Purchases

More enjoyment driving the new MINI today – still amazed how much better the engine performs; easy responsiveness even accelerating from 65+ on the highway.
Surprisingly I am getting attention again (I thought that had worn off); maybe it is just because the car is new & clean, or perhaps it is because it looks better than the old black one?
I also installed the “Hot Pocket” to give some more storage space; I think MINI should do something similar as standard production:

Monday afternoon I am getting the cooperflags Union Jack by WheelDynamix; after that I have run out of modifications, until it is warm enough to work on the rear foglights!

Back to MINI Peabody today to have my front plate fitted. Using the aero kit bracket (painted body color) which mounts lower down and does not cover the grille. Requires some drilling but looks better:

This new MCS is really much more fun to drive than the MC; so much more torque that the engine is always ready to pull and you don’t need to shift gears so much. Still not tried the (hopefully) improved acceleration, while waiting for the 1200 mile run-in period.

For those interested, a closeup of the european shelf under the steering wheel (also showing the tidy installation of the rally light switch):

If you want to know more about this shelf, check out this great page put together by Jason Livingood; it lists part numbers and shows details of the installation process.