agreed, and i also agree with the above said fact that there are a lot of incompetent drivers on the road in america

 

140 miles an hour with a child in the car????????

 

abuzavi - mine was the first R53 delivered in Heidelberg in June 02, US or German. Broke it in on the same autobahns you describe - it is now suffering autobahn withdrawal here in southern Texas. Had lots of friends in Leimen....

 

Two. Two kids in the car.

Would you say the same thing about 120? Or 90?

Really, then, you don't want to see the autobahn. Minivans doing anywhere from 90 mph to 110 mph are a common sight. Are they engineered to go that fast? Sure. Is it part of the American culture to do so? Nope.

To be honest, under thos conditions, 140 didn't seem that fast. Smooth, flat, open with little to no traffic, and the traffic that was out on the road was either to the right or going faster than me.

 

Are euro spec MINI's geared the same as US-( I am guessing you have a Euro MINI but you might have just shipped your R53 over with you). I remember drivng my Dad's Ford Sierra 2.0 in Wales and the different gearing madet hat a much quicker car than a simular 2.0 liter car here. My MCS reminds me of that car-but mines much quicker so I am thinking that BMW geared the MINI more like Euro car- is this correct?

 

Well i think the autobahn is great, but not for americans. Over in Germany they have a whole different mind set on driving. It is a task in itself and not to be shared with others things like gabbing on the cell phone or stuffing their face with a cheeseburger while driving. Cup holders and the like....added in to german cars for us americans who like to do anything and everything while in the car. The Germans take driving alot more serious then most of the american population. Their drivers license is very very expensive and im sure its not as easy as our driving exame here in the states.

The autobahn also has a different set of laws than our roads. A driver in the left lane must move over to a faster driver approching from the rear, if you hold up a faster driver you can be ticketed. There is also no passing allowed on the right side. But here in the stats people just wonder around in any lane they like...as long as they are doing the speed limit. So if you have three cars side by side going the speed limit (or under the speed limit) no one can pass and traffic is held up.

The autobahn itself is made alot different than our american highways. It is paved twice as thick as our roads, and less prone to cracking. (cant have a bumpy ride at 140+) the sections are alot longer with less on/off ramps. The turns are also banked long curves that able you to keep speed safely.

Honestly i would be afraid if Americans ever got an autobahn, most people can barely drive 35 rather than 140+.

Can you imagine someone with a bucket of open KFC chicken in their lap, talking on a cell phone and going 140? I've seen this except they were doing about 45 instead of 140

oh...

1. Cast Iron block
2. Forged internals
3. Smallest of the "new" MINIs
4. Great holding value
5. Oh...and its a MINI!

 

Two additional comments:

1. Mine is a US spec'd Mini. Got it in NOV of last year. Had it delivered to Germany instead of the States.

2. I agree with what Mini Mizer said -- driving is a whole other state of mind here. It's not just an issue of raising, or not having, a speed limit, it's the cultural differences that go with it. When I was sailing along at 140, the radio was off. There was no cell phone in the car. I had no Big Gulp at the ready. I was driving. Ten years ago, on that road with that car, I would not have even tried to go that fast, but ten years and a lot of autobahn miles later, I'd do it again. Part of it is knowing how the entire system works -- the on ramps, what to expect other drivers to do, what to do that other drivers will expect of you (like get out of the left lane), and so on.

 

One look at the cup holders on a older Mercedes tells you that it's a foreign concept to Germans-anything larger than a 12oz can will not fit. Same with the MINI sans the US required cup holder on the center strut. I have been in a car with a German (A vendor that I sell for) that was driving a coffee at 135 and driving with one hand on the wheel. I was the only one in the car ( a sweet modded Audi S8) not scared. I guess he would have really kicked it without hte coffee, I wa kind of hoping he would so I could see what that thing would do-big time torque!

 

well put, i was kind of thinking the same thing. If the speed limit in the states was limited to say 30MPH then going 75 would be outrageous! But if our speed limit was say 100 it wouldnt seem so bad. So i guess what im saying is that its all relative like you said

 

So, since when has driving at 90 MPH being called slow?

 

Since there is still about 2k rpms left.

 

I lived in Germany for 10 Years, Wunderbar! You almost have to take the equivalent of an FAA Air Transport Rating to get a drivers license in Germany. In Georgia, you go to the DMV and Drive around a couple of pilons, park and that's it. It shows, going down I285 you will find a Buick doing 65 MPH in the outer lane when everyone else is doing 85 Mph....incredable! This is not to mention tailgating, no signals when turning or changing lanes....Really bad drivers!

