This Week: A Salute to the Mini Cooper
When I took on doing this blog, my plan was to have a theme for each week's postings. I had a few ideas for themes this week, but those plans were thrown out the window when a chance meeting with a Mini Cooper took place.
I was going to my local parking lot to pick up a Zipcar for an afternoon road trip (it was a Toyota Prius, if you must ask) when I noticed a shiny vintage Cooper Mini sitting in the nearby parking garage. It was a bright red 1970 Mini - not one of the convertible models, but it was an imported beauty with the steering wheel on the right hand side and a $20,000 price tag. If only I had twenty grand just sitting around...
So to kick off my tribute this week to the Mini, I've included a video giving the viewer a close look at a 1970 Mini Cooper very similar to the one I saw in the parking lot this last weekend. In this video you get a look under the hood, the body, the wheels, and inside the car as well. It may not be the most exciting vid you've ever seen, but car geeks like me who appreciate the details of such a fine automobile should appreciate this.
1. It's Mini Cooper, not Cooper Mini. That's like talking about a TransAm Firebird.
2. In 1970, the Austin and Morris names were still around, so it's an Austin or Morris Mini Cooper--although your particular example appears to be both hot-rodded and debadged.
3. Convertible? There were no convertible Minis in 1970; the factory offered one--as the Rover Mini--in 1991.
Let's not pretend CNET is hiring "car geeks," and keep this blog to writing about navigation systems and iPod integration. I'll hit up another site or magazine if I want to read about 0-60 times or horsepower.
1. Nowhere in this post is the car depicted or verbally described as a convertible.
2. Maybe Jim is not familiar with Zipcar, but Zipcar is the name of a company that has cars that one can rent for one hour or even a day. Basically, it is an alternative to regular rent-a-car companies because you can rent one for a short period of time. Zipcar has lots of makes and models one can rent, including the Toyota Prius.
3. I am aware of the Austin and Morris editions of the Mini Cooper. While I have said that I am a car geek, I never proclaimed that I know everything. Actually, I love the idea of someone telling me something I didn't already know. I'm just exploring certain topics that entertain me, and may also entertain others.
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by gspencer1976
April 15, 2009 3:49 PM PDT
- I'm glad that there's a dialogue going here. If I hadn't made a flub here, I might not have known for certain that iPod integration and navigation systems were topics people wanted to read about here (actually, before my chance meeting with the vintage Mini this weekend, navigation was going to be my subject for this week and at this point will probably be my focus for next week). Your suggestions have been duly noted!
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