Sunshine MINIs Summer Dyno Day 2018

This past weekend we had another Sunshine MINIs Dyno Day and this time around we had everything from an R53 to an R56 to a JCW GP to a F56 JCW!!  In all, 10 cars came out to see what they had under the hood.  The results were quite interesting:

2005 Chili Red / White R53 MINI Cooper S
(power mods: 16% Supercharger pulley, ATE crank pulley)

Continue reading Sunshine MINIs Summer Dyno Day 2018

Introducing Clark 2.0

It’s been a while since my last post and lots of exciting things have been happening. After a long search to find my next vehicle that even extended outside of the MINI brand (more on that later), I found myself not only staying in the MINI family, but also moving up to a Factory John Cooper Works hardtop!! Say hello to Clark 2.0!This new iteration of Clark is equipped very similar to his predecessor except Clark 2.0 has heated seats, a back-up camera, satellite radio and, oh did I mention, the full factory John Cooper Works package!?!?

All the suspension, exhaust and wheel upgrades from Clark 1.0 have made it over to Clark 2.0 for the ultimate package in MINI performance. All I can say is WOW! This is, hands down, the best performance MINI I have ever driven!!Stay tuned for some videos from my recent trip to MINIs On The Dragon 2018 where Clark 2.0 got to stretch his legs ;).

FOR SALE – 2016 MINI Cooper S With JCW Tuning Kit

UPDATE: This MINI has been SOLD!

Many of you have followed the adventures of Clark, my 2016 Superman-themed MINI Cooper S with JCW Tuning Kit and upgrades galore.  The time has come to welcome a new MINI into our home and in order to do that, Clark will be going up for sale to a lucky individual!

As many know, Clark is in excellent shape with no mechanical issues at all.  He started off as “Kal-El”, a Deep Blue Metallic MINI Cooper S with white roof and mirror caps and silver wheels and transformed into Clark/SuperMINI with the addition of various upgrades (see list below).

Clark has just under 41,000 miles on the odometer currently (as of 11/29/2017) and is still under MINI USA’s full bumper to bumper OEM warranty until 2019 or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first)!!  OEM warranty can be extended to 7 years/100,000 miles by purchasing an extended warranty from MINI USA if purchased before the warranty expires.

Specs are below straight from the original order form from MINI USA (upgrades are then listed below that):

 

2016 Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door

Color – Deep Blue Body Color

White Roof/Mirrors

Packages:

Fully Loaded Package

JCW Interior Package

JCW Entry Door Sills

JCW Stainless Steel Pedals + Footrest

JCW Leather Shift Knob

Exterior:

LED Fog Lights

Rear Fog Lights

LED Headlights with Cornering Lights

Heated Mirrors & Washer Jets

Rain Sensor and Auto Headlamps

Panoramic Sunroof

Rear Spoiler

White Turn Signals

Interior:

Sport Seats

Center Armrest

Standard Floor Mats

Leatherette: Carbon Black

JCW Leather Steering Wheel w/Multifunction

Chrome Line Interior

Anthracite Headliner

Black Checkered Dash Surface

Carbon Black Color Line

Automatic Climate Control

Storage Package

MINI Excitement Package

Performance:

MINI Driving Modes

6-Speed Getrag Manual

2.0L TwinPower Turbocharged Engine

Toggle Ignition

Dual Stage, 8 Airbag System

Performance Control

Audio & Tech:

Harman/Kardon Sound System

Alarm System

Connected + Visual Boost XL

Navigation System XL

Real Time Traffic Information

MINI Head-Up Display

On-Board Computer

Comfort Access System

Enhanced Bluetooth and USB/iPod Adapter

Original MSRP Price $32,450.00 before upgrades

UPGRADES:

John Cooper Works Pro Tuning Kit with Pro Sports Exhaust and Bluetooth remote control
(Stock Exhaust also included)

John Cooper Works Big Brake Kit
(Stock Brakes also included)

NM Engineering 17″ Chili Red RSe05 Light Weight Wheels

NM Engineering Lowering Springs
(Stock Springs also included)

NM Engineering Rear Sway Bar
(StockRear Sway Bar also included)

NM Engineering Front Strut Bar

NM Engineering Rear Control Arms and Rod End Boot Kit
(Stock Rear Control Arms also included)

NM Engineering Cold Air Intake
(Stock Cold Air Intake also included)

John Cooper Works front grille
(Stock front grille also included)

John Cooper Works side indicator turn signal scuttles
(Stock side indicator turn signal scuttles also included)

Black-out Front Bumper Grille Surround

Black-out headlight and taillight rings
(Stock headlight and taillight rings also included)

Chili Red Painted Front Brake Ducts

Chili Red Painted Side Mirrors

Chili Red Painted John Cooper Works Spoiler

Chili Red Wrapped Roof

Chili Red Door Handle Covers

Chili Red Gas Lid Cover

Superman Logo Puddle Lights

MINI Click and Drive System with USB power and Universal Smartphone mount

Service History:

All service and repair work since car was brand new done at Vista MINI.

Mileage: 41,000 (November 2017)
Asking Price: $21,500

THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SOLD AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

Additional Photos below:

MINI WINS AT DAYTONA!!