 

Great post and thanks for the opportunity to let us live vicariously through you.

I haven't been to Germany in years and remember being awed by how much respect drivers showed toward each other and toward the privilege to drive. I also agree that most Americans could not handle an autobahn network responsibly in the US. Good thing for us that these R53s are as much fun in the twisties as they are winding it out in pursuit of the sound barrier.

I'd also like to thank you for your service. You are appreciated.

 

Most Americans adapt to autobahn driving. There are rules and you follow the rules and all is well. What is frustrating is to come back after years in Europe only to routinely get behind someone on the interstate, in the left lane, going under the speed limit, talking on their phone, totally oblivious to what is going on around them.

 

Good story, abuzavi!

Most people in the United States don't understand turn signals or common courtesy on the roads... Cell phone implanted in their head? Sure. Morons.

"Keep right except to pass" is the law in NJ. Most don't adhere to it.

Europeans are light years ahead of most Americans in driving ethos.

Enough of my rant. ;-)

1: It's cute. Yes cute.
2: It drives live a go kart.
3: It's stealthy.
4: It's different.
5: Most importantly, it's NOT an SUV.

 

For God's sake, don't give them any ideas. It's already bad enough as it is...


Rawhyde

 

i totally second that. So many accidents are created by people who are going too slow in the left lane and cause other people to have to change lanes or rapidly brake. And it amazes me how many of those people stay in the lane despite the many cars that pass to get in front of them. dont they realize??

 

I used to work with a guy who met his wife in Hawaii. She grew up on the Big Island. When he got stationed back on the mainland she had a lot to learn about driving. She honestly had no concept of fast lane/slow lane.

 

Your post made me smile ear to ear! Five reasons? 1 Fun. 2 FuN. 3 Cute. 4 FUN. 5 FUN FUN FUN!

 

i drool with envy ><

 

Thanks for sharing the great experience; and, more importantly, for being a part of the service. Hope you will not have to go back into harm's way again. But if you do, best of luck.

 

First, I must say, amazing story. I felt like I was right there in your passenger seat! Second,

last I checked, our R56s have just a tad more torque than the R53, thus allowing 3rd gear tire spins with ease! Just gotta keep the turbo spooled up!

 

Thank you all for the kind words. It is an honor to be able to serve our nation -- for all her faults, she truly is a great Republic.

And please -- please! -- don't try this unless the conditions are right. And by right, I mean it all, from the right road, to the right weather conditions, to the right you, to legally right.

I love my Mini. I would probably also love an R56, bt I doubt I will even go test drive one (it's a lot like being married -- I love the one I'm with, and can't imagine loving another one as much or in the same way, ever).

If you ever get the chance -- or can make the chance -- do come to Europe and do get in some driving, even if it's not in a Mini. From the Nürburgring to the Black Forest, from the autobahns to the Swiss Alps (see MITA), the terrain and conditions are so varied on this continent, that driving is truly a great experience, in and of itself.

And it's all the more special when you get to do it with someone you truly love -- your R53.

 

1. Charisma & Sex Appeal
2. Different (not generic)
3. Handling
4. Out-runs some Goliaths
5. Passionate & Enthusiast Owners!!!

 

Actually the pavement sections can be up to 4 times thicker on the Autobahn (up to 60" thick. 5 feet!). A standard section of interstate highway is usually asphalt or concrete on top of an aggregate (compacted rock) base. The Autobahns use what we use for our asphalt surface as their base, and then concrete surface on top of that. But, that's slowly making it's way across the pond. Illinois is experimenting with this "European Pavement Design" on some of it's new construction, and once they see that the costs of construction make up for the continuous rehab, it'll become more accepted.

Also, there's a difference in curve's actual design, as well. In the US, the roadways are a network of curves and tangents. You're going straight, and then you turn into a continuous radius curve, then onto another tangent. Repeat. The Autobahns use what are known as spiral curves, which gradually transition the car into the curve. There's a spiral between each curve and tangent (tangent-spiral-curve-spiral-tangent). The reason we don't use those: contractors find them too difficult to lay out. The railroads use 'em, though.

I always chuckle at the cultural differences, especially in this thread. People are aghast that "OHMYGAWD! Think of the children!" despite the fact that the Autobahns have a significantly lower fatality-per-passenger-mile rate than the interstates...

If anybody knows of a highway design job opening in Germany, I'm all ears. I can pick up the language quick, I promise...