library of motoring » magazines

Roundel magazine reviews the MINI Roadster

James — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:00:31 +0000

It’s not often that Roundel, a BMW magazine, puts anything other than a BMW car on its cover, but it did just that for its May 2012 issue. The cover car is a MINI Cooper S Roadster which is reviewed inside.

But you can’t judge a review by the cover. With the Roadster’s accomplishment, you might think Roundel takes the new MINI Roadster seriously. Instead, the condescending author imagines the “Nancy Drew car” as suitable for a sixteen-year-old girl named Buffy. Some quotes from just the first page (page 40) of the article:

“It’s just so gosh-darned cuuuuuute!”

“The Coupé is an attitude car, the ride-of-choice for the young rebel without a clue; the Roadster is simply the adorable kitten from the shelter: Won’t you take me home, little girl?”

“Here’s how goofy this thing is: I am smiling and waving at passers-by.”

So it seems the author, a BMW guy, is reluctant to admit he loves the MINI. He’s shown on the cover with a huge grin and even feels the need to explain that in his column on page 7.

All the condescension might be to hide the schizophrenic author’s true love for the MINI, since he simultaneously ridicules and praises the Roadster:

So what’s in store for you in this kiddie car, Mister Adult With Responsibilities And Good Sense? Well, first of all, it’s an excellent way to banish that image. As a roadster-with-a-lowercase-r fanatic myself, I must note the verities of the breed. Your neighbors will shake their heads as you drift out of the driveway on your way to work, tsk-tsking your apparent descent into a long-delayed adolescence while they inwardly seethe with envy. [...] The Mini Roadster is simply so much fun that you might justify buying one even if you have no children, just in case.

One positive comment on the article is that it does give several great tables of specifications and data on all the versions of the MINI Roadster, both manual and automatic.

We can’t help thinking this article says more about the author and the typical BMW owner than it does about the character of the car itself. However much they might want to like the Roadster, the perception of their image by others comes first. Most MINI enthusiasts don’t suffer from this issue but will simply embrace the quirks and enjoy the sheer driving fun that Roadster and all MINIs provide.

To read this issue, go to the Roundel reader page, click the Issues tab on the left side, and choose the May 2012 cover. Note: the website uses Flash and will not work on Apple devices.

classic Mini magazines for the iPad

James — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:00:44 +0000

Two long-running classic Mini magazines from the UK are now available for the Apple iPad and iPhone. Mini Magazine and MiniWorld can be found in the Apple Newsstand.

The Mini Magazine app is free to download. Individual digital issues are $4.99 or you can get three subscription lengths: 90 days for $12.99, 180 days for $21.99, or 365 days for $39.99. Right now the September 2011 issue is free to celebrate the launch.

The MiniWorld Magazine app costs $5.99 and includes one issue of your choice. Individual issues are $4.99 and there is also a 13 issues subscription for $36.99.

Visit the Apple App Store to download Mini Magazine and MiniWorld.

Grassroots Motorsports: MINI Cooper Buyer’s Guide

James — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:00:10 +0000

The December 2011 issue of Grassroots Motorsports magazine is out now and it contains a complete MINI Cooper buyer’s guide. The article begins with a brief history of BMW’s acquisition of Mini to create the MINI brand. It covers the early years of the MINI in the US. One table lists the year-by-year changes from 2002 to 2006.

Getting to the actual buyer’s guide, the advice covers the first-generation Cooper (R50) and Cooper S (R53) models. The author enlists the help of MINI aftermarket vendors including Sneed’s Speed Shop, Mini Mania, and Way Motor Works. For example, here’s Way Hunsucker on engine mounts:

Hunsucker recommends examining the engine mounts on any used MINI. “The passenger-side mounts on all years go bad. The later ones, anything mid-’04 and on, has basically a metal can, and the fluid will leak out—that’s how you tell if it’s bad. The earlier ones are rubber but still fluid-filled. They get short as they age and that tears the other mounts.” Polyurethane replacements are available.

The guide covers:

Body and Interior
Engine and Drivetrain
Suspension and Brakes

THE MINI INTERNATIONAL iPad App released

James — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:00:27 +0000

MINI’s automotive, travel, and style magazine is now available as an app for the Apple iPad.

From BMW Group PressClub Global:

Munich. THE MINI INTERNATIONAL magazine will be released as an iPad app in German and English in the iTunes App Store on 13 September 2011 in time for the start of the IAA International Motor Show.The MINI INTERNATIONAL app is different. It not only allows MINI fans to experience the contents of the printed edition in multimedia form but also provides a weekly update with all the latest news: a MINI “best-of” from the blogs and websites unlike.net, NOWNESS.com and davidreport.com. These three partners will help ensure that THE MINI INTERNATIONAL app stays exciting and up-to-the-minute.

