With only a few more days to register for Mickey & MINI 4, 217 people have registered so far! That is more than double what we had last year!!! The number of people that are coming from outside the state of Florida is simply amazing. There are reports of people shipping their cars to the event and others planning long caravans across various states. If you have not had a chance to register, what are you waiting for? Come join us for an awesome time!
A couple weeks ago I posted about the ABF Performance Drag MINI on SPEED TV’s Pinks All Out. Well here is an official MINI USA press release on the new venture:
MINI USA Press Release: Woodcliff Lake, NJ - August 15, 2008… After multiple rounds of testing and nail biting qualifying runs for PINKS ALL OUT at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, July 25th - 26th, the 650-horsepower MINI Cooper S drag racer, custom built by ABF Performance, emerged a crowd favorite and newly appointed giant killer. Piloted by Vincent Tennessee Kung, MINI USA’s Product Manager, the little “MINI That Could” took down car after car with multiple 10-second passes and trap speeds exceeding 135mph.
Officially the “World’s Quickest and Fastest MINI”, this Cooper S Hardtop has clocked a record-setting 10.48 elapsed time at 135.16 MPH, but not before sending home a Big-Block-equipped Camaro with a blistering start from PINKS ALL OUT host Rich Christensen’s “Arm Drop.” This incredible performance resulted from the collaboration between ABF Performance, MINI USA and MINI Financial Services. With its custom carbon-fiber bodywork and distinctive “Get Your Hands on a MINI” graphics (which shows two hands trying to grab the 1,750-pound race car) there is certainly no mistaking this MINI for any other car on the racetrack. Getting the miracle MINI into 9-second zone is just a few suspension tweaks away. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave it to MINI to take advantage of the world stage that is the Olympics. If you are in Beijing right now, you just may see some odd rickshaws going by. You see, MINI has taken the rear ends of MINIs and converted them into the MINI Rickshaw. Very cool idea! Kudos to MINI! Full press release is below:
MINI Press Release:
Munich/Beijing. Just in time for the biggest sporting event of the year, the Olympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing, MINI is on top sporting form too - and is making a great start in Beijing! A very special MINI vehicle is providing passengers with a fantastic, unforgettable driving experience of a most unusual type. Locals and visitors to the games alike can move smoothly through the busy traffic in the Asian capital in a MINI Rickshaw made specially for Beijing - a typical MINI experience. Read the rest of this entry »
A few days ago I posted about the Dynolicious iPhone Performance Meter, available on the iTunes App Store. This $13 app is truly amazing. Check out this video review where it is compared to a $150 dynometer. I am IMPRESSED!
It is a sad day. The last of the supercharged MINIs finally rolled off the line in Oxford. I had the opportunity to drive a MINI convertible at MTTS 2008 and it was so cool to drive a brand new MINI that still had that awesome whine. At least the last one went to someone from the US. Here’s to a great car!
MINI Press Release: Already a classic: The last MINI Convertible of the current generation comes off the production line. Global success story with around 164,000 units produced. Munich. Style icon, global player, “value master” and now already a classic. Now that around 164,000 units have been produced, the MINI Convertible of the current generation has reached the end of its production period. As planned, the MINI plant in Oxford ceased production of the open-top four-seater. The final specimen - a MINI Cooper S Convertible Sidewalk painted in metallic White Silver has been sold to a MINI fan in the USA. In the land of limousines, the nimble little automobile with the electrically folding soft top has won over a very loyal group of fans. Only on its domestic market of Great Britain and Ireland were more units of the MINI Convertible sold in the past four years than in the USA. Read the rest of this entry »
This Saturday (8/9/08) from 10am - 4pm, ALTA will be having a garage sale in conjunction with a free BBQ and airshow. So if you are lucky enough to be in the area, make sure to stop by and say hi to our good friends at ALTA MINI Performance. They will be having some huge discounts on some cool products. Also, grab a tissue (you’ll need it, trust me) and watch this hysterical video commerical from the guys at ALTA:
This has to be the coolest thing I have seen in a while and another reason that makes me mad that Apple won’t release the iPhone on the Verizon network! Imagine having a full-functioning automotive performance meter on your cell phone. Yep - complete with the ability to track speed, Lateral Gs, and horsepower. Check out the link below for more information and let me know what you think! Thanks to minilisa for this find.
This was sent in last week and I am bummed I missed it when it came in because this would have been really cool to go out to watch. Not that I could have made it, but maybe some of you all could of gone. Once I find out when this will air, I will let you all know.
MINI USA’s Drag Race Cooper S, Prepared by ABF Performance, Readies for “PINKS All Out” This Weekend at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ
July 24, 2008… After the burnouts are done and the arm-drop signals the start, drag racing enthusiasts attending this weekend’s PINKS All Out competition may find themselves cheering on a new crowd favorite – the 650-horsepower MINI Cooper S Drag Racer, custom built by ABF Performance. Marking the MINI brand’s foray into sport drag racing, the MINI – with its 0-60 time of less than 3 seconds, top trap speed of 134 mph and best quarter-mile run of 10.6 seconds – is expected to turn in a lightning-fast performance at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, on July 25th – 26th. Read the rest of this entry »
This was sent in last Monday, but better late than never. My appologies on the delay. Apparently MINI USA has set up a channel on YouTube where they will be posting viral ads for us all to enjoy:
Just got in from my week-long vacation to the Lonestar state, and all I can say is - WOW - it gets HOT in Texas! I’m used to the hot and humid Florida summers, but we just don’t get daily 104+ degree afternoons like they do. And you can say all you want about that “dry” heat… when you walk outside at 11pm and get hit in the face with Texas heat, dang!
I did manage to see about 5 MINIs while I was out there, mostly pre-2007 models. No Clubmans were spotted, however. Of course while I was there, we did have a hurricane come our way. Leave it to me to leave Florida to go on vacation, only to land in the path of a hurricane! Luckily all we got was some rain and some wind in the San Antonio area.
I am still sorting through the 2,000+ e-mails I received while I was out of town and “unplugged”. I did spot 2 interesting e-mails that I will post about next. I hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 
Posted by Pedro in MINI Events 
