after some research, it has to do with a famous german car that didnt make weight with its white paint. So they stripped it off and won with the aluminium only. Am i right?

 

That would be correct! Haha, that's my favorite random car fact so I was excited to see someone else even knew that it was "Germany's color".

 

Well. Mindy is at the graphics place. This must be what a mother feels like dropping her baby off at daycare for the first time. It's going to be a long two days of driving my civic.

The worst part is driving past another MINI and realizing I'm not in mine.

 

When I get told I should have an American flag on my car because I'm American. I just tell the person that when they start making my car payments for me, then they can decide how it's decorated!

 

Aw, I hope it goes by fast for you. She'll be back in no time

 

Roof is all done! (terrible picture though...)

And I also covered up that silly giant chrome glove box button.

 

Pretty! :D

 

Oh. And I spent a good amount of time on Friday with someone arguing with me that since BMW owns MINI now, then MINIs are German. -_-

 

Just tell them it is a confederate flag, smile and move on.

 

I consider the car German with British roots. You see, as a relevant example, Honda and Toyota make some cars in the United States, but people still consider those to be Japanese cars. They are designed in Japan, but made here to save shipping costs.

So MINIs are designed by BMW, and that genius, Moroccan born, Frank Stephenson guy (1st gen MINI), but built in England to maintain a bit of the car's British roots.

Also, some American cars are made in Mexico, still part of North America, but they are considered a United States car. I also think there are some GM and Ford cars built in Australia. Oh, some Toyotas and Hondas are also built in countries closer to their target markets. I believe that any still built in Japan are pretty much for the Japanese market only.

Now, we could even get into individual components countries of origin. That could get messy.

So the world car market is pretty international. Who is to say which denotes where a car is from? Design or build location? There are some strong arguments for both sides.

German flags on a MINI? Only if you want it. British flags? It's your car. American flags? U. S. A.!!!

 

But Mini's have always been made in Great Britain. I think that makes them a British car.

Chrysler is owned by FIAT. Does that make them Italian cars? I don't think so!

 

The R50,R52,R53 are British cars... Designed by Brits, Engineered by Brits and built by Brits. Just cause the car company is owned by Germans doesnt mean anything. Cant go wrong with that combo.

 

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to explain (to the "great unwashed") that Minis are made in the UK.

 

Get what you want, Brit or not. It's all about maximization of pleasures.

 

So I might not have been as well informed as I would have liked earlier today. Maybe It's because I didn't stay at a Holiday-In Express last night.


Interesting read here:
http://www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?r50storyf.htm
It's about the development of the MINI.


Comical summary:
MINI: The outside was designed by a Moroccan born American (who was, as the legend goes, rushed to finish the clay model before a presentation and used beer cans for the exhaust.) The Engine was built in Brazil at a factory owned by Chrysler and Rover, then under BMW, designed by both. The Midlands transmission was designed and built in England while the Getrag is thoroughly German. The steering/suspension was designed in England under vague German guidelines only to be taken back to Germany for final testing & tweaking.

---
Actual Summary, but please read the article through:
It seems Rover started making (terrible) ideas for a New Mini in the early 90s and then BMW bought Rover and kept the project. Then it told them to keep at it while they designed their own in Germany. Rover had wanted a tiny economy car to continue the classic Mini idea and BMW wanted a sporty car that would be entirely new and fresh yet pull cues from the original.

BMW and Rover then brought their designs together and BMW picked which they liked better to pursue and it ended up being one of their own designs. They froze the exterior designs nearly exactly how Frank Stephenson made them. So BMW then handed Rover the chassis plans outlining struts up front and a Z-axle in the back and told them to finish it without changing Frank Stephenson's exterior. Rover wanted a K-series engine but it wouldn't fit without raising the hood, so then BMW was all "we'll sort it out for you." And they built an engine with Chrysler.

The article does say that suspension geometries, compliances, stiffness, and the electro-hydrolic steering were all initially designed by Rover. When BMW got rid of Rover they kept the MINI brand and took over the finalization of the designs (more testing and final tweaks.)
---

So I guess I'll go by my window sticker. 50% British, 20% German, and 5% US/Canadian. The other 25% isn't stated. I'd imagine that the electronics all come from Germany, seeing as how they aren't made of smoke and have a negative ground.

I'm glad for BMW's involvement.
Without BMW buying Rover and intervening, your MINI would probably look like this:

 

How about a NATO flag, then?

 

nabeshin, Thanks for the link, it's real interesting!

Dave