see the British Mini Club at the Mini Festival

The British Mini Club will have a display of both Classic and New Mini at the Mini Festival which takes place on Sunday July 6th 2008 at the Heritage Motor Centre near Gaydon, Warwickshire. Please come along and say hello. take the time to admire the Minis on our stand and maybe purchase some of our merchandise. Also take the opportunity to become a member of the British Mini Club (if you have not already done so). being a member gives yoo discounted entry into our shows for the rest 2008 and beyond.

The Mini Festival at Gaydon is always a popular event with many traders and clubs on show plus you get free access to the museum which is always worth a visit as you can see the Mini Rally cars from the 60's plus much more Mini history. There is a Mini heritage run from Longbridge, Childrens entertainment plus... The invasion of the Daleks !!

More details can be found at www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

iMotor: the web’s newest and most exciting digital motoring magazine

It’s time to rip up the car magazine rulebook. When it launches on 17th July, iMotor will, for the first time ever, allow readers to enjoy the latest pictures, videos and test drives of all the best new cars in one single hassle-free entertaining interactive digital format. And the best bit is it’s delivered direct to your inbox completely free-of-charge.

Issued fortnightly, the first ever issue of iMotor will hit the interneton Thursday 17th July – the week before the British International Motor Show at Excel, London. Visitors to www.imotormag.co.uk can register for the first issue today.

Combining the best elements of print, online and broadcast media, iMotor brings the world of motoring to life in an easily navigable format with incisive content, TV-style delivery and the sights and sounds of all the latest cars.

Flipping through the digital pages, iMotor will feature everything on four wheels from the hottest supercars to the most economic city models; informative test-drive films of the latest models to hit the road, sneaky spy pictures and exclusive first-looks of forthcoming vehicles.

iMotor also encourages readers to interact with its content, allowing users to register their opinions and join the debate on the hottest topics as well as play the site’s interactive games.

Mat Watson, editor of iMotor, said: “This is the ultimate car magazine for busy people. We'll deliver all the latest news and test-drives on the models that matter, direct to your inbox to save you the hassle of searching the web or popping to the newsagents. And we will bring all the cars to life like never before with lots of video, unprecedented levels interactivity and a healthy dose of entertainment.”

British Mini Day - Catton Hall 2008

The British Mini Club Welcome you to our all new Prestigous Venue for the second outdoor British Mini Day of 2008 - Brought to you by the British Mini Club - The worlds leading Mini Club. Sunday 7th September 2008 sees the last British Mini Day of 2008 move to the stunning new venue of Catton Hall on the Derbyshire / Staffordshire border. Catton Hall plays host to the Premier Concours Grand final of 2008. Catton Hall has been in the hands of the same family since 1405, and the present Hall, built in 1745, is the home of Robin and Katie Neilson, Their elegant home is the superb venue for the Grand Finals of the British Mini Club Premiership Concours event

This really is a stunning venue for a British Mini Day and we are proud to bring it to you. Full details are on the website at: www.britishminiclub.co.uk

Quirky Classic Mini Tales

Quirky what you might say !!! Well the BMC are looking for interesting and not so interesting Mini tales from the last 50 years. These can be added to our time line perhaps or maybe a little story book on the website. Before they are lost for all time.

What is he on about you might think. Well what about the guy who spent nearly £20,000 restoring his Mini Cooper S a few years ago then pays the guy who built his engine to come over to his house to start it up every week!! Then when he took it to MITP one year he got his club members to sweep away the sheep poo so he could display it on 'clean grass'

Or the virtually destroyed crash tested Clubmans that were found in the underground bunkers at Gaydon when Rover went bust. Or when we went to pick up our brand new 1995 Mini Cooper Si from John Cooper Garages the man himself dragged him self out of his sick bed (he had bad flu) to come and personally hand over the car to us. Then a few years later John Cooper told us he had followed our 'concours carear' in the magazines and how proud he was to see us win.

Or even the take about when the Mini was designed the cars kept flooding because the sills were being put on upside down.

