Norm checks in from France: Miniology is on site at MINI United 2012 in Le Castellet Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France as Mini enthusiasts arrive by Mini, plane, train, and ferry. Its a beautiful setting in a georgeous little coastal town on the “French Rivera”. The sun has just risen with clear blue skies. I will unpack the cameras and microphones and get to work!

http://www.amviv.com/sign-up/

Check this out, the “Strip Cruise” this AMVIV will be run in our pajama’s! Of course pajama’s are optional* and you are encouraged to motor the runway in your own fashion!! Maybe you would rather rock a zombie outfit, it’s your run! I am told that our very own Agro might have some ORANGE pj’s/tutu for this very motor, and as always some pre-motor hugs!

http://www.amviv.com/schedule/

Jules was been spotted “buttering up” security at Palace this week! Rumor has it she was posting wanted photo’s of the Evil Twins at “5b” and schmoozing with Security. She’s definitely up to something interesting! Like us on Facebook to follow her mayhem! Click this link if you still need to get your room!

http://www.amviv.com/hotel/

That is just a taste of the sweet goodness we have in store for you at this years event! Soon we will be adding a section to our site that has “alternative activities” for you to explore while on your MINI Vacation in Vegas!

Send me a note if you are traveling in a group and want me to blast it! I love a good story.

*”OPTIONAL” DISCLOSURE Chris Tunison when I say “optional” I mean you can wear regular clothing!
For those of you that don’t know Chris, he was the winner of the “COMMANDO” award for AMVIV8 enough said.

–
Lisa – SCMC Secretary

http://www.sincityminiclub.com

Just a block away from the Kodak and Chinese Theatres, MINI promises ‘Live and Exotic Topless Thrills 24/7’ at the MINI Roadster Peepshow Spectacular. MINI has taken over a corner store on Hollywood Blvd and masked all the windows for a 25-day long series of fleeting, revealing shows where passers-by are encouraged to take a “peep”.

Each show will be triggered whenever a passing spectator presses one of the ‘peep’ buttons on the display, rolling back a window blind and unveiling the MINI Roadster as it rotates slowly on a turntable, complete with a disco ball above, music and smoke. Adding authentic atmosphere to the MINI Roadster Peepshow Spectacular, colored neon lighting has been placed throughout the Peepshow to illuminate the Roadster even more.

Passers-by in this pedestrian-friendly area will be lured to the Roadster Peepshow by storefront signage with racy messages such as: “Bada Bing, Bada Boom”, “Open 24 Hours” and the simple, tempting command to “Peep Here.”

“The new MINI Roadster is a devilishly fast, uncompromising two-seater soft-top with the soul of a sports car and the heart of a MINI,” comments Jim McDowell, Vice President MINI USA. “Our Peepshow reveal in this prime Los Angeles location sets the scene perfectly for our latest model which delivers more fun than one person can handle with its exhilarating ride and unlimited headroom.”

The MINI Roadster Peepshow Spectacular is surrounded by hot nightlife spots including MyHouse, Teddy’s, Tropicana Bar, Mood LA, East Lounge, Supper Club, Roxbury and Rolling Stone LA. For a free ‘peep’ at the new MINI Roadster, fans in the Los Angeles area should visit 7046 Hollywood Blvd @ N Sycamore Ave before April 22.

Designed to bring MINI ownership to people who regard the 70 percent of the earth’s surface covered by water as their home, the new MINI Cooper Yachtsman is a corner-carving crustacean that promises go-kart-like handling and a sensational combination of amphibious* and landphibious performance both on and off the water.

Certain to be as popular in New York harbor as it will be at the Jumeira Palm marina or Monte Carlo harbor, the MINI Cooper Yachtsman is fitted with a shark-resistant undercoating as standard, and can carve through water at speeds up to 61 knots, while promising an equally rewarding driving (but not diving…) experience – on-road or off-land.

