Can anyone recommend either the "NEW MINI" or 'MINI Cooper" book ? If not, are there other books on the history and making of the MINI?

 

I've read...and own...new MINI. I bought it 'cause I'm a new owner and I've got "the fever." It's pretty good...lots of info, nice pics of development, rollouts, etc.. (suprisingly, several shots of the new gold MINI...I like it...but that's just my opinion.) Two picky things...some auto writers (like the book's author, occasionally) can be kinda snobby on occasion about certain things like performance. They do see lots of cars, so I guess they have the right. Still, they can sure nit-pick. (although the author clearly loves the car.) Second, perhaps our British brethren are real tuned into the whole Rover-thing, but it isn't as compelling to me...hard to get fired up about all the corporate intrigue, twists, and turns, which were thoroughly discussed, as well as the various Rover models mentioned. Still, the book probably wasn't written for a strictly U.S. audience anyway (imagine that!) so if we don't "get it" at least the discussion is interesting. All said, I really do recommend the book. It helped me understand all the thought and testing that went into our cars. Nice pics of our beloved John Cooper, too.

 

Thanks for the color.

 

I enjoyed reading "NEW MINI" (Graham Robson).

You might also want to check out "MINI" (Patrick Paternie) - it is quite short but has some good stuff on the manufacturing.
Amazon

 

I have them both... IMO, the "NEW MINI" is the best...

Paul

 

I've got 'em both. They're both good. "New MINI" is more historical. "MINI" is more up-to-date and has much better pictures.

IMHO save up and get 'em both, true MINIac that you are!

And then, you'll know what to expect when you read this.

 

Well I couldn't find the magazine (AutoWeek?) that has the "kills" sticker at Borders but I did find 2 books on MINIs. One was strictly Classic MINIs. The other was Enthusiast Color Series MINI by Patrick Paternie. I bought the latter with my Border's coupon from their website. It has great photos and a must. No chance to read it yet. :smile: