Category Archives: Babes

Oooh La La! Laura LaRue Is Our Babe Z Month!

Posted on by

Singer, Songwriter, talented and lovely! Laura is our new obsession at Miniology, and from the fresh pix here, you can plainly see why! Click on any pic to see the larger version.

A clean Mini is a happy Mini!

We asked Laura some questions, and here are her replies:

What year is your Mini?
2009

What is your Mini’s name?
Petit Chou (Little cutie).

Is it a boy or a girl?
Well to make a long story longer… born a boy, but she’s trans gender and I support her ALL Z WAY.

What mods or other special things have you done with your Mini?
No mods, she’s just as nature made her.

Yep, that windshield looks very clean!

Custom paint/graphics, etc.?
My next Mini will be custom I think, if I can ever find a 2 car garage in S.F. Incidentally, don’t mention my desire to adopt another Mini to Petit Chou. She doesn’t play well with others.

Is your Mini your daily driver?
Yes, she gets me all over town FAST and with her I can ALWAYS find parking -which is no small feat in San Francisco! The fact that Petit Chou’s a PLEASURE to drive is the icing on the petit four. Oh and btw, don’t tell P.C. but I’m currently lusting over the mini scooter E. I want, I WANT!

The arrow points to happiness.

Have you ever been to any Mini events like AMVIV or Mini’s On The Dragon?
Not yet -let’s go!

Are you a member of any Mini clubs?
No but I’m sure you can recommend some right? Hook a sister up Rob.

Tell us about you and your music!
Hopefully my music is fun and speaks for itself. I adore what I get to do and I’m grateful that I’ve found playmates who like to play with me! Z playmates being my talented producers. In a nutshell we’re interested in releasing joy and beauty into the air waves and pleasing ourselves in the process. At the end of the day we want to look back and say “That was so much fun, let’s do it again tomorrow.”

A girl and her guitar! And her Mini! It's magic!

Single?
Personality? Why yes just the one thank you, I’m no Sybil. Although Sally Field was great in the movie!

Kids?
I approve of them. As long as they don’t smudge the windows on my Mini with their little chocolate fingers.

Day job?
To survive a day in the life of Laura LaRue IS a full time job. Just ask my friends.

Age?
I’ll pretend you didn’t ask me that Rob!

How long have you been writing/performing?
Define performing? I knew from a young age that I wanted to entertain and that I LOVED music. When I was 15 I taught myself how to play guitar by listening to records in my room. I joined my first band at 16 and I’ve never looked back. I’ve been writing and performing ever since and I’ll “practice” my craft as long as I live.

All of the cool chicks drive Minis! Fast!

Any upcoming live shows?
My manager’s working on a few things, when I get the skinny Miniology will be z first to know.

What got you into the music scene?
When I first heard bands like The Patti Smith Group, Blondie & The Ramones they made me think “I can do that!” That’s the beauty of Rock n Roll, it the “Peoples” music, like Jazz and blues -it’s not just for some, it’s for everyone.

Who are your musical influences?
I have so many. Burt Bacharach, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Devo, ELO, Joao Gilberto, The Smiths, Frank Sinatra. I listen to a lot of international artists too -I love it all.

Any other interesting facts you can think of!
I eat mosty vegan but once in a while I’m tempted to eat fish -so I guess pesco-vegan is more accurate. Otherwise, I’m not very interesting I’m afraid. However, I surround myself the most interesting and intelligent people I can find! I learn so much from my friends, they are so entertaining and they keep me in the know. Quite frankly, if it were up to me I’d hide myself away in my studio all day and night just song writing/recording reading and sewing home made dresses on my brother sewing machine. That and joyriding with Petit Chou are my loves. My total comfort zone.

MINI ROCKS!

Laura’s new album “Beautifique” drops SPRING 2011. Look for it at Amazon, iTunes and all of the other usual places. Laura’s single from the album, “San Francisco Is My Disco”, is available NOW at iTunes as well.

Laura’s songs are also in the rotation at Miniology Live, so click that link above to hear the stream.

You can follow Laura on Twitter: @LaLaRueFrench75

Of course, every respectable artist has a web site: lauralarue.com

We would like to thank photographer Vinny Cancelliere for the awesome pix!

MINI takes a new direction…on two wheels. The MINI E Scooter Concept

Posted on by

Agyness Deyn unveils MINI Scooter E Concept in London for Global Premiere.

London, UK. Iconic British brand MINI unveils its exciting MINI Scooter E Concept today in London. This new design study represents the MINI design team’s unparalleled expertise in recognising the challenges for mobility in major urban areas, and meeting these challenges with the development of stylish, innovative and sustainable future-focused vehicle concepts. The MINI Scooter E Concept comes almost ten years to the day since the new MINI was first shown at the Paris Motor Show.

Agyness Deyn, model and icon of British fashion and design culture is in the Capital to help debut the MINI Scooter E Concept. She will celebrate the global premiere at a private London location this evening featuring an exclusive DJ set by electropop artist, Little Boots.

