Mini Clubman, Maximum Celebrity
I drive my Mini Cooper and I feel souper dooper.
Oh dear, not the most inspired of musical lyrics but Madonna’s nonetheless. She obviously feels so strongly about her Mini Cooper S that she felt the need to include it in the songwords of the American Life song.
After racking up an estimated 50 parking fines in her Mini and BMW 7-Series it seems she is not the only celebrity to not want to park her treasured car too far out of sight. Singer Lily Allen has recently been reported to have had slanging matches outside her London home over parking her Mini in the street. Apparently, simply owning a Mini is enough status to not need to feed parking meters – or so she thought!
Other celebrity owners include Elijah Wood. Ok, he may be a hobbit but thats not a necessary requirement for owners of the new Mini Cooper D Clubman. With a huge 930 litre luggage capacity space is not compromised for style. And this version has style by the shed load!
Double doors at the back mirror the original estate but many innovations have been included on this Mini to bring it bang up to date. A split drivers door and folding back seats allow for easy access with plenty of storage and with the seats in the upright position, the Mini Clubman can comfortably accommodate 5 adults.
Its sporty reputation has not been lost and standard equipment to back this up includes; Dynamic Stability Control for optimum traction, a sophisticated suspension system, the latest ABS system, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, brake assist, cornering brake control, 4 disc brakes and run flat tyres. With low ground clearance, a top speed of 120 mph and lively acceleration, this model looks and feels as sporty as you would expect it to.
As far as the exterior is concerned, subtle updates include double rear wipers and chrome handles. As ususal, the Mini Clubman comes in a choice of designer colours and a choice of roof design including the nations favourite – the Union Jack – and also a fun heli-pad design. Bi-Xenon technology is integrated to provide twice the output from the dazzle free headlamps and this comes as an optional extra.
Inside, various colourways can be chosen to include black, cream, blue, yellow or red as well as that classic oak trim which can be substituted with brushed alloy, fluid silver, fine white silver or piano black – if you really had to. Sports seats, rain sensors with automatic headlight activation, heated seats and bluetooth control on a leather steering wheel are very cool optional extras to make even short journeys a true driving experience.
Safety is of optimum importance to Mini Clubmans and to this end six airbags, an ultra rigid chassis, crash boxes and highly efficient restraint systems are all incorporated.
Despite its quite pricey tag of 16,000, pounds long term this will be a very economical car. Immediately saving money on tax with its impressively low emissions at 109g/km of Co2, all due to the auto stop/start function. Fuel consumption is also set at a staggering 68.9 mpg. So fill up, go forth and enjoy!
Expert car dealer Shaun Parker looks into the new Mini Clubman and checks out its assets. To find out more please visit http://www.coopermini.co.uk/
A Blessed Wedding Anniversary
The year was 2005 and my parents were coming up to their milestone 70th wedding anniversary.
The family got together to discuss what we could do to mark this auspicious occassion and the first option we looked at was the age old tradition of using a listed material. Unfortunately, the celebration material for reaching 70 years of wedlock was a disappointing platinum. Not an unpleasant metal in itself but still just a metal.
We discussed a surprise party with a platinum coloured theme. This was rejected as being not so easy or special! In fact, a surprise party hardly seemed like a good idea at all. After 70 years parties are no surprise. We wanted something more tailored to themselves. Something to mark the occassion more memorably was called for so we did a little research.
It turns out that our parents had got married in a beautiful little church in the Scottish countryside. This was not only where they lived for the early part of their marriage but where they both grew up to work at the Rolly Royce factory in Hillington. Whilst looking to hire a wedding car, their boss had kindly lent them the Rolls Royce Limousine Cockshoot.
This gave us an idea of a step back in time theme for their wedding anniversary. We found the church was still functioning and booked a blessing for them. We even booked them a couple of nights in a very old nearby hotel. But we were still looking for something a little more special.
My parents had moved before my siblings and I came along to a town 50 miles away from Hillington and were still there now so we decided to look at special ways of getting them to their blessing. We decided luxury car hire was the way to go and researched wedding cars on the internet. Many choices were available for wedding car hire and we managed to find a 1930 Rolls Royce Limousine Cockshoot in primrose and black. We felt this would be quite special as there are only two originals left in existence.
Things couldn’t have gone better. On the day, the wedding car hire company turned up at my parents house to whisk them off to the church. It turned out that this was exactly how they first met! Both of my parent s were working on the very first Cockshoot vehicle ever made when they met. Thanks to the restoration and care the wedding car hire company had paid to this vehicle my parents were able to have a wedding anniversary to remember.
Expert chauffeur Shaun Parker looks into the use of wedding car hire for other occassions. To find out more please visit http://www.aaexecutive.co.uk/
Where Does A Used BMW Go?
Because of the way a BMW will hold its value, most used BMW’s are re-sold but, like anything, they do have a life span and at the end of that they’re on the scrapheap.
Or are they?
BMW are the most environmentally friendly car manufacturer in existence. Their South Carolina plant in the US has been named a charter member of the US Environmental Protection Agencys National Performance Track. They have recieved this prestigious accolade because of their recycling initiative when it comes to used BMW’s.
