Today MINI USA and Banana Republic announced the launch of “Gifts come in all Sizes,” a campaign that is not only fun for shoppers, but also gives back to local communities this holiday season. As part of the campaign, Banana Republic customers will have the opportunity to win one of five MINI Coupe vehicles (five one-year leases) and donate toys to the Boys and Girls Club of America that MINI Coupes will deliver from select Banana Republic locations.

No word on if the classic is going to get raffled, but I guess not..

On December 1, 150 Banana Republic stores across the USA will celebrate the launch of the campaign with holiday parties for customers. During the parties, attendees will receive instant game pieces. Once opened, the game piece will reveal either a winning discount or a one-year lease of a MINI Coupe.  As part of both companies’ commitment to give back to those in need this season, four stores will be collecting toys for the Boys and Girls Club of America. From December 1 through December 15th, residents in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and the Bay Area can donate at the following Banana Republic locations: The Grove (Los Angeles), Rockefeller Center (New York), Woodfield Mall (Chicago) and Corte Madera (Bay Area).

An extension of the campaign continues on Banana Republic’s Facebook page with a “Gifts Come in All Sizes” game, which will be live from December 2 – 24, 2011. Fans are encouraged to play the game daily for a chance to win a year-long lease for a MINI Coupe, Virgin America flights, Banana Republic shopping cards and donations to the Boys and Girls Club Of America under the fan’s name. Every day is a new chance to win a gift from Banana Republic and MINI USA this holiday season.

“This partnership with Banana Republic is another example of MINI taking a different approach to our marketing efforts,” said Tom Salkowsky, Manager of MINI USA Marketing. “It allows us to engage in helping our community, and extend that opportunity to customers and fans alike. It also ensures MINI is visible in some of the highest traffic retails locations this time of year, building brand awareness and introducing our newest model.”

“Banana Republic is excited to be partnering with MINI this holiday. Our ‘Gifts Come in all Sizes’ campaign is an extension of the community service our associates already do in stores, bringing joy to those who need it most,” said Chris Nicklo, Vice President of Marketing, Banana Republic.

Recently Norm Nelson, Steve Lowery and Bob Wilson of the Shasta Mini Club were guests on the Exceptional Living radio show on KLXR Redding.

Host Lynn Fritz interviewed the Mini Cooper enthusiasts about the Mini itself and the Shasta club.

“Enjoy Exceptional Living” is provided through a collaboration with Enjoy Magazine, KLXR 1230 AM Radio and Lynn E. Fritz, Psychotherapist (MFC 44877).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

MOASF (the Mini Owners of America, San Francisco chapter) will gather at Redcoats Pub on Monday, November 21 at 7 PM. They will discuss their annual Toys for Tots charity run (December 10th), and next year’s Hayward Field Meet. You don’t need to own a classic Mini to attend, though if you drive one to the meetings people will surely be impressed The meeting, which may include eating and drinking of the usual pub fare, takes place here:

REDCOATS PUB
336 St. Marys St.
Pleasanton, CA

DIRECTIONS:
From 680 (North or South) take the BERNAL AVE off ramp.
Continue East on BERNAL about a mile, pass under the overpass and get in the left lane.
Turn left on MAIN ST.
Go five blocks to ST. MARY’S ST. There is a stop sign and a cute little old fashioned gas station on the corner.
Turn left and it’s on your left, half way down the first block.  336 ST. MARY’S STREET.
There is a big parking lot in the back. To get to the parking lot, go to the corner, turn left, go half way down the block and turn into the parking lot.

SEE YOU THERE !

[Source: Nick Becker, MOASF]

Heya MINI fans! Nope, it’s not another stuffy press release from Munich or Oxford. Finally, we got some news local to the USA!

MINI USA and MINI of Charleston to build and sell turn-key MINI race cars

MINI USA has partnered with MINI of Charleston (South Carolina) to announce that the MINI Cooper Hardtop will begin racing in the B-Spec series for the 2012 race season. B-Spec vehicles are production-based cars that are equalized on power and weight to make the racing as competitive as possible and all four of the major racing sanctioning bodies (SCCA, Grand Am, NASA and World Challenge) will host B-Spec races in 2012.

Jim McDowell, Vice President – MINI USA (who was interviewed by Miniology earlier) said, “B-Spec racing is a great fit for MINI because the car is developed with racing heritage in mind and the races are run with vehicles very similar to those already sitting in the driveway…Getting involved with B-Spec racing offers a fun and competitive race environment without requiring MINI drivers to make a large financial investment to make their car a serious competitor.”