The app will feature articles from THE MINI INTERNATIONAL with even more pictures, exciting videos and audio-visual streams – as well as weekly bulletins on the MINI brand, lifestyle, culture, art and other topics of interest to MINI fans. The app’s interface concept is based on the printed edition and, like the magazine itself, is also characterised by its aesthetic design. Interesting feeds and an integrated Facebook share function guarantee perfect networking.

A multimedia special that ties in with the international campaign “Another Day. Another Adventure.” will be released to mark the launch of the MINI Coupé, as well as a film documenting the MINI Clubman video art on display at the IAA.

THE MINI INTERNATIONAL print magazine is published twice a year, in March and September. THE MINI INTERNATIONAL application will be released at the same time as the print version and will also be updated on a weekly basis through feeds from partner websites and the official MINI online channels.

Download the THE MINI INTERNATIONAL app from the iTunes App Store.

MC2 Magazine issues 28-32 now online

James — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:00:58 +0000

We announced in April that MC2 Magazine launched its online magazine. Now they have released issues 28 through 32 online.

Read MC2 issues 28-32 for free:

MC2 Magazine plans to add more issues in the near future.

MC2 launches online magazine

James — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:00:11 +0000

MC2 magazine has gone digital. The North American MINI magazine launched an online version of itself beginning with Issue 28 for October-November 2010. Read the online version at mc2.epubxp.com.

In addition to the magazine, MC2 plans to roll out a few more MINI-related websites. Later this month, a new GoMotoring website will launch. According to the announcement email, the site will be a “daily news, info, club, event calendar, event coverage for Mini & MINI site”. The current RSS feed site at GoMotoring.com will be replaced.

Also coming soon is MINI Cooper Videos, “[t]he world’s only stand-alone automotive video site”. To upload videos, you will have to request a password. Submitted videos will be reviewed and only those selected will be added to the gallery. Visit MINI Cooper Videos at minicoopervideos.com.

collectible of the day: New MINI Style Magazine

James — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:00:43 +0000

New MINI Style Magazine Vol. 8

New MINI Style Magazine Vol. 26

Japan has been a big market for MINI going back to the classic Mini days. Sales to Japan helped keep the Mini going during the 1980s when sales elsewhere declined. Japan probably has more MINI magazines than any other country. We previously featured MINI SPIRITS magazine.

New MINI Style Magazine is another long-running Japanese MINI magazine. It has been published quarterly since Spring 2004. The current issue is Summer 2010 Vol. 26 (shown near left).

The cover price is ¥1,300 or around $15.

Buy current and back issues from Amazon.co.jp.

collectible of the day: Modern MINI magazine

James — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 07:00:14 +0000

Modern MINI is a bi-monthly magazine from the UK which started publication in 2006.

From the Modern MINI website:

Modern MINI is the only dedicated publication for the BMW MINI on the news stands in the UK. Bi-monthly, we provide the best roundup of the new MINI scene. Covering the latest news, the magazine’s also got technical advice and detailed practical articles, offering step-by-step guidance on maintenance and modifying topics of interest to any owner whether you’re handy with a spanner or not. There’s also a comprehensive club section, The Vibe, providing an excellent roundup of the owner’s clubs and forums, with show reports, events diary and more. Plus we feature real owners’ cars, covering enthusiasts from around the world.

Visit the Modern MINI website.

collectible of the day: GoMini magazine

James — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:00:36 +0000

GoMini was a new MINI magazine from the UK from the publishers of Mini Magazine.

Shown here is Issue 1 from Dec/Jan 2004. The first issue sold for £3.80 and featured articles on a modified MINI One, Jeremy Clarkson on the MINI, The Italian Job (2003), news, MINI products, best MINI websites, and more over its 114 pages.

A sheet of four postcards was included in the magazine.

GoMini was published monthly for 24 issues before ending with the November 2005 issue.

collectible of the day: MINI SPIRITS magazine

James — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:00:10 +0000

MINI SPIRITS Vol. 2

MINI SPIRITS Vol. 1

We have featured several magazines during the year, but none quite as exotic to Western MINI owners as the Japanese MINI SPIRITS magazine.

The large issues covered both the classic Mini and the new MINI. Shown here is Vol. 1 (right) and Vol. 2 (far right). It appears that only four issues were published from December 2002 to June 2003.

MINI SPIRITS Vol. 1
12/2002
ISBN-10: 4894615061
ISBN-13: 978-4894615069

MINI SPIRITS Vol. 2
2/2003
ISBN-10: 4894615142
ISBN-13: 978-4894615144

MINI SPIRITS Vol. 3
4/2003
ISBN-10: 4894615193
ISBN-13: 978-4894615199

MINI SPIRITS Vol. 4
6/2003
ISBN-10: 4894615282
ISBN-13: 978-4894615281

Back issues of MINI SPIRITS are still available at Amazon.co.jp. Buy Vol. 01, Vol. 02, Vol. 03, and Vol. 04.