My Elf's First outing of the year NOT!

Peeps may know from my report this time last year that Wirral Minis have the first Event of the year in the Northwest.
The Elf was raring to go but at the last minute I found the brake lights were stuck on permanently and the hydraulic pressure switch was feeling warm.Despite a few taps with a hammer it would not release so the decision was made, it was too dodgy to drive,especially as 200 minis were expected (weather pemitting)
My son Phil had a pass for his 07 Cooper diesel (please no derogative comments about German s**t. You are entitled to your own opinion but please keep them to yourself until you have found a German part on one cos I haven't and after two visits to the factory and witnessed the high standard of construction I would have the clubman model but unfortunatley it won't tow my caravan, Oh and no comments about caravans please either!)
Anyway I digress. I jumped in with Phil and his young lady and had a great day.
70 minis turned up (including Hornet from Wirral minis) from far and wide, Lancashire.Crewe.Mid Wales and of course North Wales. The run started promptly at 9.15 and the 70 minis set out on the way. No one broke down except one young lady (who threatened me if I named her!) Her petrol guage had gone faulty so no fuel. 20 mins wait there whilst another miniaddict came to the rescue with a spare can (the dizzy blond has now got a spare can in the boot!) We stayed with her of course and followed without any further mishaps.
On arrival at Llandudno there was no NO SNOW(or ice) to be seen! Wonderful! so up the Great Orme we went, paying £1 instead of £2.50 toll as we are only half a car anyway!.
The trip to the summit was curtailed for the first time in the history of the run because of ice near the summit and the organisers thought it unwise to continue for fear of accidents.
However, there is a cafe adjacent to the Coastguard station on the coastal road around the base of the Great Orme which offered a welcome break for a warm drink and the essential natural relief of nature! The fact that only 70 minis were in attendance helped enhancing comradary(if thats the right word!) people were intermingling with each other far more than I have noticed when there has been 200 minis on this run.
Back down on the North shore we parked up on the promenade for inspection of all and sundry and many members of the public braving the bitterly cold wind.

At the start


Catch up at Rhos-on-Sea

At the Cafe


On the Promenade. North Shore

Looks like a great day out I like the pic of the young lad inthe soft top peddel car how cool is that, looks a bit cold tho and I think your right about the bigger the run the less the comerradery, but it looks like you had a great day even without the Elf, If I lived a bit closer I dont no if I`d do it my Hornet being a soft top ( Bl**dy cold ) and also being a southern softy

You should at least make the BMWs go to the far end of the line so they don't muck up the pictures.

Actually Brian the club who organise this run have had a big split over the BMW. Many of their members don't like them either and that is how Miniaddicts came into being formed. we have 5 members who own both marques or like me have both in the family. My son has the Cooper diesel 1.6 which believe me goes like stink and clings to the road far better than my Elf and has often been the backup to many greatful classic owners who have broken down.

hudnormsue852 wrote:Looks like a great day out I like the pic of the young lad inthe soft top peddel car how cool is that, looks a bit cold tho and I think your right about the bigger the run the less the comerradery, but it looks like you had a great day even without the Elf, If I lived a bit closer I dont no if I`d do it my Hornet being a soft top ( Bl**dy cold ) and also being a southern softy

To be honest, The actual run is only 60 miles so would not be worth the trouble of travelling a great distance such as yours for such a short run and time span.This one starts out at 9.15am and is usually dispersing around 3pm (later if it's a nice day.) Yesterday, minis where starting to head for home around 1.30pm because it was too cold to stand around!

I wonder if they would consider moving it to a later date on the calendar

TONYELF wrote:Actually Brian the club who organise this run have had a big split over the BMW. Many of their members don't like them either and that is how Miniaddicts came into being formed. we have 5 members who own both marques or like me have both in the family. My son has the Cooper diesel 1.6 which believe me goes like stink and clings to the road far better than my Elf and has often been the backup to many greatful classic owners who have broken down.