“Our exciting MINI Cooper Yachtsman is the ultimate extension of the MINI brand, expanding our line-up to seven models in the USA and offering consumers even more ways to enjoy MINI ownership in a manner best-suited to their individual taste and location,” comments Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA.

“The Yachtsman will become an instant status symbol, a car/boat combo that evokes ‘land/sea envy’ in equal measure. Originally endorsed by the British Royal Navy**, the Yachtsman brings a new level of versatility to MINI ownership. So, if you’re cruising along and someone yells ’Lake’ – no worries. Simply downshift, grab a life-vest, hit the water and let Yachtsman take care of the rest!” adds McDowell.

Showroom appeal of the MINI Cooper Yachtsman is matched by dockside allure as the 169.8 inch long craft sports Reef Blue metallic paintwork contrasting with silver alloy wheels and matching silver rudder. The exhaust snorkel is finished in body color and the extendable rooftop antenna comes with a ‘get-you-home’ 20-ft white sail (in case of emergency) which can be deployed for zero-emissions sailing.

With room to sleep two people, the cabin features waterproof rip-stop upholstery, seat cushions which double as flotation devices, and a Marine Chronometer for celestial navigation in the event of a sat-nav glitch. For junior ‘sailors’, the glove box holds MINI-branded water wings, a pirate flag and eye patch.

Standard equipment features a six-foot marlin rod with roller guides, an international trolling reel with 130-lb test line and (on the port side) the latest MINI safety technology – FLOAT (the Frantic Lever Operated Active Trim) adjuster. On the starboard side there is a spring-loaded herring chucker.

In line with MINI’s customizable nature, a full range of unique accessories for this latest addition to the MINI product line-up includes a Customizable Klaxon (choice of sea lion, porpoise, sperm whale, dolphin, seagull or mallard duck), and personalized Under-Hull Messaging – recommended factory fitted graphic options such as ‘Suck eggs, Kraken’ and ‘Mermaid Magnet’ are sure to be popular choices.

On sale from April 1st as a model year 2013 vehicle, the Yachtsman combines typical MINI driving and boating fun with the same discerning craftsmanship, select materials, styling and all-round ‘typical British understatement’ that are hallmarks of the world’s leading boat builders.

For propulsion, each MINI Cooper Yachtsman is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection and variable valve control to generate 181 hp. Outdrive to the constant-pitch propeller is managed by a specially-fitted gearbox mounted mid-ship with six forward speeds. Although the new model weighs 4,600 lb (fully laden), the sprint from 0 to 60 mph is completed in 6.6 seconds (on land) and in 2.4 minutes (on water). Top speed (on land) is 141 mph.

Developed after extensive testing of punt prototypes on the River Isis (near MINI’s manufacturing facility in Oxford, England) and in the deep waters off Greenland (where The Kraken of legend lurks), the MINI Cooper Yachtsman is priced at US $236,000 and comes with a fully incomprehensible warranty that includes 3-year no-cost moorage, annual dry-docking and free barnacle removal, for the original captain.

You can see the MINI Cooper Yachtsman on the MINI Stand at the New York International Auto Show in the Jacob Javits Center from Wednesday April 4th.

Editors’ Notes
*The Yachtsman is not the first amphibious Mini. The book ‘MINI MISCELLANY – Fifty Years of facts, figures, stories and oddities featuring the world’s greatest little car’ carried this interesting tale…

“Bizarre as it may sound, a Mini entered the 1977 River Severn Raft Race. Longbridge engineers converted a standard Mini into an unsinkable four-paddle-wheel-drive amphibious vehicle which they christened ‘Aqua Min’. However, it was not the first Mini to swim. Nine years earlier, an amphibious Moke swam in the River Thames for the Sammy Davis Jr. film Salt and Pepper. Since the movie was a James Bond spoof, it was only right that the Moke should have machine guns fitted behind the headlights.”