Yeah, like we have always said, MINIs (even stock ones!) are track-ready right off the dealership floor. How many brands can say they offer that kind of performance right off the factory line?

MINI of Charleston, a Hendrick Automotive Group company, will build and sell turn-key MINI Hardtop racing vehicles by the start of the 2012 season. It will also offer class-legal conversion kits so the owner of any 2007 – 2012 MINI Cooper Hardtop can easily be ready to race in B-Spec. All safety equipment will meet or exceed requirements set forth by the sanctioning body.

During the LA Auto Show, the first MINI’s B-Spec prototype will be on display. This vehicle will be driven by Brad Davis, Executive General Manager of MINI of Charleston and team driver Robbie Davis.

MINI USA’s existing contingency program for all four racing series will be extended to sanctioned B-Spec race teams, with financial compensation for an eligible podium finish. For more information about MINI USA’s contingency program, please visit http://www.miniusa.com/#/miniRacing

Vinnie Kung, MINI USA Product Manager added, “MINI entering B-Spec racing is full of benefits. Drivers can enter the racing arena for a fairly low investment in a car developed from the ground up with performance and handling at its core. In addition, MINI USA’s contingency program is to compelling, it could even pay off the car itself in about a year.”

Final contingency payout information, as well as detailed pricing for the MINI Hardtop adapted by MINI of Charleston and the conversion kits, will be announced as the start of the 2012 season draws closer.

Now here are the vehicle specs:

2012 MINI Cooper Hardtop B-Spec Racer
HP: 121 @ 6,000, factory rated
TQ: 114 @ 4,250, factory rated
Steering: Electric power-assisted rack and pinion, 14.1:1 ratio
Weight: 2,535 pounds, 60.4%/39.6% F/R, factory rated
Length / Wheelbase / Height: 146.6”/ 97.1” / 55.4”
Suspension: KW V1 Coilover Struts and Shocks/ Vorshlag front camber plates
Brakes: Standard MINI Brake system with Carbotech Brake Pads and Way Motorworks Stainless Steel Braided hoses.
Safety Equipment: Kirk Racing Roll Cage with Kirkey Intermediate Road Racing Seat and Schroth Hybrid III Harnesses, Cage Nets and Window Net.
Wheel / Tire: 15 x 7 Kosei K1 aluminum alloy / Hoosier SM6 205-50-15
Performance-enhancing electronics standard on all MINIs:
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
• Four-wheel disc Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
• Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
• Brake Force Distribution (BFD)

[Source: BMW Group PressClub USA - Woodcliff Lake, NJ - November 16, 2011]

Yeah, we’ll keep this short. You want to know what the new MINIs are going for, here’s the list:

Complete 2012 Mini Lineup Pricing and Updates

Model/Variant MY2011 MY2012

MINI Coupe
Cooper — $22,000
Cooper S — $25,300
John Cooper Works — $31,900

MINI Roadster
Cooper — $25,050
Cooper S — $28,050
John Cooper Works — $35,200

MINI Hardtop
Cooper $20,100 $20,200
Cooper S $23,700 $23,800
John Cooper Works $29,800 $30,600*
* John Cooper Works model now includes aero kit as standard for 2012 MY (option in 2011 MY)

MINI Clubman
Cooper $21,800 $21,900
Cooper S $25,500 $25,600
John Cooper Works $32,000 $32,100

MINI Convertible
Cooper $25,550 $25,650
Cooper S $28,550 $28,650
John Cooper Works $35,000 $35,800*
* John Cooper Works model now includes aero kit as standard for 2012 MY (option in 2011 MY)

MINI Countryman
Cooper $22,350 $22,450
Cooper S $25,950 $26,050
Cooper S ALL4 $27,650 $27,750

All 2012 pricing includes a $700 Destination and Handling charge (unchanged from 2011).

Equipment / Technology Changes Versus 2011MY Vehicles
In regards to model year updates versus 2011, changes for the MINI Hardtop, Convertible, Clubman and Countryman models will be related to customization.

The ever-popular MINI Yours customizations just became available for US customers this 2012 model year, for those that don’t know it’s the premium, exclusive series of options from upholstery, interior surfaces and exterior colors that can be purchased as a package or as individual options. MINI Yours interior options include:

An instrument panel covered in a smooth two-tone soft-touch leather that has exposed stitching
Two-tone leather steering wheel
The new MINI Yours 17” alloy wheel – on all Cooper and Cooper S models
MINI Yours pattern “Soda” mirror caps, which have a three-dimensional effect
MINI Yours Soda pattern Lounge Leather, where the unique Soda pattern appears on the sides of the backrests and headrests, and a contrasting black leather stripe runs down the middle of the seats and is offset with a premium piping

Cosmopolitan floormats will be standard on all MINI models sold in the US.

