Mini Cooper, a peewee car in go-kart style, comes to America
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- On a rainy morning in San Francisco, one block of Mason Street high atop Nob Hill contains an unusual collection of tiny cars parked side by side in alternating two-tone colors for body and roof of yellow and black or red and white.
Scrutiny of the two lines of colorful clones produces the realization that these unique vehicles -- each showing a stubby nose, long and flat roof panel and a chopped tail above four wee wheels pinned at all corners -- look like no other cars on the market.
And a measuring tape reveals miniscule dimensions smaller than anything else: Each is less than 12 feet long by 5.5 feet wide and barely 4.5 feet tall.
This is clearly a peewee, so small like a kiddy car that it might very well fit into the cargo bay of one of those massive sport-utility wagons.
Yet there's a surprising amount of space in the four-seat cabin. Open the two wide-swing side doors and you'll find enough room to fit four adults comfortably on the two front buckets plus twin rear seats and still squeeze a reasonable amount of personal gear into the rear cargo bay.
And the structural design -- a low and flat rectangular platform with 15-inch tires mounted at extreme edges and a modest engine pegged up front with all torque applied directly to the front wheels -- suggests that this little thing will perform with the darty precision of a racer's go-kart and perhaps feel just as fun.
What's going on?
It's the American invasion of Mini Cooper.
The pint-size little hatchback two-door coupe, a modern homage to Britain's best-selling miniature car from the Sixties, on arrival becomes the smallest car in the country but offers big-time cabin space plus the driving excitement of a ground-hugging go-kart with the precision of a sporty German car by none other than BMW.
It rolls into America as a 2002 model supported by a new network of Mini stores operated by BMW dealers.
Check out the 14 cool and colorful two-tone paint jobs, examine the clever interior designs with cozy accommodations and tactile fixtures, send it over a winding circuit, like the roads we follow up the California coast through Marin and Sonoma counties, but prepare to develop a clear case of Mini mania.
Britain's original Mini, a concept of Sir Alex Issigonis in response to a fuel crisis in Europe following the Suez conflict of 1956, was a revolutionary car only four feet wide and high and just ten feet long. It stocked a miniature engine mounted transversely over the transmission, eked out high fuel economy figures in its 1959 debut and still managed to carve out reasonable space inside for four adults plus a load of luggage.
In 1961, the race car builder John Cooper tweaked a Mini to make a Mini Cooper rally racer, which went on to earn a string of victories including the ultimate rally trophy at Monte Carlo.
The Mini, evolving into a car that cut across all class lines, became attractive to a budget shopper and was cute enough to suit rock and movie stars, even British royalty. It continued in production for four decades and still ranks as Britain's most popular car at 5.3 million units.
This new interpretation resurrects the Mini Cooper badge and captures the essence of the original in concept and styling yet represents an entirely modern vehicle rigged with the latest performance and safety gear in a package that's a third larger than the first Mini.
It's built in Oxford, England, under the watchful eye of Germany's BMW parent company, with many of the mechanical components taken from the BMW 3 Series of compact cars.
New Mini Cooper looks different -- in a way-cool way.
The overall boxy shape shows softly rounded corners that negate all hard edges, with elements like arching fender flares, wheels and the bold oval headlamps injecting circular shapes into a square format.
In front the enlarged headlamp clusters rimmed in chrome stand at edges atop rolled fenders as the hood tapers in the space between lights to a broad grille tipped in chrome. A chrome bar underscores the grille and an oval air port below is clad in chrome mesh. Chrome also appears on door handles, exhaust and trim rings as well as the tailgate's handle.
All three roof pillars go to black in support of the flat roof with rounded edges. The whole roof panel comes in a variety of colors designed to contrast against the tint of the car body.
At the blunt tail, a hatchback-style door hinged at the top swings up to access the modest cargo bay.
For power, Mini Cooper draws from a single-cam four-in-line engine that displaces 1.6 liters and produces 115 hp at 6000 rpm plus torque of 110 lb-ft at 4500 rpm.
A tight five-speed manual transmission has a short stick and shifts like a sports car. Optional is a continuously-variable automatic with Steptronic shifting.
All of the right mechanical components are aboard this Mini, from the ultra-stiff chassis and a suspension with front MacPherson struts and the rear using BMW's multi-link Z-axle to a precise direct-drive steering system and brakes with enormous discs all around plus BMW's sophisticated alphabet of CBC (Cornering Brake Control) and EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), along with ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes) and optional DSC (Dynamic Stability Control).
Extensive safety measures surround the Mini Cooper, including frontal and seat-mounted side-impact air bags and the BMW AHPS (Advanced Head Protection System) that consists of tubular cushions concealed in headliners above front and back side windows.
Tie all systems together with a super-rigid body and the low center of gravity and the result becomes a car that runs like an exotic sportster and feels as direct and as fun as a racer's kart.
Despite the miniscule size of the shell, the cabin seems spacious and contains deluxe fittings in an artful design that emphasizes a circular theme and uses aluminum finishes blended with tactile rubber and plastic. A classic round Mini speedometer stands at the center of the dash above the center stack of controls, with the tachometer mounted above the steering wheel.
Power controls everything and there's even the retro concession to classic British cars with genuine toggle switches but they are shielded for safety with protective metal loops.
The Mini Cooper arrives with a long list of standard equipment for a base price of $16,300 plus a $550 delivery fee. Options include packages for sport ($1,250) and premium gear ($1,250), sport seats ($270), larger 16-inch alloy wheels ($500), foglamps ($140), and more. Load it with everything and expect a cap to fall around $25,000 or so.
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| 2002 MINI COOPER VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Subcompact hatchback coupe
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| Model Options: |
Subcompact hatchback coupe
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| Wheelbase: |
97.1 inches
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| Overall Length: |
142.8 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 1.6-L I4
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5
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| Drive: |
Rear
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/
ABS/EBD/CBC/opt. DSC
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
+ 2 (side curtain)
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| Gas Mileage: |
26/43 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
$ 16,300 |
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