would you flash YOUR LIGHTS at a bmw mini?!
Discussion
Buffalo said:
wixer said:
BMW's attempt at a front wheel drive car was pants.
By that you mean the MINI???
whats pants about it???
the fact it can handle 220bhp???
the fact it can pull more lateral ge-force than a 911???
etc.... if thats pants whats good?????
I don't think you read his post right there mate!
He said the RR, 75 AND the MINI were all designed by british engineers working under the guise of Rover.... They were. He was NOT (as far as i can see) slating the MINI. BMW took the MINI design when it sold the company, it also took info that it gained through ownership of LR away to produce the X5.
I know a lot of people that are annoyed with BMW for this. A lot of other people tell them to grow up, but if you think about it, Rover was the last vestoon of british car industry we had - now we don't have any of it in the mainstream. Sometimes i can understand their feeling.
Contary to popular belief BMW didn't design any of three of the best cars to enter the market in the last few years, i.e. R75, RR and MINI. Sure they had input but the designs were in existence before they were on the scene.
But anyway, enjoy your cars. My mother has a MINI cooper and loves it. Provided it holds together it looks to be a good car.
Edited to add: If its any consolation to you MINI drivers, drivers of new MGs have the same problem with a lot of drivers of old MGs and IMO it is quite unjustified.
>> Edited by Buffalo on Tuesday 9th September 17:22
Yes you're correct he didn't read my post the way I intended. You are right. The 3 cars in queston were all basically designed at what was the Rover/ LandRover design and engineering site at Gaydon, by British engineers. There obviously was some German influence. What I meant was, that BMW gave Rover a front wheel drive platform they were working on before they bought Rover and that it was "pants". They also attempted to design the MINI in Munich but the project returned to Gaydon to be totally redesigned by the same engineers that developed the new RR and the new R75.
Buffalo said:
wixer said:
BMW's attempt at a front wheel drive car was pants.
By that you mean the MINI???
whats pants about it???
the fact it can handle 220bhp???
the fact it can pull more lateral ge-force than a 911???
etc.... if thats pants whats good?????
I don't think you read his post right there mate!
He said the RR, 75 AND the MINI were all designed by british engineers working under the guise of Rover.... They were. He was NOT (as far as i can see) slating the MINI. BMW took the MINI design when it sold the company, it also took info that it gained through ownership of LR away to produce the X5.
I know a lot of people that are annoyed with BMW for this. A lot of other people tell them to grow up, but if you think about it, Rover was the last vestoon of british car industry we had - now we don't have any of it in the mainstream. Sometimes i can understand their feeling.
Contary to popular belief BMW didn't design any of three of the best cars to enter the market in the last few years, i.e. R75, RR and MINI. Sure they had input but the designs were in existence before they were on the scene.
But anyway, enjoy your cars. My mother has a MINI cooper and loves it. Provided it holds together it looks to be a good car.
Edited to add: If its any consolation to you MINI drivers, drivers of new MGs have the same problem with a lot of drivers of old MGs and IMO it is quite unjustified.
>> Edited by Buffalo on Tuesday 9th September 17:22
Yes you're correct he didn't read my post the way I intended. You are right. The 3 cars in queston were all basically designed at what was the Rover/ LandRover design and engineering site at Gaydon, by British engineers. There obviously was some German influence. What I meant was, that BMW gave Rover a front wheel drive platform they were working on before they bought Rover and that it was "pants". They also attempted to design the MINI in Munich but the project returned to Gaydon to be totally redesigned by the same engineers that developed the new RR and the new R75.
mycpr2002 said:
BM may have owned the company while the new Range Rover and the Rover 75 were designed but both of these cars were designed and engineered by the same British engineers who designed and engineered the MINI. BMW's attempt at a front wheel drive car was pants.
Sorry but the MINI was a German design the British design team came up with something that was more in the Issigonis style as far as practicality but which looked terrible and would never have sold to either Mini or MINI buyers. Get a copy of "New MINI" by Graham Robson and turn to page 41 for pictures of Rover designed Spiritual and Spiritual Too.
I don't need to read the book to see what they looked like, I was one of the concept team that designed them. There was actually three designs, the Spiritual and Spiritual Too (Spiritual Too was originally called Midi) were really just a bit of radical thinking, there was a mainstream car that was more to the Issigonis idea. BMW then decided the MINI should be more of a sporting type of vehicle and opted for one of their styles. I believe that was one of their better decisions. The engineering was totally British though, we made their style work. The style was Frank Stephenson's, who I worked very closley with during the concept and design phases. He now works for Ferrari.
The job was very interesting then, not so much now (ended up at LandRover after the BM sell off). I was responsible for the feasibilty/packaging of the cabin, (all interior less the facia and the boot),also the doors and initially the fuel system. The job basically entails, protecting the occupant space, positioning of the major driving controls, (gear lever, pedals, steering wheel etc.) and ensuring that all the components within the car are positioned in a suitable area. It's sort of policing all the component engineers to get a decent compromise for the vehicle design. It's a difficult job to explain as you have to be involved in so many different aspects of the car but hopefully this explains it.
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