The model year 2012 John Cooper Works Hardtop and Convertible will be equipped standard with the JCW aero kit.

Specific Color / Option Changes by Model

MINI Clubman
The lower C-pillars are now available in body color for Laser Blue, White Silver, British Racing Green II, Eclipse Gray and Pepper White.

MINI Hardtop and Clubman
New standard wheel for Cooper models is the 15” 7-Hole wheel, replacing the 5-Star Spooler.

MINI Hardtop, Convertible, Clubman and Countryman
A new option is an interior mirror with a digital compass.

MINI Hardtop, Convertible and Clubman
Cross Check Cloth/Leather in Polar Beige will be now available on all body styles, along with Satellite Gray Lounge Leather and Carbon Black Cloth/Leather.

There’s lots of special models this year as well, keep it tuned to Miniology for details!

The MINI WRC Team’s drivers were fighting to the very end of Wales Rally GB to give the team a great result on the last event of its first year in the World Rally Championship. Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finished the event in fourth, while Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) set the second fastest time in the final test of the day, the Power Stage at Monument, ending up finishing 20th overall.

That may not sound too impressive, but when you look at the 2011 FIA Drivers’ Championship Standings, we find Sordo in 8th, Meeke in 11th. Co-drivers Carlos del Barrio took 7th and Paul Nagle 15th, not too shabby out of 32 eh?

Let’s not forget Brazil’s entry this year – the Brazil World Rally Team (BWRT) ran 11 events using a Prodrive-developed Super 2000-version of MINI’s Countryman-based World Rally Car, then switching to a MINI WRC on Rally d’Italia Sardegna in May. We don’t know why BMW’s press sites have barely (if any) mention of this or other MINI/Mini rally teams and events, perhaps it was just too much news to cover in one sitting, who knows? Just to be fair, let us recognize MINI Motorsport is still covering the MINI Challenge events along with endurance, Dakar, and some other news, though I didn’t see any info on Brazil’s MINI there, so we had to go direct to the WRC site for that. Yeah okay, they did retire 5 out of the 11 events and finished half of the remaining runs without a top 10 placement, but, I do like to give props that they were driving a beautiful MINI instead of another one of those Citroen eyesores

Back to our report though..

Meeke left Cardiff in the early hours of the morning 45 seconds behind the third placed Ford of Henning Solberg (NO). From the first stage of the day Meeke was determined to do everything he could to snatch a podium on his home event, and by the start of the final stage of the day the gap was down to 1.8 seconds. Unfortunately (sigh!!!!) he hit a rut, did a half spin, and that was that …

Team Principal David Richards remained optimistic for next year, and said, “This event, like so many others, has had its ups and downs. Kris I am sure will reflect on that half spin on the last stage and what might have been, but there have been so many other occasions on the event when we could have also done a little bit better or had a bit better luck. At the end of the day when I look back on this rally and think where we have come in six months – Dani and Kris have achieved five top five positions in only six events – quite honestly the team has come of age and this is only just the beginning for the MINI WRC Team.”

Head of MINI Motorsport Dirk Hollweg was also pleased by this year’s trial runs, stating, “We are overwhelmed by the success of the team, which is much better than expected. We are very happy with the performance of the whole team and the drivers and we have a great spirit. This is of great benefit to the MINI and the John Cooper Works brand. This is exactly what we wanted.”

Technical Director Dave Wilcock summed up day four’s happenings by saying, “It has been a good day. Kris had a big challenge to make up the ground between himself and Henning Solberg , with 45 seconds to find which averaged to just over half a second a kilometre. He was completely on track with that until the Power Stage when he had to find 1.8secs to match Henning’s time and take a podium..”

( yeh, and we know how that went.. but we still love Kris anyway.. )

“..Still we are very happy with fourth and Kris’ performance on the event. Dani’s very uncharacteristic mistake on Friday meant he was in the SupeRally. We wanted to build his confidence for the future in these conditions and did this, as he was setting competitive times and second on the Power Stage is something we are very pleased with. We got both cars to the finish, they are in reasonable shape, and we have learnt an awful lot. For the drivers it was difficult physically, as there were some very long road sections to contend with, but they came through it very well. It was a tough rally for the car and we are very pleased with its general reliability. This has been a testing year for us, it has been a good rally to finish on and overall we are very happy with the result as the team has worked extremely hard. Also important to what has happened this year has been our partnership with Michelin. It is a very good relationship and we work together very well. We share all our information with them in order to maximise the performance of our tyre, and the results have proven that the partnership is working very well.”

