Vague_Boy Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 The above to me is what a mini should be....a basic go kart no electric windows, heated seats, heated windows and mirrors, just plain old bright green, not the fastest thing but 100% original. With thinking like that, I can tell you're not a businessman. Mini sales success for BMW BMW is on course for a record year, boosted by booming sales of *the Mini. The group sold 159,214 new motors last month – up 11.4% on a year ago. It took the total to nearly 400,000 in the three months from July, the most successful third quarter in its history. Mini sales surged 20.5% to 30,387 last month helped by the launch of the new Countryman model. The new Mini Coupe hit showrooms this month and should provide another boost. LINK British Leyland were once offered a design for a Mini cabriolet which eliminated all the visible seams and joins and had an integrated T-bar. Cracking design it was, but still recognizably a Mini. Would have sold like hot cakes. BL turned their noses up at it. And where are British Leyland now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ sheffield Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 All could be done on the original Mini. A Jack Knight five speed box was to die for! Stick a Metro 1.3 ERA Turbo in a Mini and it would fly, same with the top spec Metro interior. Handling was already superb. And most modern small cars would still be able to wipe the floor up with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ sheffield Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 My 1275 was standard in yellow with a brown vinyl roof I painted white. It was a fantastic car which only cost me £100. I had a semi tuned 1275 GT clubman and it was very nippy for its time but modern off the shelf micras would give it a serious run for its money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I have to agree with you, I bought my daughter an 04 plate BMW Cooper a few years back, which she still drives and I must admit I quite like. I called in to Sytners last week to collect a replacement light unit for her. I had a quick look at the new models in the show room while I was there, what is 'mini' about them? BMW have completely lost the concept. Lost the concept or adapted it to suit their most profitable market? How can they call it a mini when it's bigger than the average 90s hatchback which at the time was TWICE the size of the original mini. Once again BMW have taken something BRITISH and ruined it for their own gain. It was under BMW ownership that MG/Rover went up the preverbial swanny. BMW make cars to make money. Presumably, they feel they will make more money by making cars which appeal to their target market sector than by making cars which appeal to the Brits. "BMW said sales in Europe [in2010] rose 8pc to 93,540 and sales in America gained 19pc. However, Asia surged by 52pc" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0742Sheff Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 And most modern small cars would still be able to wipe the floor up with it. I had a semi tuned 1275 GT clubman and it was very nippy for its time but modern off the shelf micras would give it a serious run for its money. I don't agree AJ. The quickest car i have ever been in (talking off the mark here), was a tuned GT Turbo. The second quickest was a Talbot Sunbeam 1.6 TI and after that it was a 1300 mini. I don't think any modern, off the shelf, small car would have beat my 1275 up to 40 or 50 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manofstrad Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Lost the concept or adapted it to suit their most profitable market? Both. .................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppet2 Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I owned two old mini's in my life time. I loved them both; they were reliable, dinky and cute. The only gripe I had were the heavy pedals. Why didn't the designers think of changing to lighter style pedals after thirty years in production? After driving on motorways it was tiring, I felt I had driven Fred Flintstone's car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I bet that looked awsome Hey, I was 18 and skint! And it looked a damn sight better white than 70's brown. Or is your dig because I made comment on the A57 speed thread that you disagreed with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manofstrad Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Well what ever your thoughts are on the new generation minis one thing is for certain, they are doing very well. When I was down at Sytner the other day there were 9 new cars going out. The reception area looked like a florist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sccsux Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 MG/Rover went up the preverbial swanny. Oh come on, they'd been going downhill since the mid-seventies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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