LOH's mini (2013 JCW-GP) adventure
Discussion
bah less grip = more fun!
someone asked earlier what my costs for the year have been in the little GP & i've consulted the paperwork & come up with the sum total of......
£0!
so far
let's be honest, the tyres are (& have been) on their last legs for some time, since the honeymoon in fact but with the mileage i'm doing at the moment it just seems pointless putting new ones on-i'm not doing motorway miles & we have other cars to use should we need to head off in bad weather.
i bought a pint of oil for the eurohoons & kept it in one of the smugglers boxes in the boot but the car just refuses to burn any oil at all-i'm taking credit for my running in method
the pads & discs are fine (i do try to be easy on the brakes on track) so all i've used for the whole year is petrol & insurance.
i need to pay the road tax at the end of the month & buy a full set of tyres (£612 for 4 delivered) but it's been such a cheap car to run. i expected to go through a set of pads at least but the brakes are so massive you really just don't stress them much, even though i run it in GP Mode all the time.
i can't believe it's been a year (almost) since i bought the little thing, it really has been great but i have found my eye wandering over the classifieds for something a little more......premium, though i know should i get rid of the little i'll miss it hugely. there is garage space to keep it however
anyway, we had the car down in the lakes last weekend but the weather was so atrocious we didn't do much driving so no new pics but we're heading back down to the lakes for a week at new year so fingers crossed for some bright & cold weather to get rid of the last of that tread on the tyres
someone asked earlier what my costs for the year have been in the little GP & i've consulted the paperwork & come up with the sum total of......
£0!
so far
let's be honest, the tyres are (& have been) on their last legs for some time, since the honeymoon in fact but with the mileage i'm doing at the moment it just seems pointless putting new ones on-i'm not doing motorway miles & we have other cars to use should we need to head off in bad weather.
i bought a pint of oil for the eurohoons & kept it in one of the smugglers boxes in the boot but the car just refuses to burn any oil at all-i'm taking credit for my running in method
the pads & discs are fine (i do try to be easy on the brakes on track) so all i've used for the whole year is petrol & insurance.
i need to pay the road tax at the end of the month & buy a full set of tyres (£612 for 4 delivered) but it's been such a cheap car to run. i expected to go through a set of pads at least but the brakes are so massive you really just don't stress them much, even though i run it in GP Mode all the time.
i can't believe it's been a year (almost) since i bought the little thing, it really has been great but i have found my eye wandering over the classifieds for something a little more......premium, though i know should i get rid of the little i'll miss it hugely. there is garage space to keep it however
anyway, we had the car down in the lakes last weekend but the weather was so atrocious we didn't do much driving so no new pics but we're heading back down to the lakes for a week at new year so fingers crossed for some bright & cold weather to get rid of the last of that tread on the tyres
I was revisiting this thread whilst planning my trip to Monaco next year, especially places to stay between Reims and Monaco - I don't think we'd be up for doing that in one hit (and more like you guys).
Did you make those tartes flambees from Strasbourg? We've got that planned as a stop on the way back.
Did you make those tartes flambees from Strasbourg? We've got that planned as a stop on the way back.
Craikeybaby said:
I was revisiting this thread whilst planning my trip to Monaco next year, especially places to stay between Reims and Monaco - I don't think we'd be up for doing that in one hit (and more like you guys).
Did you make those tartes flambees from Strasbourg? We've got that planned as a stop on the way back.
Are you taking the mr2? That would be a great trip!Did you make those tartes flambees from Strasbourg? We've got that planned as a stop on the way back.
In all honesty, we did the Monaco-Lille leg because we needed to-if we hadn't we wouldn't have been able to fit Monaco/Mediterranean leg in to our timescale. But, personally I would do it again tomorrow if it meant the extra day we got in one of the towns we visited, even Laura didn't mind it.
Any help you need just feel free to pm me or ask in the forum, oh & we now have he tarte flambés very regularly!
Yes, it will be in the MR2, we'll have to be creative with luggage, but it should be awesome on the Route Napoleon and passes. The plan is to be in Monaco/south coast for 4 days over the historic GP weekend in early May. With over night stops in Reims and Luxembourg, then some 2 night stops on the middle bit, maybe Annecy and somewhere in Switzerland. It's just a balance of getting to/from Monaco quickly, without spending too much time in the car every day - I'll enjoy the driving, but Jen won't as much.
