I bought an MC40 & liked almost everything about it. Within 4 weeks I did the following:
-Removed all decals
-Sold the R90 Wheels
-Sold the MC40 matts
-Asked the dealer give me the cool MC40 shift **** which they somehow swapped for a standard one.

Then I added:
-17" SSR Comps (anthricite)
-Brembo Grand T brake kit , front
-Powerslot rear rotors w/ EBC pads. (Motul)
-Hsport springs
-Koni dampers
-HR sway
-Works Kit
-Dinan intake
-Dinan tower brace
-Aero kit rockers
-Billet ant.
-Custom matching red interior trim (more red!)
-Minifini arm rest
-Ipod
-Custom carpet
-Dark silver roof (repainted to match the SSR's ) scheduled in 2 weeks.
This was my second MCS project car so I had a much better idea this time a good idea what I wanted to do this time.

-Limited edition of 1000? As an artist I think I can safely tell Mini that there is nothing particulary rare about an edition of 1000 of anything. If I were in charge at HQ I would recognize that there are the folks who are willing to spend $-$$$ to create cars that have unique and "personalized" performance & aesthetic modifications. Maybe Mini needs to rethink the "historic" editions approach and offer more OPTIONS (Works, suspension, interior trim, custom colors/roof color options and some actual light weight wheels.)

PS. As soon as I figure out how to I will enclose pics.

 

Hmm...so why didn't you just get a normal MCS then?

 

I'm a wee bit confused too, if you were just gonna mod the hell out of your car (a very good thing IMO) why put down an extra $4k-$5k for the MC40 over an MCS built to your specs (well as much as is possible with a stock vehicle). Was it instant gratification by not having to wait for an ordered car, or did the carbon fibre dash and the red seats "speak" to you?

 

I also am confused. Why spend the money for the MC40 and then change it?

 

I liked the:
-CF dash
-Red interior (only on this car.)
-Chrome bits
-Equip. package(s)
All adds up to the same cost (I sold wheels& other tid bits) as if I had ordered it. Only truly unique bits of the package at the time were the anthricite R90's, the CF dash which is a JCW product and the red MC40 which interior is unique to the car. Keep in mind these cars are not fetching the $27k sticker these days.
-My remarks were intended to be ironic and point up the marketing folly of "limited edition" cars . In my case I was happy to have the car, sell off the odd bits and get on w/ my project car before I had to return from my self-imposed summer break .
- My relationship with the MC40 may be the exception: many/most people who look at the MC40 either see it as an interesting historic reference and like it or see it as marketing hype & excessive pricing. To me it is a bit of both with enough of the good to outweigh the bad (the red seats were the clincher.)
-From a shear marketing perspective Mini may have made a bit of a blunder by marketing the MC40 stateside: we have no collective car identity w/ the MC rally event, european racing or Cooper cars for that matter.
-Maybe the next US bound "limited edition Cooper" should resonate w/ our market: How about the "Cooper 67": Summer of Love car. Comes /w an 8 track tape player, a roach clip and a roll back canvas sunroof. Keep it spartan and offer a line of Peter Max colors. Gives new meaning to the LSD option!

 

man, you're crazy.


how much you sell the wheels for?

 

oh.. and can we see a pic of it now please?

 

Yea, show it off...where is the picture?..

You must be a mighty fine artist if you can drop "coin" like that...

:smile: congrats.

 

Well, the car does sound like it will be gorgeous (DS roof?...nice!). Clearly, you had a vision in mind and started with whatever got you closest. That it happened to be an MC40 seems irrelevant. Good for you for having a vision in the first place.

I do think it will be very hard for buyers...and even us diehards...to take future special editions completely seriously. We may look at the package from an options point-of-view, but as a historical icon...probably not. We've simply been Mini-denied for far too long.

That said, bravo for the diehards who are pure collectors, too............to each their own, I say.

 

I don't mean to be dismissive of the MC40 as a collectors car. It's very nice indeed and Kudo's to anyone who has the passion to collect them!
-It does seem to me that Mini will need to do better marketing research: By their own accounting the lack of a moonroof on the MC40 may have hurt the US car's market.