Tell us your little quirky tales on the British Mini Club Forum before they are lost for all time. We are sure they will be fascinating to all Mini fans. They all add the personal touch to the car we all love so much

MINI: theft resistant package comes as standard

MINI has won the City Car/Supermini category of this year’s highly influential British Insurance Car Security Awards – yet another accolade for MINI’s trophy cabinet.

Awarded on the basis of its New Vehicle Security Ratings (a scoring system measuring ‘theft of’ and ‘theft from’), MINI beat off its rivals to secure first place in the award that has become a leading indicator of all that is best in vehicle security.

The awards first started in 2004 and were developed jointly by the Automobile Association, the Department for Transport, the Home Office and the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre at Thatcham, and are supported by British motor insurers and other motoring organisations aiming to improve vehicle security.

Steve Nash, Aftersales Director said: “MINI is proud to accept this award for the City Car/Supermini category. Not only does the MINI range look great, but the long list of benefits to the customer now extends to include security as well – another feather in MINI’s cap!”

MINI’s competitive edge extends to cost of ownership benefits such as fuel consumption, emissions and insurance ratings, as well as ‘real world’ features such as high level safety standards.

MINI scored the maximum possible five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test – receiving an ‘excellent’ rating for passenger and driver protection in front, side and pole impacts, not to mention a ‘well above average’ rating for child safety.

MINI Cooper D Clubman is a great example of MINI’s strength in the vital cost of ownership bracket. Featuring MINI tlc (£150 for five years/50,000 miles of servicing), it has an insurance rating of 8E, emissions output of 109g/km, a combined fuel consumption of 68.9mpg, sits in VED tax band B and therefore, only costs £35 per year to tax. So not only does MINI keep thieves out, it keeps passengers safe, offers cost effective insurance ratings, has low emissions and fuel consumption, and an all-inclusive maintenance package; a great all rounder!

MINI workers in temporary lay-off

Hundreds of staff at BMW’s Mini factory in Oxfordshire will be temporarily forced to cease production this weekend due to Spanish fuel protests.

Management at the plant, in Cowley, have told the BBC they cannot get hold of crucial parts as all airports and ports have effectively been blocked. Unions were in discussions with the plant’s management today (Friday: June 13).

Early indications were that staff would be paid as normal although they may work some unpaid hours in the long-run. The company said it was working closely with the unions and hoped to resume production on Monday (June 16). In a statement, a BMW spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, due to the Spanish hauliers’ strike, we are having to suspend production over the weekend.

”The situation is beyond our control and the strike is affecting manufacturers across Europe, who are unable to get parts out of Spain as all ports and airports have been blocked.

”We are unable maintain production due to a lack of crucial parts but hope to resume full production shortly.

”In the meantime, we are monitoring the situation closely and are grateful for our associates’ understanding at this time.”

Lorry drivers in Spain have been blockading major cities in a protest over diesel prices since Monday. About 700 Minis are produced every day at Cowley, where 4,700 people work three shifts, seven days per week. (Autowired: June 13).

Cars with worst brakes in Britain revealed - with your help

An online survey is underway to reveal which vehicles have the worst brakes on the British roads - our readers have been asked to help.

According to the Department for Transport 1-in-3 road accidents happens because a vehicle fails to stop in time. This report could reveal why some of these accidents happen - and how they can be avoided.

The survey is designed to find which vehicles have poor stopping ability, brake discs that wear out early, judder, warp or suffer brake fade. Results of the survey will be made public and supplied to the Car manufacturers involved. A free copy of report will be supplied to all motorists filling in the online survey which takes about two-minutes to complete.

The survey was requested by Mail order specialists, Car Parts Direct who has seen a huge increase in the number of vehicles requiring brake discs early because of defects in the original brakes fitted.

Mark Cornwall of Car Parts Direct said, "We regularly supply upgraded brakes for vehicles where our customers tells us the original brake discs fitted wear out early or fail to provide adequate stopping - this survey will reveal the worst affected vehicles"

Mark Cornwall believes some car manufacturers are fitting brake discs that are unable to cope with the performance of modern vehicles. He claims an increased number of drivers are ordering their more expensive Rossini drilled and grooved performance discs, rather than fitting their standard brakes - especially after they have experienced a dangerous brake fade problem, warp or juddering.

