summer runflat tyre and to me quite skittish in the wet.

I wanted all year round tyre and given it rains virtually all the time in the UK. I needed a tyre that would have grip in the wet.

After looking at all the brands and tyres available for my JCW, i went for Uniroyal Rainsport 2 (nonrunflats) on the advice of the tyrefitter.

Straight away the ride of the car improved significantly, lower road noise and better turn in.

Strange the car felt lower and looked lower. Apparently this is due the soft tyre walls on non runflat tyres.

Another thing i did whilst i got the tyres done was filled them with Nitrogen. The reason behind this because air has water in it and other elements from the atmosphere so tyre pressure would fluctuate with temperature.

The benefits of filling your tyre with nitrogen is that it wont fluctuate with temperature so tyre pressure stays consistent, in turn this gives even tyre wear and increased mpg.

Not bad given it cost £1 per tyre

As I would be driving through France en route to MINI UNITED I would have to apply to various EU Laws and having to drive on the wrong side of the road.

Here are things you will need and do:

1. Drive on the wrong side of the road
2. GB stickers
3. Warning Triangle
4. Fire Extinguisher
5. High Vis Vest from Driver & Passengers
6. Spare Bulb kit – Dont need spare bulbs for Front Xenon lights only
7. For All front lights need to be repositioned so they don’t blind people – UK we drive on the right so they beam is angled differently
8. Travel with all insurance documents and Photo driving license (log book if you are not the registered keeper)
9. Speed limit 110 KMH (70 MPH) on motorways and sometimes 130 KMH (80MPH) – 30KMH (20MPH) Less in the wet
10. Speed camera detectors or sat nav speed camera warnings are illegal
11. Legal drink limit is 0.5 mg/ml
12. Breathalysers will be compulsory from 1st July 2012 – You need have a breathalyser in the car
13. When Overtaking dictate and level the dictator on until you have overtaken
14. France has toll roads therefore have some change or buy Liber Tag (Allows you to drive throw tolls without stopping and you can pay the bill after a month with a discount)
15. All times such as travel documents, insurance and safety equipment must within hands reach and not in the boot

I wanted a bit more noise from my JCW so went for ITG Filter. I wanted to keep the car looking standard so I just changed the panel filter only. The ITG Filter allows the air to flow more freely which in turn gives a few Bhp but nothing to shout about or real gain in performance. However after fitting the filter I got more Pops n Bangs and more induction noise from the Dump value & Turbo : D

My Xenons didnt need adjusting and cool thing was that on the MINI you can switch over to KMH by changing the setting via your indicator stalk

I brought a EU Driving pack with had all the stuff I need all in one bag which made life easy off amazon for £25 Delivered

I decided to upgrade my JCW exterior light as i would need spare bulbs anyway.

I brought some Chrome/Silvertech sidelights and indicator bulbs to get rid of the egg fried look. They look chrome/silver but when you indicate they flash orange.

Next was the Front Fogs as i didnt like the yellow light they gave off so i brought some Ice Blue Xenon HID Fog lights which give off a brighter white light.

I brought the Aero wipers as they look cool and they actually remove the water off the windscreen much faster

I brought suction mount for the HD Camera I brought for MINI UNITED : D

Finally I brought some sexy metal pressed number plates which i think look sooooo COOL

I met the wonderful Christine another JCW Owner on the Surrey New MINI forums who had spare room in villa for MINI UNITED. I jumped up and grabbed the room as the Villa looked fantastic from the pics plus it was only 10 minutes away from the Paul Ricard Circuit where MINI UNITED was happening!!!!

I joined the new Surrey New MINI Club (SNM) to which I am now a proud member & supporter (AM_AUTOS) – www.surreynewmini.co.uk

Everything was now set for MINI UNITED!!!

Next Post – The Road to MINI UNITED

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I was selected from numerous old & new MINIs and i was invited to Chobham Test Track in London where Autocar test drive cars and do their 60 seconds Video reviews.