Thanks for the offer of advice, I'll take you up on that when I've got the itinerary sorted out a bit more, but to start with how long did to take you to get from Verbier to Monaco?
Now that this thread has got me thinking about tartes flambees I think it will have to be on the menu this week!
Thanks for the offer of advice, I'll take you up on that when I've got the itinerary sorted out a bit more, but to start with how long did to take you to get from Verbier to Monaco?
Now that this thread has got me thinking about tartes flambees I think it will have to be on the menu this week!
Edited by Craikeybaby on Monday 30th December 09:46
Interesting article on the GP over on the USA based motoringfile website
motoringfile said:
Opinion: Why the New GP is MINI’s First real JCW Product
There is little question the original JCW GP is a special car — an incredibly special car. It was thrown together at break-neck speed with off-the-shelf parts and yet it’s one of the most satisfying cars I’ve ever driven at any price. Sure, MINI had some trouble selling all of them at the time, as they have with the GP2, but since then it’s become a classic with ever-slowing depreciation. That original MINI JCW GP will surely be a classic.
In contrast, the new GP is a much more serious car. Road testing and development took place primarily at the Nurburgring, led primarily by a MINI race car driver. Instead of a few months, the second generation JCW GP was two years in the making. In those two years, MINI JCW fitted an entirely new, bespoke suspension. MINI spec’d unique tires and a specially-matched six-pot braking system that was designed to stop cars almost 1,000 lbs heavier. The result was nothing short of phenomenal. Whether on the track or on the road, the 2013 JCW GP is astonishing in its ability to change direction, stop, and go. Yet it’s not just the quickness of the new GP that exhilarates. It’s the car’s feedback at every touch-point.
There’s much more to the GP than simply an upgrade to the existing MINI JCW Hardtop. Unlike the first GP, or any JCW product for that matter, this is a rethink of every aspect of the car, save drivetrain. We’ll get to that in a second, but first let’s talk about why the GP is so impressive and quite possibly, a peak into JCW’s future.
Aside from the engine, the rest of the new GP is more singularly focused than even BMW M cars. Simply put, the suspension and tire set-up is more serious than anything outside of an M3 GTS or CRT. The brakes are derived from the BMW 135i and thus quite over-specced for a 2,700 MINI. “Stopping power” doesn’t begin to describe the result. That braking capability means you can drive the car deeper into a corner and even trail brake if that’s your style. Yet for all their capability, the GP’s brakes aren’t grabby or difficult put to good use in everyday driving.
Then there’s the GP’s aero. Some of it is sexy, some not. The rear wing is smaller than the previous GP because, surprisingly, smaller actually works better at reducing lift. Yet the rear spoiler is only part of the equation. There are the plastic bits under the front of the car that will go unseen by most owners. Yet those under panels are almost as important as the wing, because they reduce lift in the front of the car, where it’s needed most.
Inside, the GP is a mixture of off-the-shelf JCW components and bespoke touches. Most obvious, the rear seat has been removed in an effort to reduce weight. Yet for all its red JCW fanfare, the interior package works very well. From the red seat belts to the leather dash, to the Recaro seats — once you take a seat in the GP’s cockpit, you know you’re not in your average dealer-spec MINI Hardtop. With the sound-deadening material removed, the GP’s cockpit is a very visceral place to be when the car is in motion. You hear and feel everything the car is doing — from the burbling growl of the engine to the seemingly endless grip of those exclusive Kumho tires.
All the on-paper specs and laundry list of components don’t do this car’s driving experience justice. Some people, most who whom haven’t even driven the GP, have dismissed it as “not enough” of an improvement over the standard JCW Hardtop. We couldn’t disagree more, and we’re not alone in the world of the automotive press in holding the GP in high regard. Most of the GP’s detractors talk about horsepower, as though 300 hp in a FWD car is an automatic performance formula. While we disagree about horsepower as a magic bullet, let’s talk about the GP’s engine.