Cornwall added, "Brakes are the most safety critical part on any vehicle. The original brake discs fitted should be made to highest standards available - and possibly drilled and grooved for added safety. Motorists should not need to upgrade - but many do."
To help with the online survey, have a chance to win a set of free Rossini Performance Brake discs and receive your free brake survey report visit www.carparts-direct.co.uk/survey

Enrol at MINIVERSITY at the 2008 British International Motor Show

This summer MINI UK will open the doors to a brand new model at MINIVERSITY, the Oxford-based car manufacturer's home at the 2008 British International Motor Show.
Between 22 July and 03 August, the UK media and British public will have the opportunity to view first hand some of the smartest things to come out of Oxford in recent years. MINI owners will have access to ‘The Union’, an area to meet others in the MINI community, while future customers can take a walk through the ‘Faculty of Engineering’ and discover the millions of ways to personalise a new MINI. The stand will also incorporate a Quadrangle-style area on which the entire MINI range will be displayed.

The most recent ‘graduate’ from MINI Plant Oxford is sure to draw crowds to the stand. The brand new MINI John Cooper Works will be shown to the public for the first time on British soil.

The fastest production MINI ever will be joined by the greenest MINI, in its Cooper D guise. The MINI Cooper D’s ultra-low CO2 figure of 104 g/km, fuel economy of 72.4mpg and rock solid residual values make it perhaps one of the most rational choices for buyers in the new car market.

British show visitors faced with the threat of C02 emissions-related road use taxation, spiralling fuel costs and the often catastrophic losses made in selling-on nearly new cars should make a bee-line for the Institute of MINIMALISM, where technologies fitted to the Cooper D and other MINI cars are explained.

MINIMALISM technologies, which are the same as those used in BMW’s EfficentDynamics systems, include Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop and Switch Point Display.

Andy Hearn, General Manager for MINI UK, said: “MINI has a habit of turning heads and it will be the same story at this year’s show. MINIversity is a great concept as our stand will not only present MINI’s personality, but also educate visitors on MINI’s green credentials. MINI will show it’s entirely possible to own a car that’s clean, green and great to drive.

“It’s also a great way to remind people that British manufacturing is alive and well at MINI Plant Oxford.”

Ban Boredom with MINI

Our mates at MINI thought you might be interested in this, it's a campaign there promoting for Mini. We are not sure if you've seen the new Ban Boredom, Mini ads on Telly? This is the internet equivalent. It allows you to drive a Mini throughout whatever you like!
Check it out: www.banboredom.com

Uncle Steve's holiday photos, the music of the pan pipes, we all have things that bore us to tears. If you can't handle the tedium any more there is now a way to take drastic action against your bugbears. Visit www.banboredom.com to spectacularly launch a MINI through the object of your boredom. Go on give it a go it is great fun and certainly brings a smile to face. Certainly better than trawling the internet for that long lost Mini photo

Fuelling your MINI in the USA as expensive as the UK?

Our good friends in the USA over at the twistyblitz blog have recently posted this on there blog. I presume the cost of fuel is per gallon..

"Since I had not yet had the pleasure of helping the petroleum companies stop their sagging profits, I went to my local station and did my part to save them.

The cheapest “FillerUp” station, I don’t do ARCO, here in Pasadena, that I have found, is a Valero. Just across the street is a Mobile station. Mobile $4.99, Valero $4.769 for 91 octane. So, $54.67 poorer I motoring off to Malibu." according to the twistyblitz bog

That works out on the xe.com conversion site to about £2.50 a gallon. Do you remember those days of cheap less than £3's a gallon fuel.. We certainly do, and no way will those days be back. We reckon it is $11's US now a gallon here in the UK. Please Mr Darling does us all a favour and reduce the tax on fuel so we can get back to enjoying driving our MINI's again and not watching every penny as we fill up

MINI SUV takes on Ford Kuga

According to the latest issue of Auto Express (4th June 2008) the new MINI SUV 4x4, which will make it's debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, is looking to take on the new Ford Kuga SUV.