There are a total of three interpretations of the MINI Scooter E Concept conceived by Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design: two of which will be shown at the Paris Motor Show next week, while the third concept, inspired by the swinging sixties, the hey day of classic Mini is being shown exclusively in London.

Three MINI Scooter E Concepts.
It’s not just a two-wheeler in MINI Design – this scooter meets the needs of the young urban generation: Spontaneous, flexible, CO2-free mobility. Using a Smartphone as the ignition key, the concept integrates infotainment, communication and navigation systems. The MINI Scooter E Concept is powered by an electric motor which can be recharged at any conventional power socket using an on-board charging cable.

Says Adrian van Hooydonk:

“The MINI Scooter E Concept represents an electric vision of the future as urban mobility takes a new direction by MINI. We are delighted to debut during the London Design Festival and pay homage to our British heritage while also marking a new era for MINI. The MINI Scooter E Concept is true to our brand values of distinctive design, intelligent functionality and customisation and builds further on these characteristics by combining driving pleasure with sustainable technology into the first two-wheel concept of its kind for MINI.”

The new scooter design concept is based on current production vehicles but pushes the creative boundaries. Just as the compact design of the classic MINI, born out of the 1950s oil crisis, symbolised a new reality for modern city driving, the MINI Scooter E Concept is designed for the changing landscape in environmental and urban road traffic conditions, to offer a stylish and emission-free alternative for urban mobility.  Set to appeal to a young, ecologically-conscious driver, the MINI Scooter E Concept offers a completely new perspective on the distinctive MINI driving experience while being immediately recognisable as a MINI.

No stranger to two-wheel riding herself, Agness Deyn says of the new MINI Scooter E Concept:

“Living a city life, it is important to get around quickly. I was thrilled to hear that MINI is developing an environmentally-friendly scooter, their reputation in cool design is well-known – I can’t wait to try driving one!”

Unmistakably MINI: an authentic reinterpretation of unique details in three design versions.

Distinctive features include the circular central instrument cluster, the iconic speedometer, the visually prominent indicator lamps in the style of the classic Mini and the chrome trims on the bodywork.  In addition the colours and materials all serve as identifiers, making the MINI Scooter E Concept recognisably a MINI at first sight.

The design concepts differ in the number of passengers they carry.  The first MINI Scooter E Concept is a two-seater variant developed for ‘the fun of driving for two’. It mirrors the colour scheme of the current MINI E hatch prototype, 40 of which are currently on trial on UK roads – with body paintwork in matt charcoal, a yellow seat and yellow-painted mirror caps – and emphasizes the particularly intense aspect of zero-emission driving.

The second concept is a single-seater and the sportiest of the new concepts.  Almost purist in design, this model nods to the British heritage of the brand.  Features include a classic combination of an upholstered seat in dark brown leather, paintwork in British Racing Green and silver mirror caps reminiscent of iconic racing cars.

The third and more design-progressive model – being shown exclusively in London – takes inspiration from the popular culture of the 1960s, a decade synonymous with the classic Mini, drawing on the distinctive graphics of the Mod era in particular.  The white body colour on this two-seater variant is decorated with numerous applications and stickers, with the left hand mirror cap featuring a MINI logo and the right hand one featuring the red, white and blue cockade of the Royal Air Force. The piece de resistance is a perforated leather seat through which the Union Jack shines.

The Specials:

Smartphone as key, display and central control element.

A snap-in adaptor for a Smartphone allows the driver to use their mobile device as a route finder, music player or as a phone via a wireless Bluetooth interface from the MINI ‘cockpit’. As soon as the rider docks his mobile phone and switches it on, the vehicle is ready to go.  A navigation app enables drivers to know where other MINI Scooter E Concept drivers are on the map, similar to social networking systems, to encourage interaction between the MINI Scooter E community. Technology currently in development will mean headlights on the scooters automatically open when they meet on the road.

All you need is a power socket.

The MINI Scooter E Concept is driven by a built-in rear wheel electric motor which is powered by a compact lithium-ion battery.  The battery can be plugged into any standard AC power outlet.  A display screen clearly indicates to the driver the amount of battery life available: the MINI Scooter E Concept can be charged via a retractable lead in the rear of the Scooter.

MINI Centre Rail – the unique solution with specific accessories .

The study also incorporates an innovative version of the MINI Centre Rail first presented earlier this year in the new MINI Countryman. The unique clip-on mechanism offers a range of options for transporting items that may required before, during or after the journey, for example a helmet, umbrellas, sunglasses and thermos flasks.

With all the fun, sporty design principles and agile handling typical of MINI, the MINI Scooter E Concept is easy to operate and perfect for the challenging traffic conditions of the city.  It is a sustainable and fun way to enjoy the MINI driving experience and epitomises urban mobility at its best.

Editor’s note: Interesting, while Smart has a E Scooter ready for production, so does MINI have one in the works as a concept.. The Smart E Scooter goes 40kph maximum, I wonder how fast the MINI E Scooter goes?