If there’s any dissapoitnent with the new GP it’s found under the hood. The 1.6L JCW power plant found in the GOP is unchanged here in the US. In European GPs, some subtle tuning created a bit more power, but not much. Why did MINI invest so heavily into every other aspect of the car except the one that creates the go? In a word: budget. MINI only had so many dollars to spend in developing the new GP. Given all the things they could have done, MINI chose to focus on aerodynamics, braking and suspsension instead of blowing the whole budget on squeezing 50 reliable horsepower out of a dead-end engine program. Minus the other improvements made to the GP instead, MINI would have ended up with a slower, less compelling car in the end. The Prince engine was always a stop-gap measure for MINI until they figured out what to do long-term (starting with the F56). Now that they have that decision in place (a 2.0L four cylinder JCW sounds good doesn’t it?) they’ll be able to create future JCW cars with an engine strategy in mind from the beginning.
If we think about the GP in that context, outside of the engine MINI and JCW significantly upgraded every other performance component on the car, all while further setting the car apart visually. While the specific graphics on the GP definitely aren’t for everyone (they aren’t for us), for anyone who’s driven the car in anger, the results speak for themselves. It is without question the fastest and most rewarding MINI created to date. And in my mind, this is the first real product MINI has created that lives up to the JCW name.
This car more than any before it should give us all hope for the JCW brand’s future. If the rumors we’ve heard are true regarding the 2015 JCW, we should all expect very good things. The R56-based JCW GP is an early look at that. Especially when you add the potential of a 2.0L, turbocharged engine to the equation.
http://www.motoringfile.com/2013/12/30/opinion-why-the-new-gp-is-minis-first-real-jcw-product/There is little question the original JCW GP is a special car — an incredibly special car. It was thrown together at break-neck speed with off-the-shelf parts and yet it’s one of the most satisfying cars I’ve ever driven at any price. Sure, MINI had some trouble selling all of them at the time, as they have with the GP2, but since then it’s become a classic with ever-slowing depreciation. That original MINI JCW GP will surely be a classic.
In contrast, the new GP is a much more serious car. Road testing and development took place primarily at the Nurburgring, led primarily by a MINI race car driver. Instead of a few months, the second generation JCW GP was two years in the making. In those two years, MINI JCW fitted an entirely new, bespoke suspension. MINI spec’d unique tires and a specially-matched six-pot braking system that was designed to stop cars almost 1,000 lbs heavier. The result was nothing short of phenomenal. Whether on the track or on the road, the 2013 JCW GP is astonishing in its ability to change direction, stop, and go. Yet it’s not just the quickness of the new GP that exhilarates. It’s the car’s feedback at every touch-point.
There’s much more to the GP than simply an upgrade to the existing MINI JCW Hardtop. Unlike the first GP, or any JCW product for that matter, this is a rethink of every aspect of the car, save drivetrain. We’ll get to that in a second, but first let’s talk about why the GP is so impressive and quite possibly, a peak into JCW’s future.
Aside from the engine, the rest of the new GP is more singularly focused than even BMW M cars. Simply put, the suspension and tire set-up is more serious than anything outside of an M3 GTS or CRT. The brakes are derived from the BMW 135i and thus quite over-specced for a 2,700 MINI. “Stopping power” doesn’t begin to describe the result. That braking capability means you can drive the car deeper into a corner and even trail brake if that’s your style. Yet for all their capability, the GP’s brakes aren’t grabby or difficult put to good use in everyday driving.
Then there’s the GP’s aero. Some of it is sexy, some not. The rear wing is smaller than the previous GP because, surprisingly, smaller actually works better at reducing lift. Yet the rear spoiler is only part of the equation. There are the plastic bits under the front of the car that will go unseen by most owners. Yet those under panels are almost as important as the wing, because they reduce lift in the front of the car, where it’s needed most.
Inside, the GP is a mixture of off-the-shelf JCW components and bespoke touches. Most obvious, the rear seat has been removed in an effort to reduce weight. Yet for all its red JCW fanfare, the interior package works very well. From the red seat belts to the leather dash, to the Recaro seats — once you take a seat in the GP’s cockpit, you know you’re not in your average dealer-spec MINI Hardtop. With the sound-deadening material removed, the GP’s cockpit is a very visceral place to be when the car is in motion. You hear and feel everything the car is doing — from the burbling growl of the engine to the seemingly endless grip of those exclusive Kumho tires.
All the on-paper specs and laundry list of components don’t do this car’s driving experience justice. Some people, most who whom haven’t even driven the GP, have dismissed it as “not enough” of an improvement over the standard JCW Hardtop. We couldn’t disagree more, and we’re not alone in the world of the automotive press in holding the GP in high regard. Most of the GP’s detractors talk about horsepower, as though 300 hp in a FWD car is an automatic performance formula. While we disagree about horsepower as a magic bullet, let’s talk about the GP’s engine.
