It was in 1966, while 18 and living in France gifted by my Dear Father an 1500CC Austin Cooper SS, the one with dual fuel tanks, British green with black and white checkered roof, after market real wood dashboard, wheel spacers and gazillion lights mounted on the roof and front grill. Drove many amateur Rallies while destroying that car more than once. Finally my Father got tired of paying for too many repairs, especially the transmission as if I remember well was not even synchronized, which made me learn how to "double shift". Something that I continued doing throughout my Life with motorcycles and other manual transmissions. I always enjoyed that habit.
51 years goes by. I bought a 2016 JCW with low mileage in 2017, manual transmission and the habit was still present. A few months went buy while the cops got to know me and waited always at the top of the Mountain as it is illegal for them to make a U turn on the road that lead to that summit. I knew that jail time was not too far off in my Life and at the age of 69 it would not be a pleasant residence. We often talked about it, them and I over a Pizza while the atmosphere was still friendly, and I promised them I would sell the car while I also had a Jeep. Hip replacements was approaching and I did sell the car, actually the Dealer bought it back paying me an extra $2000 over my original price. They had a client for it who did not want to wait the 6 months or so for this custom ordered JCW!
Fast forward a few months, almost mid 2019 now and realizing I had never stopped looking for another one I finally found a 2017 JCW in Las Vegas at a Subaru Dealer who truly did not know what they were selling at such a low price that I did not even bargain. Harmon/Kardon system and paddle shift this time which would make my new hips very content.
I now follow the speed limit going up to the summit, road which conveniently starts less than two miles from my house but #244 which is a heavenly 30 miles road to Ruidoso with no law enforcement presence sees me again doing over a 100 in the 45 zones...
I am now realizing that this 52 YEARS of addiction to this car has no cure whatsoever... There are other faster cars with as good if not better handling but it has to be the MINI...
I will be keeping this one and all I ask is to be wished "good luck"...
Do others have the same addiction? Could we help each other or is this a lost cause we just need to embrace? Happily I might add...

 

God Bless, but I don't know how to double clutch a bike, as the sequential transmission does not offer a neutral between gears.

You crack me up - dammit Grow Up! At our age we should be proceeding with dignity, not haste!

A fellow sinner.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Hi Charlie...
Grow up?...
The last page, the last sentence of the wonderful book "Still Life with Woodpecker" by "Tom Robbins" reads: "It is never too late to have a happy childhood" [Not that I did not!!!]

You must be enjoying your 2018 JCW! For sure...

I have to ask:

2018 John Cooper Works Hardtop, Dinan Elite
Bilstein B8, NM Engineering Rear Sway Bar
215/45-17 Bridgestone LM-32 Blizzak

What are "Dinan Elite Bilstein B8? New shocks? And if so, why? Same for the "NM Engineering Rear Sway Bar?" Does NM stands for "New Mexico" maybe? Are those questions going to cost me?

I can fully understand the tires! My 2016 was annoying and this 2017 even more! Yokohama Advan Sport A/S on order. I hope they are as good as they say while being used on Porsche and 350Z among others. A bit surprised you do not have the 18" wheels as I do. [215/40/18].

You have to be sinning as much as I do...

 

LOL, I compete in autocross, with the New England Region of the SCCA.. The car is arranged accordingly, and subject to the SCCA rulebook.

The Bilstein B8s are a set of non-adjustable stiff shocks (digressive), and NM Engineering is on the West Coast.

Since I've decided to leave the D Street class for the wilds of Street Touring Unlimited, I've gone to 8" rims and camber plates - although I've resisted coil-overs as the sport suspension is adequate in my view. My approach has cost me about five grand so far, apart from expendables and renewables. The result however will get your attention.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

As quoted from the movie RED II, "Style is the only constant of life, Frank."

 

Nice... Much fun! Thanks for the clarifications.

 

Saw my first classic Mini up at Lime Rock Park, Connecticutin the 1970’s, when I was 9 or 10. All these Truimph, Porsches and Jags were low, sleek and barreling down the front stretch into “Big Bend” and then there was this boxy, little Mini. Each lap that Mini would be in front of another car, though I never saw it pass on that long front stretch, but boy could it fly thru Big Bend and up thru the “S’s”

Fast forward 30 years later, I bought my 2005 Mini Cooper non-S........I’ve been going to autoX’s, track schools and open track days at MidOhio, Nelson Ledges, PittRace and many Dragon Run for the past 14 years! Some people are amazed at how a little old man can hustle an old, slow, 126hp, slightly modified(ok, slightly more than slightly) non-S MINI around........

Grow up? No thank you!

 

That is inetresting as I would never consider even buying and "S"! Good for you on the fun factor and I am glad I am not the only one...