A recycling centre for used BMW’s at the end of their life has won the 1992 Best Recycling Innovation Award. 85% of a scrapped vehicle is recyclable, going back into creating the next BMW on the production line. The other 15% is re-used. Tyres are sent to cement kilns for fuel and even paint sludge is used as waste energy. Outside recycling companies used are subject to regular audits from BMW to ensure they are doing exactly what they claim to.
But the environmental concerns of this company are not confined to used BMW’s. It starts right at the beginning. The BMW South Carolina plant is leading the way in protecting the very air that we breath. Before building even began on their factory, consultants and experts were brought in to assess the risk of construction on surrounding wetlands and wildlife. Bird and bat houses were installed in surrounding woodland as well as an on site butterfly garden.
The South Carolina Plant of BMW is called the Information Technology Research Centre and in itself is a green building. Wherever possible, environmentally friendly materials have been used and every supplier involved with the construction project was subjected to sustainability evaluations to ensure they complied with the BMW environmental ethos.
Long term assessments from BMW have found that the company produces 17.8 million pounds worth of waste per year but through an aggressive recycling programme across the board, 14 million of that waste was recycled.
All 3,600 tonnes of cardboard that goes through the BMW plant every year is recycled along with all paper, every piece of scrap metal, all surplus wood, plastic, rubber, paint sludge, fluorescent light tubes and oil.
Its all very well being able to recycle the waste products of a business but what about the environmental impact of actually using the materials not wasted? BMW have taken this into account too, actively moving forward in all aspects.
Their landfill gas to energy project is years ahead of rival companies. Where other companies create energy at the landfill site then project it down wires to their business, thus creating more emissions, BMW use local landfill sites and pipe the methane gas directly to the plant. This process fuels 23 paint shop oven burners and supplies BMW with 63% of its total energy needs. The reduction in carbon monoxide emissions is equivalent to taking 61,000 cars off the US highway every year.
Moving down the production line, reducing the water used in the BMW factory was an area of concern, specifically in the paint shop. A reduction of 10% was aimed for but 30% was the actual achievement saving 9.5 million gallons of water per year. This equates to enough water to supply every single citizen in the US with a 4oz glass of water.
Down to the very last detail, BMW is forging ahead with looking after the environment. From recycling their rags to make insulation under the interior of their vehicles to ensuring food and drink containers in their canteen are bio-degradeable, it is so much more than just recycling a used BMW.
Expert environmentalist Shaun Parker looks into the used BMW re-cycling scheme at the South Carolina plant. To find out more please visit http://www.cooperbmw.co.uk/
Bling Up That Used BMW
A new BMW is a treasure not to be touched. Built to perfection, there is nothing that can be done to improve it and neither should you try.
However, buy a used BMW from an approved dealership and the world is your oyster to customise and personalise with as much bling as your bank account sees fit.
Many BMW fans have started down the road of personalising their used BMW and, realising the attention it draws from onlookers, they become positively obssessed. Starting with replacing plastic interior trims for chrome trim is a relatively cheap way to start. Door handle covers, inside and out, trunk lid trim, gauge rings and light trims can all be replaced with chrome alternatives as well as gear knobs and tax disc holders.
Aluminium chequer plate mats for the footwells are a popular addition among the younger used BMW owners, along with replacement metal foot pedals. However, once they get this far they then want to draw attention to the adaptations they are making and begin to think about lighting. LED footwell lighting is a start to draw attention to those aluminium plate mats.
An interior is not completely souped up without consideration to the upholstery. Sports seats, harnesses, leather seats and leather trim in various colourways are all optional extras to make your BMW personal.
This obsession soon migrates to the sounds emitted from their used BMW and a new sound system is a must. CD changers, if not already installed, are a must. The latest banging tunes are a definite head turner. And where better to install mega wattage colour coded speakers than in the boot, the aluminium lined boot , that is.
But what is the point of all this if the exterior doesn’t look the business? Custom paint jobs are an attractive look that are the ultimate in customization. Virtually any design can be transferred onto the vehicle body and for those for whom money is no object, Swarovski crystals will bling up that BMW to an absolutely star studded head turning creation.
Staying with the exterior, a plethora of alloy wheel trims can be fitted at a reasonably low cost. Body kits and suspension lowering systems for low ground clearance will really soup up your used BMW. Once again, the right lighting is essential and LED is the way to go. Angel eyes ring marker, or halo lights, will install a ring of light around the existing light and can be used in a choice of different colours.
LED ground lighting kits are made from polycarbonate which is the same virtually indestructible material that riot shields are composed of.
So, you’ve purchased your used BMW from an approved dealership which means you know you’re getting a sound investment to start with. Now to customise it!
Picture this. The seats are replaced with sports seats covered in Imola Red leather. This matches the red leather trim on the doors and red LED lights illuminating the aluminium clad footwells. Light bounces from every chromed surface on the interior and as you fire up the souped up, customized engine on comes the sounds. With the bass thumping out from the aluminium lined boot you flick on the exterior lights. LED angel eyes and downlighters emit a warm red glow, just enough to show off your black paint job, applied with the highest shine possible of course. The headlights from other cars are picking out your personally designed picture, composed entirely of red Swarovski crystals on the bonnet and you cruise off down the road turning every head, young and old.
Expert BMW enthusiast Shaun Parker looks into the choices for the cutomisation of a used BMW to make it unique. To find out more please visit http://www.cooperbmw.co.uk/