With 2007 winding down I thought it might be worth looking back on an utterly fascinating year. From the Paris Auto Show, to the R56 launch in Zandvoort and Barcelona...to the U.S. launch and arrival of R56 in showrooms, man we had a lot to talk about!!! It was great fun, and no matter if you loved or loathed R56 I like to think we all learned alot about both the previous and present model...mostly because the changes sent us all (well, me anyway) digging for info, and man we got lots of it!! I'm reminded of the fascinating interviews the MotoringFile guys did at MINI United, much of which came out of the whole whirlwind of questions swirling about within the MINI community. I can think of no time when so many MINI owners were engaged and plugged in to an event within the marque. Yes, we had our battles...but they seemed to originate mainly from our passion about MINIs, and I really came to respect many who I was (and maybe still am) totally at odds with opinion-wise. Good stuff!!

Remember all the angst about new model year problems?? I know some have unresolved issues, but for the most part things seemed to go pretty well from my perspective. I had the CEL thing (software upgrade) and I'll be getting an SZL module this next week. Fairly straightforward fixes. Not many cracked windshields, thankfully!!

The car continues to be a surprise when driving. Bottom line for me is that R56 (I have a Cooper) seems very well-mannered for daily driving, but man it comes alive when you start to push. I am very impressed with this MINI coming from an R50.

Anyway, thanks to all who made this a fascinating year. I hope we have all learned alot about MINIs and I do hope we can ultimately give credit where credit is due regardless of model. I know I have had to go back and define my own thoughts more carefully as to what I really like and value about R50/53 while at the same time trying to grasp the subtle nuances presented in R56. Interesting stuff...what a great ride 2007 has been!!!

 

Sounds like a good eulogy.