They think the SUV will have a strong family appeal with 5 doors and a longer wheel base which gives more room inside. Much of the interior will be carried over from the Clubman. Known as the Crossman it will feature the 1.6 petrol and Diesel engines. With the very economical 1.4 being unavailable although a 6 speed box should be an option. Interested buyers will be able to order the Cooper or Cooper S version.

Here at the British Mini Club we think it will be interesting to see if MINI decide to make a John Cooper Works version and what sort of price that would be. We reckon a JCW could touch £30,000 with all the extras fitted. The standard Cooper would need to be around £18,000 or so to compete with the Ford Kuga. Auto Express understand's that it will only be able to perform light off roading and more suited to the normal roads like the current fantastic MINI.

We still think it will be very interesting to see the price and whether or not it will appeal to MINI fans around the world. It might of course open up a whole new market for MINI.

To see images and the full Auto Express article please follow this link : www.autoexpress.co.uk

Life Ball MINI 2008 by Agent Provocateur

Auction on eBay starts next week. Auction in aid of HIV/AIDS projects at www.ebay.at from 5 to 15 June 2008.

Munich/Vienna. Videos whirred and cameras clicked on Saturday, 17 May, when Joseph Corre drove the Life Ball MINI 2008 over the red carpet outside Vienna's City Hall in front of 40,000 spectators. Escorted by four models in "British policemen's uniforms", and with Sophie Ellis Bextor in the passenger seat, the arrival of the Life Ball MINI 2008 marked the start of the fantastic opening show.

The Life Ball MINI is traditionally created by the fashion designer responsible for the fashion show in the opening event - and in 2008, this was the British lingerie label Agent Provocateur. This year, the new MINI Cooper Clubman was selected as the basis for this exclusive, unique design. "The new shape is so reminiscent of the old English Mini police van that we were immediately inspired to create an Agent Provocateur styled interior that you really would want to get banged up in! A classic yet suped up exterior in Agent Provocateur signature pink and black colours complete with pink flashing light and inside.....the most seductive prison cell with hand to wall cuffs and blacked out windows and iron bars", says Agent Provocateur founder Joseph Corre.

The unique - and escape-proof - Life Ball MINI will once again be auctioned on eBay, as happens each year. It all starts on Thursday, 5 June - and then MINI and Agent Provocateur fans throughout the world have the opportunity for ten days to buy this unique car and do something for charity too. The total proceeds from the auction will be donated, as always, to Life Ball and to projects aimed at combating HIV/AIDS. So far, the auction of the "Life Ball MINIs" - transformed by such famous fashion icons as Diesel, Missoni, Ferré and Versace - has raised a total of € 260,000.-.

British Mini Club Rally Night - June 3rd

The British Mini Club Rally Night Starts at 8.00pm with a display of rally minis

Talk hosted by Clive King at 9.00pm (rally Mini pcitured)

Show and shine night to fine the best Minis of the night.

Raffle draw with great Mini prizes. Come along and enjoy this night of Minis with the BMC. This is always a fascinating night with Clive King so if you have the evening spare and are in the area then pop along and meet the club and many like minded Mini people... at The New Wellington, Brettell Lane, Brierley Hill, West Midlands

British Mini Showdown 2008 - Advanced Tickets

Advanced weekend tickets are now available to purchase for the British Mini Showdown 2008 on July 12th and 13th... The ultimate Mini / MINI weekend at the Shakespeare County Raceway near Stratford Upon Avon. Free camping is available from the Friday evening and we wil be running a Mini convoy on Saturday evening. Also entertainment and a bar will be on site on Saturday as well. To book your tickets for only £22.50 per person .. which is a saving of £2.50 simply visit our website at www.britishminiclub.co.uk and follow the links... If you prefer to visit the Showdown for one day only you can also find pricing details on our website as well

Are you a British Mini Club member? If so please call our ticket hotline on 01384 897779 for your special members only discount for single day attendance.

We look forward to seeing you at the British Mini Showdown 2008