If there’s any dissapoitnent with the new GP it’s found under the hood. The 1.6L JCW power plant found in the GOP is unchanged here in the US. In European GPs, some subtle tuning created a bit more power, but not much. Why did MINI invest so heavily into every other aspect of the car except the one that creates the go? In a word: budget. MINI only had so many dollars to spend in developing the new GP. Given all the things they could have done, MINI chose to focus on aerodynamics, braking and suspsension instead of blowing the whole budget on squeezing 50 reliable horsepower out of a dead-end engine program. Minus the other improvements made to the GP instead, MINI would have ended up with a slower, less compelling car in the end. The Prince engine was always a stop-gap measure for MINI until they figured out what to do long-term (starting with the F56). Now that they have that decision in place (a 2.0L four cylinder JCW sounds good doesn’t it?) they’ll be able to create future JCW cars with an engine strategy in mind from the beginning.
If we think about the GP in that context, outside of the engine MINI and JCW significantly upgraded every other performance component on the car, all while further setting the car apart visually. While the specific graphics on the GP definitely aren’t for everyone (they aren’t for us), for anyone who’s driven the car in anger, the results speak for themselves. It is without question the fastest and most rewarding MINI created to date. And in my mind, this is the first real product MINI has created that lives up to the JCW name.
This car more than any before it should give us all hope for the JCW brand’s future. If the rumors we’ve heard are true regarding the 2015 JCW, we should all expect very good things. The R56-based JCW GP is an early look at that. Especially when you add the potential of a 2.0L, turbocharged engine to the equation.
finnian1989 said:
Any thoughts on putting it onto 18's? I have a GP2 and am looking at getting a second set of wheels for some less focused tyres for next winter. I know the JCW could have 18's as an option but don't want to ruin my GP2.
Taking the 18s off my GP1 for 17s was the best thing i did ....Sorry for the bump.
Great thread. I've been a fan of both the Mk1 and Mk2 since the start but have never seriously considered one until recently.
Yesterday I took a trip to a Mini Dealer to view and test drive mk2 mini GP and have my m135i valued. Since the test drive, all I've done is scan the internet for reviews and more info.
I'm seriously considering now. My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy lol. And I agree but oh well lol
Great thread. I've been a fan of both the Mk1 and Mk2 since the start but have never seriously considered one until recently.
Yesterday I took a trip to a Mini Dealer to view and test drive mk2 mini GP and have my m135i valued. Since the test drive, all I've done is scan the internet for reviews and more info.
I'm seriously considering now. My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy lol. And I agree but oh well lol
Do it. I went m135i to gp and didn't regret it in the slightest. Then went e92 m3, which is utterly superb but still finding myself scanning the classifieds for gp's. I genuinely think I'll go back to one again next. M3's are doing well on the residual front tho so going to enjoy the v8 for another while….
Now then, I haven't updated this thread in a long time have I? No problem for bringing it to my attention either, coincidently I was considering writing something on the car yesterday as I was particularly bored watching the Soche Grand Prix but that's another matter.......
So, my reason for not updating the tread in nearly a year is rather unfortunately because nothing of note has happened with the car, certainly in comparison with its first year with us.
The GP is still very much with us though, and has just clicked past 9k miles on the odometer so although infrequently, it's still being used! As impressive as the thread may read up to this point, unfortunately the last 12 months has been one hell of a long slog at work though I'll hopefully explain a little of that in this post....
There were a multitude of reasons for buying the little GP in the first place, but one of the main ones was our future plans with work and life. Obviously I'd decided to get into another hot hatch so that was the main one but we knew that the next couple of years were going to be up on the air so with MINI offering their 50:50 it have us the option of having a brand new car with nothing in the way of outgoings for the next 24 months. Basically, you paid half the purchase price to get the car, then in 2 years either give it back and walk away, pay off the balance, refinance what's left or part exchange.
It'll be 2 years at the end of the year so we've got some decisions to make I guess!
I wanted a car that would be fun on track, practical enough to use every day, reliable enough not to put a dampener on our honeymoon and not cost us an absolute fortune.
The reason for the low cost (compared to some of the other nice cars I've owned) was because we knew were going to be expanding the business in the not too distant future and would obviously need funds for that. Not too long after buying the car we got into plans about how exactly this would go ahead and it's basically meant that since we got married we've been working none stop on achieving this.
