library of motoring » books

Bentley Service Manual for second-generation MINIs coming

James — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:55 +0000

Nearly five years after the second-generation MINI arrived, Bentley Publishers is about to release its well-known MINI Cooper Service Manual for the R56 Hardtop, R55 Clubman, and R57 Convertible. Set to be published on September 6, 2011, this large and thick paperback book has over 1,000 pages of information for do-it-yourself repairs. The cover price is $139.95.

MINI Cooper Service Manual: Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works (JCW) Including Clubman, Convertible 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Bentley Publishers, 2011
1,058 p.
ISBN-10: 0837616719
ISBN-13: 978-0837616711

You can pre-order your copy at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

Bentley Publishers has previously published several service manuals for the first-generation MINI:

MINI Cooper 2002-2006 Cooper, Cooper S: Diagnosis Without Guesswork
MINI Cooper Service Manual: 2002, 2003, 2004 MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S
MINI Cooper Service Manual: MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S, Convertible 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
MINI Cooper Service Manual: MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S, Convertible 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 [with Diagnostic Trouble Code Manual]

first ebook about MINI published

James — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:00:18 +0000

The first ebook about MINI has been published. The ebook titled Is the MINI Cooper on Steroids? by James Hawthorn is available only as an Amazon Kindle Edition. It is published by Tudor eBooks, which has a large selection of titles, but it seems like an amateur publication.

From the Forward:

The Mini Cooper has packed on the pounds and gained a lot of muscle. Judging by the appearance of the latest Countryman model they must be feeding them steriods. This ebook contains a mass of information on the various models plus essential maintenance and performance improvement tips to keep your Mini in great shape.

The subjects covered meander from Mini history to MINI models to servicing to aftermarket parts. A reading of the table of contents will demonstrate this:

Disclaimer
History
The Man Behind the Car
The Re-Birth
Re-Designed
Previous Models
2009 MINI Cooper S Convertible
The Countryman
Countryman Interior
Countryman Options
Alarm System Upgrade
Buying Online
Choosing a Model
Mini Cooper Clubman
Cooper Quirks
Demon Tweaks
Mini Maintenance
Servicing Tips
Recommended Oils
Engine Coolants
Performance Muffler
Supercharger
The 2011 Range
The MINI E
Xenon Headlights

At times the book reads like a badly-written press release. It has no photos or illustrations. There are several inaccuracies that any MINI enthusiast will spot. Regarding Mini production which lasted until 2000, the author states:

Though no longer available in the U.S., the Mini remained in production in Europe through the ’70s and ’80s. By the mid-’80s, more than 5 million Minis had been produced worldwide.

In chapters on increasing performance with aftermarket parts, the author recommended specific brands of parts and the reader wonders whether the author was paid for endorsing them. In fact, several links in the book direct the reader to specific products sold on Amazon.com.

Not recommended.

The ebook sells for $3.40 on Amazon.com.

Mission MINI copy available

James — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 04:30:11 +0000

A copy of Mission MINI, the 54 page booklet by Val McDermid is available for purchase from AbeBooks.com.

The bookseller is in the UK and priced the book at $12.75 with a shipping charge of $12.07. According to the seller, the Mission MINI competition form is still attached. The price is high but it’s a good chance to pick up a rare early MINI collectible.

collectible of the day: The MINI: Celebrating 50 Years of a Modern Motoring Icon

James — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:00:59 +0000

The MINI: Celebrating 50 Years of a Modern Motoring Icon

Brian Laban might be the most prolific writer on the MINI. We have already featured two of his other books: The Little Book of MINI and The MINI: The Making of a Modern Icon.

Shown is his most recent book from 2009. From the book jacket:

The most innovative, fun-filled and spectacularly successful British car ever built, the Mini has come to be regarded as far more than just an automobile. This book is a celebration of the Mini and all that it stands for. It tells the story of the car’s development, from Issigonis’ original right up to BMW’s MINI of today, explaining the car’s enduring appeal.

Using original and contemporary photographs and with tales from the famous, the good and the infamous who have known and loved Minis, this is the only book on the Mini that every motoring enthusiast and Mini lover could ever want.

To many thousands of people around the world the Mini is a way of life. Since it first rolled off the production line in August 1959, the car remained essentially the same for 40 years while revolutionising the motor industry, inspiring artists, starring in films and winning numerous racing trophies. When change did eventually come with BMW’s new MINI, the style of the original car mixed with the up-to-date technology proved a winning combination that has continued to thrill Mini fans everywhere. Broken into sections dealing with Size – why no other ‘small’ car comes close; Class – how it was eagerly adopted by Lords and call-girls; Sex – the Swinging Sixties would have merely swayed without it; Speed – how it ate Jags for tea; Money – it never made any; Love – why it won the hearts of millions; Faith – how BMW came to the rescue; and, Rebirth – how it came back to life.

The 208 page hardcover book has forward by Jeremy Clarkson and Frank Stephenson, the designer of the original new MINI. Chapters are one-word names including Size, Style, Class, Sex, Taste, Speed, Speed 2, Money, Love, Faith, Rebirth, and Success.

This edition is an update to his original The Mini: Forty Years of Fun published in 1999.

Laban Brian, Forward by Jeremy Clarkson
The MINI: Celebrating 50 Years of a Modern Motoring Icon
Carlton Books, 2009
208 p.
ISBN-10: 1847323731, ISBN-13: 978-1847323736

collectible of the day: New MINI Performance Manual

James — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:00:22 +0000

We previously featured another MINI book by Tim Mundy: You & Your New MINI: Buying, Enjoying, Maintaining, Modifying. His second MINI book is this New MINI Performance Manual published in 2008.

