R50/53 I Bought The Book
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5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 745
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
Sponsor Endorsement Time!
When you launch minicooperonline.com you see a sponsor banner on the right side of the screen. Often the banner is a link to Amazon for the book "New MINI".
Well, I bought the book. It's good. Here's a MINI review:
The author knows his stuff. If you do a search on Amazon for Graham Robson you will find that he has written a slew of auto books - primarily about British cars.
New MINI is cheap - only $17.47 (plus shipping). Great price for a large format hardcover.
The book itself is interesting. There's the expected history of the Mini auto itself, and the personalities that drove it's design and creation (generally all credit goes to Issigonis). What's interesting about that is it's pretty clear from the story that BMC (the original company behind the Mini) was ultimately doomed! No financial controls at all. They didn't make any profit on any Mini they sold - and they sold zillions of the little buggers.
IMO there's too much discussion about the many versions of the early Minis (and a lot of pictures of quite ugly cars!!). I'm much more interested in the business story behind BMW's acquisition of Rover, and then the sell-off of Rover, and the keeping of the MINI brand.
We do get to that stuff, so if you wade through the Mini Model History sections, you won't be disappointed.
The fun stuff is the transition of the MINI plant, the engineering involved, and the manufacturing processes to create the new MINI (which, believe it or not was started way back in 1992!). The pictures of the plant and the actual manufacturing shop floor are great. You won't believe when you see your MINI on it's side in a cradle, passing down the assembly line.
The line itself is wonderful. Spotless, bright, super modern. The author points out that each worker has his name sewn on his uniform. I'm not sure of the importance of that fact, but apparently it's a big deal.
The book is well worth the price and the read. Even if you just look at the pictures - it's worth having. And it will look great in your house. Your friends and family will know for sure your insane level of committment to the Little Beast!!
Support the minicooperonline.com sponsors - buy the book. You'll be glad you did.
FYI - today Amazon says there's only "Only 3 left in stock - more on the way"!!
When you launch minicooperonline.com you see a sponsor banner on the right side of the screen. Often the banner is a link to Amazon for the book "New MINI".
Well, I bought the book. It's good. Here's a MINI review:
The author knows his stuff. If you do a search on Amazon for Graham Robson you will find that he has written a slew of auto books - primarily about British cars.
New MINI is cheap - only $17.47 (plus shipping). Great price for a large format hardcover.
The book itself is interesting. There's the expected history of the Mini auto itself, and the personalities that drove it's design and creation (generally all credit goes to Issigonis). What's interesting about that is it's pretty clear from the story that BMC (the original company behind the Mini) was ultimately doomed! No financial controls at all. They didn't make any profit on any Mini they sold - and they sold zillions of the little buggers.
IMO there's too much discussion about the many versions of the early Minis (and a lot of pictures of quite ugly cars!!). I'm much more interested in the business story behind BMW's acquisition of Rover, and then the sell-off of Rover, and the keeping of the MINI brand.
We do get to that stuff, so if you wade through the Mini Model History sections, you won't be disappointed.
The fun stuff is the transition of the MINI plant, the engineering involved, and the manufacturing processes to create the new MINI (which, believe it or not was started way back in 1992!). The pictures of the plant and the actual manufacturing shop floor are great. You won't believe when you see your MINI on it's side in a cradle, passing down the assembly line.
The line itself is wonderful. Spotless, bright, super modern. The author points out that each worker has his name sewn on his uniform. I'm not sure of the importance of that fact, but apparently it's a big deal.
The book is well worth the price and the read. Even if you just look at the pictures - it's worth having. And it will look great in your house. Your friends and family will know for sure your insane level of committment to the Little Beast!!
Support the minicooperonline.com sponsors - buy the book. You'll be glad you did.
FYI - today Amazon says there's only "Only 3 left in stock - more on the way"!!
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh, PA
I've also bought the book and both my wife and I have read it. To add dimension, I'll post a brief review here as well.
Overall, the book should appeal to any MINI fan. It contains nuggets of information almost any of us might not have otherwise known and I'd highly recommend it for individuals who rapidly tire of tracking down information on the web. For the price it is a pretty cheap and interesting MINI accessory.
That said, I found that it really isn't that wonderful either. The writing style is more periodical than literary so I felt like I was reading a really long magazine article more so than a book. In a similar vein, the author frequently repeats himself on certain topics. At some points their are literally paragraphs which read very closely to another paragraph in a previous chapter. I found this gave me an odd sense of deja vu when reading. It is almost as if the author was intending the book to be a quick reference for automotive press writers who could skip to a certain chapter, skim the text and then borrow what they needed.
Finally, if you are an MCS fan, be aware that there is very little coverage of the car in this book. A few pictures and the performance stats announced at the cars release along with a bit about how it ties in with numerous other proposed varients. The possibility of electric, hybrid, or fuel cell MINIs get almost as much play.
Does this mean you shouldn't buy the book? Not at all. I'm glad I bought it, and actually, as a professional designer, I found the detailed history of the many failed attempts at redesigning the original mini quite interesting. Just be aware of what you are getting when you make the purchase.
Overall, the book should appeal to any MINI fan. It contains nuggets of information almost any of us might not have otherwise known and I'd highly recommend it for individuals who rapidly tire of tracking down information on the web. For the price it is a pretty cheap and interesting MINI accessory.
That said, I found that it really isn't that wonderful either. The writing style is more periodical than literary so I felt like I was reading a really long magazine article more so than a book. In a similar vein, the author frequently repeats himself on certain topics. At some points their are literally paragraphs which read very closely to another paragraph in a previous chapter. I found this gave me an odd sense of deja vu when reading. It is almost as if the author was intending the book to be a quick reference for automotive press writers who could skip to a certain chapter, skim the text and then borrow what they needed.
Finally, if you are an MCS fan, be aware that there is very little coverage of the car in this book. A few pictures and the performance stats announced at the cars release along with a bit about how it ties in with numerous other proposed varients. The possibility of electric, hybrid, or fuel cell MINIs get almost as much play.
Does this mean you shouldn't buy the book? Not at all. I'm glad I bought it, and actually, as a professional designer, I found the detailed history of the many failed attempts at redesigning the original mini quite interesting. Just be aware of what you are getting when you make the purchase.
Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 745
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
I have to agree about the lack of MCS info. The MCS is mentioned at the end of the book as something to wait for - soon to be released.
I'm waiting for a LY/B MCS, so I was disappointed. On the other hand, the book is more about the development of the car than specific car types.
And the names on the uniforms are cute!!!!
I'm waiting for a LY/B MCS, so I was disappointed. On the other hand, the book is more about the development of the car than specific car types.
And the names on the uniforms are cute!!!!
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