**And subsequently unendorsed.

For the last 30 years, the MG Car Club Northwest Centre has hosted the Tulip Rallye, an automobile tour of the Skagit Valley region of Western Washington State. This year on April 21st, 2012, the rallye starts in the Mount Vernon area, but you never know where it may take you from there. Through colorful tulip fields, windy country roads or scenic shoreline drives, it’s everything you need for a beautiful daytime tour of the region.

We have designed this event so that each car club, with a minimum of five cars entered, will be eligible for a first place prize to be awarded to the top performer within their club. Individuals not associated with a particular car club will compete in the “open” category.

The Tulip Rallye is intended to be a fun event. It’s not a time/speed/distance event, but a light hearted gimmick rallye with trivia questions written into the tour guide. It’s fun for the whole family. Some clubs now make this rallye their April driving event.

There are restaurants along the tour route, but they are often very crowded, so we recommend that you pack a picnic lunch to eat along the way.

We look forward to your club’s participation in the 31st Annual Tulip Rallye.

Here is the REGISTRATION FORM.

Thank you and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

David Ellis
Event Coordinator
MG Car Club NorthWest Centre
1521 Eagle Ridge Drive S., Renton, WA 98055
425-277-1086
tuliprallye@aol.com

Also, we take a run down to Mini of Marin for a special media event to mark the opening of this new dealership as well as the tenth anniversary of Mini in America.

Also, we’ll take a high energy look at the new Mini Coupe and Roadster.

Watch here, or subscribe through the iTunes Store!

MINI United time is here again.
The international Community growing up around the British premium small car brand is set to come together for the fourth running of a very special open-air festival from 11 – 13 May 2012. Lying in wait for the MINI United 2012 crowd at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France – which played host to Formula One races over several decades – alongside the popular Community activities will be a top-class line-up featuring live music acts, motor sport and lifestyle action.

For MINI enthusiasts the world over MINI United has always been the festival of choice. And this year it will also be the first date in the diary for those of us powered by the music vibe. Indeed, with the official unveiling of the MINI United line-up it’s clear MINI aficionados won’t be the only ones to have their appetites fully satisfied; festival-goers from around the world will also be purring at the prospect of seeing their national and international music heroes perform live.

Confirmed line-up for MINI United 2012:

Friday, 11 May:
Iggy and the Stooges, Martin Solveig, Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine, The Rifles, Naive New Beaters

Saturday, 12 May:
Gossip, The Ting Tings, Ben Mazué, SOMA, Charlie Winston, Birdy Nam Nam

Some 25,000 fans from more than 40 nations flocked to Silverstone in England for the MINI United festival in 2009 to celebrate not only the third Community catch-up but also the 50th anniversary of the brand’s founding.

Indeed, the event programme is richer in depth and variety than ever before. As well as live appearances by leading lights of the international music and DJ scene, it goes without saying that the MINI product family will also be taking to the stage in all its glory. The MINI John Cooper Works models will feel particularly at home in an arena where so much Formula One history has been written. Motor sport buffs will be in for a treat as the drivers do battle in a string of races in various MINI series, and the exclusive presentation of a new MINI model adds another highlight to the schedule. Last but not least, an array of fun sporting activities, stunt shows and an exhibition of exceptional Classic Mini cars ensure an attractive blend of al fresco party and car-based MINI action in every shape and form.

An extensive entertainment programme for younger MINI fans is guaranteed, as are a broad spread of culinary treats. Other essential features of a MINI United festival are the MINI Club Area and Beauty Parking, which serves as both a car park and stage for the more strikingly styled members of the MINI fleet. Indeed, for the majority of the fans at the fourth MINI United festival, driving to the venue in their own MINI is a key part of the event.

Further information on MINI United 2012 is now available at www.MINIspace.com/MINIunited. Regular updates on the event programme, motor sport and music line up will also be posted on the site, as well as tips and links on the event location, registration, ticket bookings and accommodation reservations in the area around the venue.

[Source: BMW Press Group Global, 23.03.2012, Munich/Le Castellet.]

Photos Include Music Acts, MINI United 2009, and a revised Poster art suitable for plastering all over town