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37) said, “I was pushing a little bit on the Power Stage but Sébastien Ogier was going really fast. I enjoyed the second run through the stages today. However, after the first day it is difficult to push when you have nothing to fight for. Despite what happened on Friday, I am happy and now I have a lot more confidence in the car, in the conditions we have had here in Wales. Although the sun was shining, today many parts on the tarmac with gravel tyres were slippery. The season has been interesting because the car has become better and better. Obviously we now need to develop it more.”

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52) agreed, saying “All in all we had a pretty good weekend. We had a few issues during the rally, which perhaps cost us about three minutes. Still I am very disappointed with the Power Stage, as when it came to producing the goods we didn’t, made a mistake and paid the price, but that is the way it goes. Hopefully there is a bigger future for us than fighting for third overall, as in a year’s time we want to be able to fight for a win. I feel very positive about the season, as for a new car and a new team, to be in there challenging for podiums is fantastic.”

We couldn’t agree more, and hope you’ve been enjoying Miniology’s continuous coverage of MINI WRC this year.

[Source: BMW Group PressClub Sport, Wales, Wales,13th November 2011.]

The sun came out in Wales, but it still threw challenges at the Wales Rally GB crews. Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finished day three in their MINI John Cooper Works WRC fifth despite having to battle with a broken engine mount for the first three stages. Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) re-joined the competitors in the SupeRally and had a trouble free run.

Meeke started the day eighth and his aim was to move up rapidly to sixth and then battle for fifth. His goal was helped by the retirements of Petter Solberg (NO) and Kimi Räikkönen (FI), but not by the broken engine mount. Despite suffering from this he still set some decent stage times on the three stages into mid-day service in Builth Wells. His car was soon as good as new and ready to challenge for fourth in the afternoon. Meanwhile Sordo was feeling much more confident in the car on the low grip conditions, and on Sweet Lamb was fourth quickest first time through and third on the second run.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director described the day thus, “We had a small issue with Kris on the first loop this morning. There was an engine mounting that had come slightly loose and it had pulled one of the exhaust slip joints off, so we had hot exhaust gas leaking into the engine bay, which melted a couple of items but nothing that cost too much performance. Because of this he took it cautiously for the first loop. We repaired that at lunch time, this afternoon things were back to normal, and we saw some good stage times from Kris. He struggled a little bit in that last stage, which was nearly 28 kilometres in Myherin, and we need to have a look at the data as he thought it felt okay. As for Dani, on the SupeRally today there were stages he knows from previous years. He was looking forward to today and his times have been improving all day long. He is now much more confident in these low grip conditions, and we could clearly see that in his stage times.

For Kris he has 45 seconds to make up to get fourth and we are now looking for a little over half a second a kilometre to leap frog Henning Solberg. It is a tall order, but there are 84 kilometres to go so we shall see how we get on on the first stage. If he is on target at that point then he will continue to push. If not then we shall just consolidate fifth position.”

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37) shared, “Today was quite good. I like the stages a lot, but at the same time they were very slippery. I particularly liked the Sweet Lamb stage, and this showed in my time. Tomorrow will be quite tricky as we have some parts on tarmac and some new stages. It was good that it did not rain today, but here in Wales even when it is dry the roads are muddy as it has been raining for a long time.”

Our BMW folks covering the events forgot to mention which position Dani Sordo took at the end of the day, so I guess we’ll find out more tomorrow!

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52) chimed in, “We sorted the engine problem from the morning at lunch time, which was good as every time I changed gear the engine was moving. We just had to drive through and try to get it back here. The second pass today was tricky and very slippery like the surface had been polished. The car is working well on the smooth stuff, but on the ruts we lose a bit of time. We shall see tomorrow what happens, as it will be interesting to see if we can catch Henning. I have done tomorrow’s stages in the other direction, so maybe I should try reversing through them!”

Whether they run dry, wet, muddy, or somewhere in between, we are pleased to see team MINI WRC on the rally circuit, and look forward to tomorrow’s competition as well the full season next year.

Here’s a few more dirty pictures for you to enjoy .. dirty MINIs that is!