Alot of high speed testing happens at this track as well as lot of TV & film stunt scenes – The most recent being for Top Gear & the new Bond Film Skyfall.

I cleaned, polish, hoovered and cleaned the engine bay for the TV Shoot and sent off from house over 120 miles away. To my luck it started to rain heavily – Thank you British Weather.

I arrived at my hotel which Attaboy TV provided for me.

The next day I sent for bright and early for the shoot and i spotted another JCW – Chilli Red with a Black Roof & JCW Rear Spoiler (later found out they were a member of Totalmini).

I arrived at the Test Track to find a BEAST of Mitsubishi Pajero that looked liked it had ever been cleaned but still it had this MAGIC to it – guess it was the LEGENDARY owner – Kavin McLeod (Great guy).

Then about 5 mins later a Old School Range Rover, P1 Scooby & Evo 6 Tommi Makinen Edition GSR turned up!!!

Then just after that a Classic MINI turned up. Everyone was great to talk to and everyone spoke about the mischief they had been up to with their cars.

Whilst this was going on i was trying to get my JCW all shiney again : D

We were taken on to the test route to the Photoshoot location which was epic drive with an Leguna Seca like corkscrew bend.

We are driving at 60mph and this Mclaren MP4-12C blew past us at least 150MPH it actually shook our cars.

We lined up our cars for the shoot to become stars, actually scrap that my car is more famous then me : /

A Koenigsegg CCR turned up for a potential buyer and it sound biblical at full throttle!!

After some nice lunch it was back to TV Shoot which was really fun as we drove around the test track and a Camera car drive in front of you.

Me being the Joker i am i wanted to sit in the back and i have a go in the camera car to which i was allowed. I was smirking and giggling all the way around, when they took me for a spin round the track.

I finally got to drive a classic MINI that day and i really want one now!!! There is so much room in them plus all the bits and they very easy to work & tune (the saving pot has begun). Made a MINI Mate that day Dave Itzy – the owner of the Classic is a professional Photographer as well (Dave Itzy Media).

Dropbox Link for More Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ez5hf5otc4h03bh/im_sSTbdii/TV%20Shoot

Next Post – Preparing for MINI UNITED 2012….

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I caught the modding Bug again : /

First on the list was to get rid of the CHROME GRILL Surrounds

It was previously Black on all JCWs but with mine being a LCI (Facelifted model) they changed to minimise the different parts needed at the factory to keep prices down : O

Cost me £45 plus fitting for the Black Grille Surround

This made my JCW look alot more Aggressive GRRRRRRR

It was off with The Standard Chrome Side Vents to JCW Mesh Vents

To a nod to my old R56 MINI One, I fitted my Cheeky Little Handcuffs to the sun visor

I am not gonna say anything about them but instead let you ponder about that…

I am HUGGGGEEE Motoring fan and Car Lover so got some new window decals for the rear windows as i would be soon be visiting the place where JCW was developed and honed the Green Hell aka Nurburgring

I hated the yellow light coming from the front side lights and changed them to LEDs for a Bright White Light to match my Xenon Lights.

A MINI road trip to Shrewsbury again was needed for Carbon Fibre Goodness and to Sharpen up the JCW’s Go Karting Handling.

I ordered the Carbon Fibre Steering Wheel Insert to match my JCW Gearknob

I also purchased the JCW Strut Brace to which i wasn’t sure about as i know modern cars have alot stiffer chassis now and not like the old Ford Cortinas where the body would flex.

If it did make a difference it would be to cornering ability. If not it would be just be some under the bonnet BLING!!!

Yet I read on the forums that it eliminated some of the torque steer that would be of benefit to my MINI Adventures.

I Love how the JCW Logo is engraved on the strut brace

I am happy to say that i was shocked with the difference given the JCWs Huge pedigree on the handling front. Turn in is sharper, Torque steer has been nearly eliminated, the ride actually improved with it feeling alot the less crashy over poor roads and at high speeds the car is alot more stable.

Next Post – Smile for the Camera….

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