Okay, BMW makes a decent car that's nice to have along as a support vehicle. I'll give you that. They just don't belong in the lineup with classic Minis, any more than would a Z4 or an M5.
This is a Hornet

So is this

Neither one of them is a Wolseley Hornet.
Just saying that the name doesn't make it a classic. A MINI isn't a Mini and never will be.
Just my 2p worth.

[quote A MINI isn't a Mini and never will be.
Just my 2p worth.[/quote]

I have to say I completely agree.

As a car, for what it is, I have nothing against the Bini. It's an ok, reasonable car etc etc. I just don't feel it belongs with the classic mini on the classic mini scene.

a) It looks stupid and out of place in amongst the classics
b) It's massive compared with the "true" mini
c) It spoils the photos!
d) In runs/convoys it spoils it!
e) It should NOT have a show n shine/concours category at shows - I mean that's just ridiculous!

Above all, it's just not a Mini is it??? In comparison, if you look at the effort that VW made with the new Beetle, no way does that look out of place alongside the classic Beetles... But then it was designed and developed by the same "parent" company wasn't it?.... And before anyone says the Bini was designed originally by Rover.... you know the point I am making here.

Then for me, above all else, there are the rather "questionable" politics and tactics endorsed by the Bavarian Motor Works in "owning" the name Mini, and trying to enforce the shutdown of small independent traders trying to make a living by continuing a great classic's heritage. I just wish I could be around in 2050 to see how many Bini's survive 50 years, and I wouldn't betting that in 2059 there will be a few of the class of '59 that manage to make it!

If anyone from the BMW legal department is reading this, these views and opinions are purely mine, and not that of the Elf/Hornet Register!



Jase

OK guys, points taken but having been at the launch of two MINI models and listened to the designer (who has a Classic Cooper by the way!) I think I should add the following.
The way they arrived on the design of the car was based very carefully on the design of Issi's mini believe it or nor not. Proportionaly it resembles the classic but the European regulations requiring the safety impact zones air bag protection Blah Blah Blah and the ability to carry four persons just made it bigger. The very first designer of the new MINI was an American (so I'm told) This chap I spoke to was a German (you couldn't wish to meet a nicer bloke) who was assigned to update the second series) loves to drive his classic Cooper whenever he can, did admit that the new model had no atmosphere or nostalgia about it but then, as he said himself, how many modern cars do?
At the first launch I attended they showed a video showing the classic front and side on and superimposed the new design over it.The film faded from one to the other several times even the grill shapes came into it.
I tried to get a copy of the film but because of shots within the factory showing staged of the construction ect they would not oblige. (Copyrights ect) It was a very interesting film indeed. No photograhy was allowed on the factory tour at all

TONYELF wrote:OK guys, points taken but having been at the launch of two MINI models and listened to the designer (who has a Classic Cooper by the way!) I think I should add the following.
The way they arrived on the design of the car was based very carefully on the design of Issi's mini believe it or nor not. Proportionaly it resembles the classic but the European regulations requiring the safety impact zones air bag protection Blah Blah Blah and the ability to carry four persons just made it bigger.

Ok now you've got me started. Fiat 500 anyone? Oh it's just SO much bigger and yet manages to pass the EU regulations.

The proportions of the Bini are all out. The roof is too low in proportion to the length for a start. The headlights are just wrong and the whole thing is MASSIVE.

Further more has anyone seen the atrocity they have come up with under the Moke badge.

If they think the Bini (and variants) are based very carefully on the original then I'm afraid to say they need glasses VERY badly.

In all seriousness though Tony would you feel the same if they did a Elf/Hornet version?
You just know how ugly that would look.

Mini's and variants should have their own shows/runs/etc and let BMW organise their own.

End of my 2p worth.