[Source: BMW Group PressClub Sport, Wales, Nov 12 2011]

Miniology’s nearly live WRC coverage continues in Wales, which returned to typical November weather for day two of its World Rally Championship event.

Rain meant the crews were greeted with wet and slippery stages as they left Llandudno this morning. While the MINI John Cooper Works WRC of Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) will start day three of Wales Rally GB eighth overall, the sister car of Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) will be in the SupeRally after crashing out on the second stage of the day.

It wasn’t an easy day for either of the MINI WRC Team crews. On the second stage of the day the Spaniards went off the road after braking too late. Even though they could not get back on the road, the damage was not bad and they will be re-starting from Cardiff tomorrow morning. For Meeke it was a spin that resulted in him losing an alternator belt on stage seven and dropping two and a half minutes. Luckily a spare was carried in the car, so the repairs were carried out by the crew. Even though this dropped Meeke down from sixth to 11th overall, he was soon back in his stride setting the second fastest time on stage eight and the fastest on stage nine. This is the first fastest stage time set on this event by a British driver since 2005.

Today was the longest of the rally in terms of stage distance, with 141.43 kilometres. Tomorrow there are another six stages and 128.06 kilometres of competition. The cars have travelled back to Cardiff tonight from the service park in Builth Wells, and will leave the Welsh capital tomorrow from 06.00 to arrive back at service just before 08.00.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director reported in saying, “All in all a day of highs and lows. Unfortunately for Dani he went off on the second stage this morning, just missed his braking point and, with the low grip conditions, just dropped the car off the road and into a ditch. Luckily there was not much damage so we shall get that car back and into SupeRally tomorrow. As for Kris, he had a small spin and an alternator belt problem on stage seven, which dropped him back. Then on the final stage he was hampered a bit running in the dark. He set some competitive times this morning, and then this afternoon really started to feel his feet with a stage win and a second fastest. He is still very competitive in eighth, and he looks likely to jump comfortably into sixth after the first couple of stages in the morning. It will be a bit more difficult for him tomorrow as they are stages he has not competed on for many, many years, so the guys who competed here last year have already driven these. Like the early part of the year, he will be on new notes so that will hold him back a little bit. We are pleased with the way he is going at the moment, and he just needs to keep that momentum going.”

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37) said, “I am disappointed about this. I just braked really late and it was my mistake. The conditions were really slippery, I saw the lines of the first cars and I was a little bit confused, as I thought this was the braking point. As soon as I braked I knew from the first second it was too late. I have to admit that from the beginning of the rally I haven’t felt confident in the stages in these conditions. The car wasn’t badly damaged so I am looking forward to getting back into action tomorrow.”

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52) summed it up by saying, “It felt simple and easy and I am delighted to have my first fastest time on tarmac in Spain and now here on gravel, so things are heading in the right direction. The car is working really, really well. This afternoon was very good, but I am just a bit frustrated with the problem we had on the first loop. We spun and about a kilometre or a kilometre and a half after that the warning light came on. The alternator belt that controls the water pump had come off, and when the water is not circulating in the engine the temperature goes up. We lost over two minutes in the stage, which was unfortunate, but that is the way it is. It is nice to be able to fight back and now we are only a few seconds off sixth place. My target is fifth, but it is a long, long way to go. We were able to learn a lot about the car on that loop, and the most important thing this weekend is to learn about it on gravel. On this rally all the little things have to work and they are doing that perfectly, which you need in these conditions.”

We wish them better success, even though this year was just a trial run and all, it would be sweet if they ended up with a top placement now wouldn’t it?

We have a selection of similarly sweet photos for your viewing pleasure, here they are:

[Source: BMW Group PressClub Sport, Wales, 11th November 2011.]

MINI is using the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show to present the latest additions to its product range and, at the same time, open a window into the longer-term future of the brand — taking centre stage is the Asian premiere of the MINI Coupé, touted as packing all of MINI’s fun features into a concentrated form, sorta like those shots of RedBull which were wickedly popular in just about every country except USA, but that’s another story

Not only will you get to see the Coupe (and perhaps sister car the roadster) but MINI plans on showing off the MINI Countryman along with the Paceman concept car, the “Sports Activity Coupe” of MINI, sorta like modern MINI cooper meets the AMC Pacer, as you’ve likely seen in our earlier reports!

I’m not going to bore you with any more marketing fluff (though they did send us a crap load of it, which almost put me to sleep!) so instead, I’ll give you this nice little wallpaper sized HDR photo of the current 2011 model line-up, suitable for saving to your desktop or simply drooling over whenever you like. Cheers!