This past weekend I had the honor of witnessing the MINI John Cooper Works Racing Team of LAP Motorsports dominate in the BMW Endurance Challenge for the season-opening race of the IMSA Continental Tires Sportscar Challenge at Daytona International Speedway!  It was amazing to watch the 3 LAP Motorsports MINIs race the field on the high banks of Daytona and pull out a win in dominant fashion!

I will be posting full video I shot from victory lane soon, but I wanted to share this recap video of the race day to congratulate Luis Perocarpi and the entire LAP Motorsports team on the amazing performance and win!!  Can’t wait for Sebring!!

Video: Interview with John Schneider (aka Bo Duke)

This past week I had the honor of meeting one of my all-time favorite actors, John Schneider, at the CineFlix Film Festival in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.img_2714John was super nice and allowed me to do a Facebook Live stream of the interview where we had a chance to talk about not only the film festival, but the Tail of the Dragon and my MINI, Clark.  Some will remember that John Schneider has a Superman connection (he played Jonathan Kent in the TV series Smallville!). Click below for the video (sorry it was filmed vertically – not sure when Facebook Live changed from square format, but on well…)

Video: Sebring Track Weekend 2016

This past weekend was the first time running the full course at Sebring since I last drove it in 2008 in my 2006 R53 MINI Cooper S, Scooter.  Last year I was lucky enough to take the Ford Shelby  GT350 R out for a spin at Sebring, but it was the club course and not the full 3.7 miles.  All I can say is WOW!!  I wasn’t sure how well the F56 MINI would perform on the track compared to the R53, but I was quickly impressed by not only the power, but the amazing handling I was able to get out of the MINI Dynamic Damper suspension coupled with the NM Engineering lowering springs, control arms and sway bar.img_6159Overall, the car felt amazing around the track.  Plenty of torque allowed me to power out of turns in 3rd gear without having to drop to 2nd.  On the straights, the 2.0L engine provided plenty of power to not let the higher horsepower V8s get too far ahead ;).img_6125Body roll was almost non-existent, which made for a very stable and comfortable feeling whipping through the twisties.  I had forgotten how much I love being out on track and am very happy to have had this chance to get back out there and surprise some Corvette owners again lol.

Photo Credit: PhotosByJuha.com

Sunshine MINIs Sebring Track Weekend 2016

Last weekend was one of the most epic track weekends I have ever been a part of.  Not only did a great group of MINI owners get together for a fun weekend on one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the United States, but two generations of MINI race teams also joined us to be a part of the fun!!snapseedRandy Smalley brought the R53 RSR MINI Race Team MINIs out for some friendly competition against Luis Perocarpi and the current generation F56 LAP Motorsports MINI John Cooper Works Racing Team MINIs!!  For the first time ever, we got to witness these two IMSA/Grand Am race MINIs compete on the same track, at the same time!!  It was magical to hear the whine of the R53 superchargers out on the track again, even though the turbos from the F56 provided much more power!img_1955Tonine McGarvie from MINI USA was also in attendance coordinating hot laps for those that wanted to see what a lap around Sebring felt like when driven by Luis!  Even though I was driving all weekend on the track, I still signed up for a ride with Luis and… holy cow was it awesome!!img_2071This was the first experience EVER on the track for most of the MINI owners that participated and I am proud to say they represented the MINI community well and made a few high power V8 owners take notice!!  img_1908

Here are some shots from the weekend (Thanks to Matthew Toombs for the photos):img_0816img_1171img_1057img_1065img_1071img_1064img_1181img_0874img_0763img_1916-1img_2010img_2020Huge thanks to Jim VanderVliet from NASA for putting on a great track weekend.  Also huge thanks to Luis Perocarpi and Randy Smalley for bringing out their race MINIs and joining us for a great time on the track!!  Hopefully we can do this again!

All 3 MINI JCW Team MINIs Finish In Top 10 At COTA

Wow!  This past weekend, the MINI JCW Team finished with all three of their cars in the top 10 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX!  The race was quite exciting and a pretty high rate of attrition throughout.  The JCW Team hung in there, though, to finish 6th (#73), 9th (#52) and 10th (#37).   This is the first time all three cars finished in the top 10!!  Way to go!!

14292435_835055001716_4069447476932028444_nPhoto courtesy John Loftis

Only one more race left in the season and it takes place on Sept. 30th at Road Atlanta.  Hopefully the JCW Team will get another podium finish!!

Sunshine MINIs Sebring Track Weekend – October 1-2, 2016

sebringtd162In just three weeks, the ultimate HPDE track weekend kicks off at Sebring International Raceway!!  Hosted by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), the weekend of October 1-2, 2016 will not only provide a fun High Performance Drivers Education (HDPE) experience for fellow MINI owners and enthusiasts, but will also feature a rare opportunity to watch two generations of race MINIs compete on the same track at the same time!

If you have watched the Continental Tire Series for some time (formerly the Koni Challenge Series), you will remember the RSR Motorsports R53 MINIs that competed in the series.  Driver/Owner, Randy Smalley, will be bringing two of the RSR MINIs to Sebring to race against the current generation LAP Motorsports F56 JCW MINIs being brought by team owner, Luis Perocarpi.  This will be quite a thrill to watch these MINIs out on the track together!!

img_3475

Stay tuned for photos and videos from the weekend.  Also, If you are interested in participating in the weekend, head on over to the NASA website to register!

Huge thanks to COOPERation for the Sebring 2016 artwork!!