Another Haynes book, New MINI Performance Manual is a hardcover guide with 160 pages of information on the MINI engine, transmission, and running gear. From the book description:

Since its launch in 2001, the New Mini has been a spectacular sales success in all its major markets, carving out its own identity in a marketplace full of increasingly bland small hatchbacks. It is a car that still turns heads, and has inspired a burgeoning aftermarket tuning and accessory industry, leading to the availability of a wide range of both official and aftermarket tuning packages. Written in down-to-earth language, this extensively illustrated manual is a practical enthusiast’s guide to realistic Mini tuning, providing advice on how to make the best of the options available.

Mundy, Tim
New MINI Performance Manual
Yeovil: Haynes Publishing, 2008
160 p.
ISBN-10: 1844251225, ISBN-13: 978-1844251223

collectible of the day: The MINI: The Making of a Modern Icon

James — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:00:11 +0000

Today we feature another collectible book on the MINI.

The MINI: The Making of a Modern Icon was written by Brian Laban and includes forwards by Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear and Frank Stephenson, the designer of the original new MINI.

From Amazon UK:

This text tells the story of the Mini’s development over time and the story of how Mini owners have changed and the uses to which the car has been put. A socio-political examination of the Mini as a statement of class, sex, status and environmental intention, the book is also full of tales of racing, naughty goings-on and the Mini’s life in films and music. It includes original and contemporary photography, and features interviews with famous, and infamous people who have known and loved Minis, people such as Sterling Moss, Jamie Blandford, Jeremy Clarkson, Damon Hill, Twiggy, David Bailey, George Harrison and Julie Christie. A history of workers’ struggles, rust, wood, neglect decline and of the rebirth of the mini is also given.

Laban Brian, Forwards by Jeremy Clarkson and Frank Stephenson
The MINI: The Making of a Modern Icon
London: HarperCollins, 1999, updated edition 2003
192 p.
ISBN-10: 0007691998, 0007152752, ISBN-13: 978-0007152759

collectible of the day: You & Your New MINI book

James — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:00:53 +0000

From 2004 comes another of the popular early MINI books: You & Your New MINI: Buying, Enjoying, Maintaining, Modifying by Tim Mundy.

The table of contents contains:

Chapter 1: Genesis and evolution
Chapter 2: New Mini in depth
Chapter 3: The Mini One
Chapter 4: The Mini One D
Chapter 5: The Mini Cooper
Chapter 6: The Cooper S
Chapter 7: The Mini Convertible
Chapter 8: The John Cooper Works Coopers
Chapter 9: New Mini options and accessories
Chapter 10: Ownership and maintenance
Chapter 11: Tuning and modification
Chapter 12: New Mini in competition
Appendix A: Specifications and performance figures
Appendix B: New MINI specialists

Mundy, Tim
You & Your New MINI: Buying, Enjoying, Maintaining, Modifying
Yeovil: Haynes Publishing, 2004
160 p.
ISBN-10: 1844250288, ISBN-13: 978-1844250288

collectible of the day: Owners Workshop Manual for the MINI

James — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:00:26 +0000

Back in February we featured the MINI Cooper Service Manual by Bentley Publishers. That book was very thick and very detailed.

Today we have the Haynes Owners Workshop Manual for the MINI by Randall Martynn. Although this book is in hardcover, the 143 pages are printed on almost newspaper-like paper with only black and white photos.

The contents include:

LIVING WITH YOUR MINI: Roadside Repairs, Weekly Checks, Lubricants and Fluids, and Tyre Pressures
MAINTENANCE
REPAIRS & OVERHAUL: Engine and Associated Systems, Transmission, Brakes and Suspension, Body Equipment, and Wiring Diagrams
REFERENCE: Index

Randall, Martynn
Owners Workshop Manual for the MINI: July 2001 to 2005 (Y to 05 Reg) Petrol
Yeovil: Haynes Publishing, 2005
143 p.
ISBN-10: 1844252736, ISBN-13: 978-1844252732

collectible of the day: MINI 50 Years book

James — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:00:17 +0000

MINI 50 Years by Rob Golding is an interesting little book with a clever hardcover case. The bright yellow cover has a magnetic closure and is opened by lifting the bonnet section (to uncover the MINI engine) and then the main cover to uncover the glossy softcover book inside.

Published in 2007, the fifty years covered in this book stretch from the concept in 1956 through the MINI models of 2006 (rather than the usual 1969-2009 celebration from the original launch).

After an introduction titled “Mini Trinity: Classic, Current, and Future” the chapters are:

Issigonis starts work
BL to BMW
Making It
Cooper’s the Name. Speed Is the Game
The Man Behind the Brand
The Man Behind the Style
Hello again, Sir. Now What?
Mini and the Coachbuilding Tradition
Get Involved: A Guide to Learning More and Seeing Other Dimensions of the Mini Tradition
The Men from the MINIstry in Munich
What’s Next?
What’s New?

Golding, Rob
MINI 50 Years
St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks, 2007.
176 p.
ISBN-10: 0760326274, ISBN-13: 978-0760326275

collectible of the day: MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper ‘S’ book

James — Thu, 27 May 2010 07:00:23 +0000

MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper ‘S’ is an unusual “book”. On the bright yellow cover it states “THIS BOOK CONTAINS ROAD TESTS AND FEATURES ON ALL MINI COOPER MODELS”. Despite the MINI on the cover, the first third of the book actually contains articles on the classic Mini.

Published by Unique Motor Books, this soft-cover book has 72 photocopied pages and is really a compilation of old articles from the UK magazines “Autocar”, “Autocourse”, and “Sporting Motorist” published between 1963 and 2002.

This book is only recommended if you are a serious Mini or MINI book collector.

MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper ‘S’
Unique
72 p.
ISBN-10: 1841554952.