55 replies to this topic

[Rosslin Racing]

well they should stick to cooking take ways! if the cars are like the wheels they make God help us!

[minidave1991-89]

Well atleast with the BINI it looks the part and is safe. Chinese cars have a tendancy to crumple to a size of a coke can in any accidents there in.

Wonder if the bottom has a MADE IN CHINA sticker?

[AVV IT]

I think you're all being rather unfair about the quality of Chinese engineering here, I mean if you want see Chinese engineering at it's best, take a look at the safety record of China Airlines!!







.... Okay maybe not!!

Edited by AVV IT, 06 February 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[jake cooper]

Anyone rember this little firm My Little Car. I say firm it was one maybe two people making cushions. BMW shut them down.

http://www.theminifo...showtopic=65918

[Frisco]

Yes because they paid a lot of money to own the rights to the name and all the marketing that goes with it.

If I wanted to setup a garage tomorrow and call it Honda or Vauxhall etc guess what would happen. Its exactly the same thing, MINI (in relation to cars) is a registered trademark so you cant just start using it no matter how small the company is

[mab01uk]

Anyone rember this little firm My Little Car. I say firm it was one maybe two people making cushions. BMW shut them down.

http://www.theminifo...showtopic=65918

If they had asked first....BEFORE going ahead without permission and selling them it would probably have been just a 'peppercorn' charge as already stated by British Heritage.

From previous post:
"Manufacturers should come to BMH to assess the quality of the product, if quality is good enough but sales very small, we would probably charge a peppercorn sum, rather than a percentage of the wholesale price. Small scale makers should come and talk to us first if quality is good."

[mab01uk]

Like BMW with 'Mini' related trademarks Volkswagen has recently asserted its right to the trademark ‘Beetle’ and is serving notice on many of the classic Beetle companies using their trademarks without permission:
http://www.justkampers.com/vw-letter.pdf

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=746686

Edited by mab01uk, 06 February 2012 - 12:17 PM.

[Black.Ghost]

I like it Just kidding.

That thing is pretty ugly. But as for the MINI, I like it. The important thing, ultimately, is it makes a hell of a lot money. At the moment, I am absolutely loving the Roadster. I would happily own one of those if I could afford it.

The classic Mini was a dying brand. Such a big car for it's name was always going to be a controversial subject. I think more and more Mini owners are coming around slowly. A forty year unchanged design is a hell of a long time. Granted, to those in the know the design between the first Mini and last is actually quite different but to most people its the same design for a very long period of time. No other car can say that.

It's a modern interpretation of a Classic. BMW were never going to be able to please everyone. I think part of the issue is the parent company being German . If it were still English owned and English built, I think a lot of the haters would be lovers.

The sheer sales of the car say it all though.

[mab01uk]

It's a modern interpretation of a Classic. BMW were never going to be able to please everyone. I think part of the issue is the parent company being German . If it were still English owned and English built, I think a lot of the haters would be lovers.

Agreed! ...........one small correction though, the MINI range is still 'English built' in Oxford, (except for the Countryman) on the site of the old Morris Cowley plant which built the Morris Mini's in the 1960's.
As a visitor at last years MINI Plant Family Open Day I was driven at high speed around the small factory test track by a women who had been an official test driver at Cowley since the early BL days of strikes in the 1970's and still enjoyed her job!

Edited by mab01uk, 06 February 2012 - 01:57 PM.

[Black.Ghost]

Yeah sorry, I know it's still build I England, I should have put the emphasis on owned.

I can think or worse jobs.

[Black.Ghost]

Stupid bloody phone . I meant built in England. And I also meant I can think of worse jobs.