This culminated in our new expanded business opening last month and it finally feels like there might be a small bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
All through this time the car has been an absolute pleasure to own. Although I haven't had the time to take it on any track days it has handled being driven around town, taken to work, occasionally used as a van (no back seats means it's very roomy!) and when the time allows, used as a rare bit of fun on a Sunday blast.
I did end up replacing the original track tyres, though knowing there would be no track days coming up I opted for some toyo proxes and they are superb. The ride has improved immeasurably and although I don't doubt the grip will be massively lower on track they are just so much more comfortable and forgiving on the road-I'd even go as far as to say on the road you can actually drive it harder, though probably at a lower limit.
I'm ashamed to admit you can still see the paint markers in between the treads however which probably gives you an idea of how little it's been worked since I fitted them though!
So what for the future? I'm honestly unsure of what to do for the best. Ideally I'd like to get back into a 911 of some sort though that still leaves me with no idea of what to do with the GP. It was our wedding car and the sentimental part of me would love to simply pay off the remaining balance of the finance agreement, stick it in the garage and keep it forever, the car has always had the LOH number plate on it and it seems a shame to just get rid of it
I've even got a pair of unused Recaro SPGs sitting in the spare room wardrobe so I could turn it into a proper full on track car with a cage guess?
Whatever I choose, I wouldn't regret buying the car anyway. They're still bringing a good price and what with MINIs getting even bigger I can't see how they'll build another one that's as much fun. Even if it's just being used to commute the first thing I do when I pull the car out of the garage is to switch it into GP mode and even if it's just a little blip of the throttle when changing down to enter work the pops and bangs of the exhaust never fail to bring a smile
Then you never know, I might need to head out of town for something and the sheer fun you can have on a B road equals many cars with a much loftier price tag.
So, answers on a postcard I guess? I might put it up for sale on PH if we still get free adverts (do we still get those?) and see if anyone's interested. If the right buyer comes along then so be it, if not, well who knows? As long as the business keeps improving we're planning on doing another euro-hoon next Easter if we can afford the time, down to the ring perhaps and then onto a ski resort in the alps or something? I'd love to do it in a 911 but if the GP is still around it'll certainly be no hardship
So, my reason for not updating the tread in nearly a year is rather unfortunately because nothing of note has happened with the car, certainly in comparison with its first year with us.
The GP is still very much with us though, and has just clicked past 9k miles on the odometer so although infrequently, it's still being used! As impressive as the thread may read up to this point, unfortunately the last 12 months has been one hell of a long slog at work though I'll hopefully explain a little of that in this post....
There were a multitude of reasons for buying the little GP in the first place, but one of the main ones was our future plans with work and life. Obviously I'd decided to get into another hot hatch so that was the main one but we knew that the next couple of years were going to be up on the air so with MINI offering their 50:50 it have us the option of having a brand new car with nothing in the way of outgoings for the next 24 months. Basically, you paid half the purchase price to get the car, then in 2 years either give it back and walk away, pay off the balance, refinance what's left or part exchange.
It'll be 2 years at the end of the year so we've got some decisions to make I guess!
I wanted a car that would be fun on track, practical enough to use every day, reliable enough not to put a dampener on our honeymoon and not cost us an absolute fortune.
The reason for the low cost (compared to some of the other nice cars I've owned) was because we knew were going to be expanding the business in the not too distant future and would obviously need funds for that. Not too long after buying the car we got into plans about how exactly this would go ahead and it's basically meant that since we got married we've been working none stop on achieving this.
This culminated in our new expanded business opening last month and it finally feels like there might be a small bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
All through this time the car has been an absolute pleasure to own. Although I haven't had the time to take it on any track days it has handled being driven around town, taken to work, occasionally used as a van (no back seats means it's very roomy!) and when the time allows, used as a rare bit of fun on a Sunday blast.
I did end up replacing the original track tyres, though knowing there would be no track days coming up I opted for some toyo proxes and they are superb. The ride has improved immeasurably and although I don't doubt the grip will be massively lower on track they are just so much more comfortable and forgiving on the road-I'd even go as far as to say on the road you can actually drive it harder, though probably at a lower limit.
I'm ashamed to admit you can still see the paint markers in between the treads however which probably gives you an idea of how little it's been worked since I fitted them though!