Zef I`m with you on this 100% but it seems this is now going down the road of the skit in Life Of Brian, quote All I said was that was a loverly bit of fish it`s good enough for Jehovah and now you want to stone me to death, unquote. And as an observation I`m going on the IMM to Germany with the 57 on a trailer behind a VW Transporter van ( only for ligistic resons storage, parts and support ) but I`ve been told that the van will not be allowed in the same encloseure as the classic minis, and this GERMANY so the Binis should be trhe same, I`ll let you all know when we get back, Unless any of you want to join us and you can see for your self, but this bit of fish is so good!!!!!!!!!

You always get a good debate between the People's Front of Judea and the Judean people's front!!

I know it's much more serious than that.....

The Judean People's Front? What, those splitters! We're the Judean Popular People's Front! The Judean People's Front! Huh!
Romani ite domum
Brian

Just what we need a hot potato to take our minds off the cold winter weather.
I like most of the Classic Mini (Real Mini) following don't approve of the BMW offering joining in with the true original item and its variants at Classic Mini events and Like Zef, believe they should do their own thing if there is a sufficient following, as the two vehicles are worlds apart in design and concept. The original Mini was pioneering and truely revolutionary back in 1959 where as the the BMW offering is just a fashion item which is annoyingly successful.
Being trained as an engineer with GEC back in the 70's when the UK still had an engineering base, I can't believe successive governments have allowed the UK to throw away our engineering heritage to give us no choice other than to buy bland and questionable quality French offerings and over priced German cars which aren't as reliable as we are lead to believe, which we in the UK should and still could compete with and win. We still have the design skills and flair to produce world beating vehicles but the UK is run by accountants and Bankers not willing to invest in home grown produce but only to gamble with our money and future without any care or thought for the generations to come. Just look at the news this evening and listen to RBS Bankers and their poor old £50 billion bonuses. How will they survive?????

As you can see this has touched a sensitive nerve and living just 10 minutes from what was the Longbridge site where our beloved vehicles were produced 40+ years ago, where did it all go wrong? No bailout or £50 billion (which just a fraction of this would have helped) to keep some volume British car production alive, unlike the banks and their overpaid employees.

Back on a brighter note the BMW Bini thing or whatever you wish to call it has kept the Mini name alive and with recent sales on ebay and other web sites and the following of the Elf and Hornet Register, our booted Minis are at last getting the recognition they deserve with more and more people showing interest in these rather special luxury Mini variants.

These are my personal views and opinions only but I'm sure I'm not alone.

I feel much better now after letting off a little steam and after another double whiskey I will be even better.

Elf Service wrote:I fell much better now after letting off a little steam and after another double whiskey I will be even better.

I'm having a Ridgeway Bad Elf Winter's Ale myself. Cheers!

Red Riley wrote:The Judean People's Front? What, those splitters! We're the Judean Popular People's Front! The Judean People's Front! Huh!
Romani ite domum
Brian

PMSL!!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Thank you for all your comments/views. It's funny how this "Events and Shows" thread can suddenly turn into a almost fully blown war of words about the two Mini Marques!
Two or three threads ago I was about to enter a some more comments but forgot to press the send button!

A rule we have at my local miniclub is that no member "Slags" anothers car and was going to suggest a similar idea for the forum but I'm pleased to say you folks have avoided doing this in a civilised manner that I don't think we need such a rule.
What do you think?

Nah, we don't need no rules. Besides, we all know that our little booted cars are much superior to any of the other rabble. So what's the issue?
BTW, sorry for firing the first shot in the "war".

Apologies accepted Brian A good topic point for discussion though eh? Now back to the doldrums till I find something else to rile our readers LOL!

We're far more civilised than that! lol

elfgirl wrote:

Red Riley wrote:The Judean People's Front? What, those splitters! We're the Judean Popular People's Front! The Judean People's Front! Huh!
Romani ite domum
Brian

PMSL!!

Always look on the bright side of life!

but what have the romans ever done for us?

Apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health? Oh, and peace. But apart from that, what have the Romans ever done for us? Bloody Romans!

Not forgetting viaducts and underfloor heating, need I go on?

Cacillius est in horto. Canem est in via.

Amo amas, amat, amamus, amatis amant!