Frozen Black

Posted on by Ian C.

MINI Corporate Communications press release:
Highlight in matt: MINI now with exclusive Frozen Black metallic paint finish.
Striking body colour available in limited edition for the MINI Countryman and the MINI Paceman – elaborate surface treatment highlights the powerful proportions of the two models.

MINI is extending its program of exterior paint finishes for current models to include an exclusive new variant. Frozen Black metallic paint is now available as a limited edition colour for the top of the range MINI Countryman and MINI Paceman models.
This innovative paint which has a textured, shimmering matt finish, gives the car a striking and expressive appearance. The new colour and finish is available for the MINI Cooper S Countryman, MINI Cooper SD Countryman, MINI Cooper S Paceman, MINI Cooper SD Paceman, MINI John Cooper Works Countryman and MINI John Cooper Works Paceman.
[in USA, only the MINI Cooper S Countryman is being made available]

The Frozen Black metallic paint finish is created using a complex manufacturing process exclusive to the BMW Group. This special painting procedure, which involves not just innovative technology but also a high level of manual craftsmanship, is now being applied for the first time by Austrian production partner Magna Steyr in Graz where the MINI Paceman and MINI Countryman are produced. The special surface treatment encompasses the base layer for grip and corrosion protection, the colour layer as well as the clear lacquer finish which has added silicates to create the matted impression as well as the velvet effect which can be seen and felt.

Attached exterior parts such as the model-specific front and rear aprons and the exterior mirror caps are finished separately in the paint finish Frozen Black metallic. Due to the labour intensive process used to apply this exclusive body colour during production it is limited to a restricted number of cars.
Frozen Black metallic is of the same high quality as the other paint finishes available for MINI in terms of abrasion resistance and colour fidelity. The finish is completely weather resistant and car wash resistant, however hand washing does require special care as spot cleaning of the surface using wax or polish can leave an unwanted gloss effect. For this reason the BMW Group offers care products developed specially for treating the Frozen Black metallic paint finish.

Greasy’s Garage

Posted on by Ian C.

Now just a couple of weeks from our move to Florida, Greasy’s Garage today was a perfect place for a last get together with MINI friends, including Pete, Theo, John, Thom, Reed, Ivan, … I also got to watch Ivan get various changes to his nicely colored MINI Coupe, including fog light reprogramming by Theo, and removal of a resonator by Pete, to increase exhaust growl:

A bit sad to be leaving my friends, but with luck I’ll meet them again, and meanwhile meet new MINI friends in Florida.

First view of the Paceman

Posted on by Ian C.

The new MINI Paceman has been wandering the country, appearing at various MINI dealerships; I missed it at MINI of Peabody, but (thanks to James) saw it this evening at MINI of Orlando. The one car on show is a “Brilliant Copper” S, loaded with all the technology, leather seats; sadly the copper color was not so “brilliant”, at least inside the dealership; it was really hard to get a good idea of the cars color, see how different these photos are:

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SONY DSC
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It was easier to see, and appreciate, the overall shape; the lowering roofline makes the Paceman a lot better looking than the Countryman. I also really liked the rear lights design.
Interior, not noticeably different from other MINIs and the Countryman – though again the expensive leather seating color is hard to identify …

SONY DSC
SONY DSC
SONY DSC

Getting in to the back of the Paceman was surprisingly easy (though no doubt not as easy as the Countryman) – but leg room seemed VERY limited, at least for anyone sitting behind me! Even then, in the back my head brushed the roof, so that roofline presumably is the cause of limited leg room. So get a Countryman if you want to use the rear seats, maybe?

The exterior design of the Paceman is the most interesting MINI I’ve seen for a while – but with a $38,000 price tag, it’s really not a weekend play thing!