So what for the future? I'm honestly unsure of what to do for the best. Ideally I'd like to get back into a 911 of some sort though that still leaves me with no idea of what to do with the GP. It was our wedding car and the sentimental part of me would love to simply pay off the remaining balance of the finance agreement, stick it in the garage and keep it forever, the car has always had the LOH number plate on it and it seems a shame to just get rid of it
I've even got a pair of unused Recaro SPGs sitting in the spare room wardrobe so I could turn it into a proper full on track car with a cage guess?
Whatever I choose, I wouldn't regret buying the car anyway. They're still bringing a good price and what with MINIs getting even bigger I can't see how they'll build another one that's as much fun. Even if it's just being used to commute the first thing I do when I pull the car out of the garage is to switch it into GP mode and even if it's just a little blip of the throttle when changing down to enter work the pops and bangs of the exhaust never fail to bring a smile
Then you never know, I might need to head out of town for something and the sheer fun you can have on a B road equals many cars with a much loftier price tag.
So, answers on a postcard I guess? I might put it up for sale on PH if we still get free adverts (do we still get those?) and see if anyone's interested. If the right buyer comes along then so be it, if not, well who knows? As long as the business keeps improving we're planning on doing another euro-hoon next Easter if we can afford the time, down to the ring perhaps and then onto a ski resort in the alps or something? I'd love to do it in a 911 but if the GP is still around it'll certainly be no hardship
I am really glad this thread was bumped up, I remember reading it back when you first started and having no idea what the difference between a MCS, JCW and JCW GP was, so I followed your adventures through to Spa and the Ring and looked forwards to each instalment of your trips. I really enjoyed the write up and updates through your honeymoon and all the fun that you had and the memories created.
I really really hope you don't get rid of the GP, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through on your thoughts and feelings with the car, and even today have read through it again to remind myself of how epic an adventure you have had with it.
I enjoyed this so much that even though I couldn't afford a GP, I got myself a JCW and I'm taking it to the Nurburgring in December and then tour Europe in it next summer, using this as a bit of a guide as to where to visit!
(I especially enjoyed your bit about the A6, my O/H lives near to the Porsche dealer in Kendal and I keep trying to find an excuse to go up the A6 in my JCW to compare!)
I really really hope you don't get rid of the GP, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through on your thoughts and feelings with the car, and even today have read through it again to remind myself of how epic an adventure you have had with it.
I enjoyed this so much that even though I couldn't afford a GP, I got myself a JCW and I'm taking it to the Nurburgring in December and then tour Europe in it next summer, using this as a bit of a guide as to where to visit!
(I especially enjoyed your bit about the A6, my O/H lives near to the Porsche dealer in Kendal and I keep trying to find an excuse to go up the A6 in my JCW to compare!)
SlowStig said:
I am really glad this thread was bumped up, I remember reading it back when you first started and having no idea what the difference between a MCS, JCW and JCW GP was, so I followed your adventures through to Spa and the Ring and looked forwards to each instalment of your trips. I really enjoyed the write up and updates through your honeymoon and all the fun that you had and the memories created.
I really really hope you don't get rid of the GP, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through on your thoughts and feelings with the car, and even today have read through it again to remind myself of how epic an adventure you have had with it.
I enjoyed this so much that even though I couldn't afford a GP, I got myself a JCW and I'm taking it to the Nurburgring in December and then tour Europe in it next summer, using this as a bit of a guide as to where to visit!
(I especially enjoyed your bit about the A6, my O/H lives near to the Porsche dealer in Kendal and I keep trying to find an excuse to go up the A6 in my JCW to compare!)
Cheers for that I really really hope you don't get rid of the GP, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through on your thoughts and feelings with the car, and even today have read through it again to remind myself of how epic an adventure you have had with it.
I enjoyed this so much that even though I couldn't afford a GP, I got myself a JCW and I'm taking it to the Nurburgring in December and then tour Europe in it next summer, using this as a bit of a guide as to where to visit!
(I especially enjoyed your bit about the A6, my O/H lives near to the Porsche dealer in Kendal and I keep trying to find an excuse to go up the A6 in my JCW to compare!)
your post actually just made me go back to the start & read through everything again-man we really had some fun in this car! If you're ever at a loose end and want to compare the GP with yours feel free to fire me an email over
Edited to add, nurburgring in December is very brave- don't forget your snow socks!