 

I'm still not a picture-poster, either! LOL! However, if you PM DiD, one of the site Admins here, he will assist you in posting pics of your MINI!

We want to see it, so hurry up! LOL!

Clo/Wanda

 

Anyone know where I can buy just the 40th Anniversary decals from?
They would look great on my non-MC40 MCS! Just want one for the hood or something!

 

And lack of cruise control. I don't know about everyone else, but for me a long-distance trip w/out cruise control is brutal.

 

Cruise control is too numbing -- it puts me to sleep! I never use it.

 

I agree, it's an insult to sell at car for $ 27,000+ that doesn't have cruise.
I think this is a factor in the inability to sell these things. It's very expensive to add cruise later.


R.E.

 

Well it doesn't put me to sleep but it does sure make my right foot numb. Driving lomg distances without cruise control is simply torture.

 

The MC40 was not the sales "homerun" MINIUSA was hoping for, because this car is essentially a "bare bones" MCS with magnets, red leather seats, chrome bits and fancy wheels.

I paid $21.7 for my '04 Chili Red/White MCS last year with the same exact chrome bits, HK stereo, anthracite dash, leatherette seats, Sport 2-spoke MFSW, front fogs, OBC, rain sensing wipers, automatic rearview mirror, Union Jack roof flag and AUX input jack. Manual A/C controls and 16" silver V-spokes too.

Bottom line: I got an AWESOME new MCS ordered to TASTE, with very few options and personalized the exact same way I wanted it for under $22K. I have yet to encounter another MCS configured the same exact way as mine.

MINI forgot the most important aspect of MINI ownership: The ability to make the car uniquely yours! That is the reason why, "Special editions" (Unless they are TRULY SPECIAL) will simply not fly on a car like this that basically can be ordered in millions of different combinations from the factory...it simply doesn't work that way.


Why on earth would I pay $27K for a car that has less equipment than mine, can not be ordered from the factory and has no performance upgrades over my bone stock MCS?????


11.7K miles after I still don't regret my car one bit and has been absolutely rock solid. I laugh whenever I see a MC40 because there is a sucker born every minute......


The only way MINIUSA will have success with a future limited edition MINI is to add SERIOUS performance upgrades that will set the car apart from the pack. The MC40 should have had the Stage II JCW Kit as part of the deal!

 

Cooper4us,thank you for putting it so well saidMy 03 MC is the MINI I wanted,No options other than sport suspension,heated seats,BRG,and it was on the lot.Drove it away the next day,look forward to every motor,and will not look back

 

Me too, 911Fan! Even on my 10,000-mile cross-country roadtrips, I only used the cruise control for short little runs like twice, just to exercise it for a few minutes! It makes me too complacent, especially on the long straights of I-40 and I-10! I get hypnotized, so I rarely use it.

Clo/Wanda

 

Glad you're having a blast with your MINI!

 

:smile: Hey, Tommy! I actually spent the night in Fort Smith on the last roadtrip! At the big ol' Holiday Inn...ack! LOL! I should have gone to the Comfort Inn, where they offer free high-speed internet connections! LOL!!! And yes, I am in love with my MINI!!!

Clo/Wanda

 

10000 miles? Which country were you crossing? :smile:

But you're right, CC can lead to complacency and a trance-like state. I'm much more attentive and alert without it. Not using it keeps me on my toes, so to speak...

 

I’m not sure how you’re trying to judge a limited edition, but this is a production line item, not a piece of art. MINI is turning out the 500,000 MINI this week and a production run of 1000 out of 500,000 seems very limited to me.

 

Must be nice.

:smile:

 

I agree with Cooper4us. You can't make a limited edition by putting on options that you can basically order, except for the seat color and the plaque, and charge a high price for it. It just isn't going to work. Sure people will buy them, there is always someone willing to by anything, but it won't be the kind of special edition that everyone is talking about and wishes they had. In fact, I don't think anyone has posted about "drooling" over the new MC40 (just the CF dash, which you can buy now).

They really need to have some kind of performance version, that really ups the ante. Something that has at least 3 or 4 unique options that you can't get anywhere else, and probably never be able to get anywhere else. Like a CF roof or hatchback. Or some type of speed product.