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 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:
My local dealer received the new Stage 2 JCW MINI earlier this week, giving us MINIacs more to drool over. Since I will be out of town for the next week, I won’t be able to go check it out in person. However, here is the official MINI press release that should give you an idea of what is in store:
The short story behind the new MINI John Cooper Works and MINI John Cooper Works Clubman
Production of the new MINI began in 2001 in Oxford and soon after, the Cooper Car Company in East Preston launched a wide range of John Cooper Works tuning kits and accessories for MINI. This gave MINI owners, obsessed with personalisation and performance, an even greater opportunity to create their perfect MINI. John Cooper’s achievements in world motor sport laid the foundations for the John Cooper Works brand. Now in 2008, fans of MINI and the John Cooper Works brand have something new to lust after: the new MINI John Cooper Works, hot off the production line at MINI Plant Oxford. Read the rest of this entry »
If you recall Race 07, the game by SimBin for the PC that features the MINI Cooper Challenge is one of the most realistic PC racing sims that I have seen to date. Well the good folks at SimBin are releasing a new game, called Race Pro, exclusively for the Xbox 360 that will also be a racing sim and feature the MINI Cooper Challenge. Since I don’t own an Xbox 360, I will have to rely on some of you to provide some feedback on this game. If Race 07 is any indication on the quality, I would say this will be a sweet game. Of course, I don’t think it will come close to GT 5 on the Playstation 3. Now THAT is a slick game .
As many of you know, Team Minspeed likes to get things done on the track. While most of us are happy running around the track in our daily drivers in non-competition-style HPDE sessions, a few of us want to take things to the next level and get the adrenaline rush that comes with actual “racing”. For those who are so inclined, some safety modifications must be made. Here is a video of Team Minspeed member, Greg “beaner” showing off his newly installed custom roll cage in his 2006 MINI Cooper S, “Earl”, which will be ready for competitive racing shortly!
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
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Posted by Pedro in Modern MINI, MINI Press, MINI Performance, Track Talk 
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