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Cheers for that your post actually just made me go back to the start & read through everything again-man we really had some fun in this car!
If you're ever at a loose end and want to compare the GP with yours feel free to fire me an email over
Edited to add, nurburgring in December is very brave- don't forget your snow socks!
Glad I could help, you really have done some cracking journeys in the past few years! your post actually just made me go back to the start & read through everything again-man we really had some fun in this car! If you're ever at a loose end and want to compare the GP with yours feel free to fire me an email over
Edited to add, nurburgring in December is very brave- don't forget your snow socks!
I might take you up on that offer, I thought there might be a MINI owners club in Cumbria but as of yet I can't find one so an excuse to go for a run out with a local is rather appealing!
I am hoping that the nurburgring is open for at least 1 slow lap at least, otherwise it will be a weekend of beer and snow!
SlowStig said:
Glad I could help, you really have done some cracking journeys in the past few years!
I might take you up on that offer, I thought there might be a MINI owners club in Cumbria but as of yet I can't find one so an excuse to go for a run out with a local is rather appealing!
I am hoping that the nurburgring is open for at least 1 slow lap at least, otherwise it will be a weekend of beer and snow!
I'm sure there is some sort of mini thing locally, I know my mate who has the 1275 that came to spa with us goes to a lot of stuff another mate has a Paul smith edition goes to some things too, I'll ask them when we next catch up & find out what I can-unfortunately I've never had the time to go to anything with them.I might take you up on that offer, I thought there might be a MINI owners club in Cumbria but as of yet I can't find one so an excuse to go for a run out with a local is rather appealing!
I am hoping that the nurburgring is open for at least 1 slow lap at least, otherwise it will be a weekend of beer and snow!
I'd look into the ring in December nearer the time by the way, the last two winters have been long ones with 2013 especially being under huge amounts of snow for a good few months-there'll be nowt much to do over there if the weather is bad as it pretty much shuts down even though they're supposed to be open! Keep an eye on what dale lomas who writes for PH says on his Bridge To Gantry Facebook page, he normally keeps everyone abreast of the weather for those doing last minute runs over
likesachange said:
I should be attending the next ecosse meet on the 2nd travelling up from Carlisle in fact I can virtually see LOH's house from mine! So if you need an excuse to drive it there's one right there
Bloody typical, we have plans I'm afraid, I really must keep up to date with the local meet sections as I always miss them. I was told you've been living up to your username btw, noticed the new aquesition as I walked the dog past yours-lovely bit of kit!Well I hope all other owners are enjoying their cars
Ours is tucked up safely in the garage while we're enjoying a rare break away from work in the sun. I'd forgotten how therapeutic these holidays are and the wife has enjoyed it greatly, natch!
However, it has left us hankering for an adventure of some sorts again, and last night during dinner she suggested getting in another road trip before too long, Easter specifically.
That leaves a few interesting options with her being off school for two weeks-obviously mad Friday is a must at the ring if for nothing else than blasting through the BBQ smoke at brunchen while dodging the increasingly poor driving!
Followed by a ski resort somewhere high up-opinions welcome as it's not something we regularly do?
Then perhaps a blast into Northern Italy before the long slog home and a Belgian beer run to stock up for the summer
I'll leave you with an image of today's reading material, a simply superb collection of stories about blasting super cars through Europe in the 70s & 80s, suitable inspiration for what lies ahead & possibly the last big adventure in the little mini.
Adios from Los Islas de Canarias
Ours is tucked up safely in the garage while we're enjoying a rare break away from work in the sun. I'd forgotten how therapeutic these holidays are and the wife has enjoyed it greatly, natch!
However, it has left us hankering for an adventure of some sorts again, and last night during dinner she suggested getting in another road trip before too long, Easter specifically.
That leaves a few interesting options with her being off school for two weeks-obviously mad Friday is a must at the ring if for nothing else than blasting through the BBQ smoke at brunchen while dodging the increasingly poor driving!
Followed by a ski resort somewhere high up-opinions welcome as it's not something we regularly do?
Then perhaps a blast into Northern Italy before the long slog home and a Belgian beer run to stock up for the summer
I'll leave you with an image of today's reading material, a simply superb collection of stories about blasting super cars through Europe in the 70s & 80s, suitable inspiration for what lies ahead & possibly the last big adventure in the little mini.
Adios from Los Islas de Canarias
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff