MTTS – States Taken

The MINI Takes The States website has now been updated with final write-ups of every day and photo collections … Go there and have a look through the photos, if you were on the trip – maybe you’ll find yourself! Here is GPMINI in the pack leaving Sandia MINI at Alberquerque, and a great picture from the St Louis arch looking down on MINIs, with GPMINI and Quack Quack Jack in the middle!


I’ll definitely be heading over to MTTSphotos tomorrow to lay down some cash and buy some of these great pictures 🙂
UPDATE: $285 order placed for photos!

MTTS Lime Rock Track – video

Here is video of driving the track at Lime Rock – once again many thanks to George (GP #0154) following me.


This video is from the start of the second lap to part way through the third; we were allowed to reach speeds of 50-55 mph, a bit slow on the straight but quite fast enough to be fun on the curves!

WARNING: BIG 29MB file! Over 2 minutes long

GPMINI meets MoP

After catching up on some work, I headed over to MINI of Peabody with GPMINI this afternoon – everyone there finally got to see a GP!

Top of my work list was an oil change, state sticker, and a clean GP, but I also decided to have a JCW strut brace fitted – primarily as a defence against the “mushroom tower” issues reported online (I could have got M7 reinforcing plates but a JCW part suits a GP better!)

A significant initial challenge was simply getting the GP onto the lift – next time they’ll probably select a lower lift, since they had to manhandle the car to get it up!


Then it was oil change, strut brace install, and Euro Shelf install …


While this was going on, Gary was very interested in seeing behind the luggage restraint bar – but it didn’t reveal much …


Gary also pointed out that the back edge of the intercooler cover is being rubbed away by the protective plastic panels on the underside of the hood – it’s clear the hood panels have been trimmed for the bigger intercooler, but apparently not enough! And I was told that the rear hatch / trunk hinges are of the “old” type which have now been re-designed apparently to resolve a (hopefully rare) issue of the hinges rusting and failing! GPMINIs hinge looks like this (I checked – it’s the same as on my other MINI):

 

Finally, GPMINI got washed and I paid and headed home – after a few more pics of course!