99 replies to this topic

[taffy1967]

The bini is here to stay live with it.

But can you imagine them still being a relatively common sight on the road in over 40 years time? It has a shelf life and eventually it's going to fizzle out and then you'll see them parked on every council estate from Cornwall to Glasgow.

But there again perhaps the Mini name will live on and in 40 years time we'll all be flying around in little sun powered futuristic people carriers that bare that famous name instead?

You mean like the original mini that was acar for the people and was affordable to rich and poor then??

Well the original always appealed to people from all walks of life and was the first truly classless car.

But sooner or later the BINI isn't going to be the latest must have car and people will then move on to the next gimmick. After all it's already had a minor face-lift, so where will they take it next?

Edited by taffy1967, 28 June 2007 - 07:41 PM.

[taffy1967]

Looks like I'm right then?

[Spannermonkey6464]

Taffy - yes i can see it being here in 40 years time due to the fact there are enthusiasts for the bini, strangely just like the mini.

if you are going to carry on this is going to be yet another thread consigned to the junk yard.

I think people should get the facts straight. BMW did buy rover for the mini, but they bought it 1994, therefore THEY kept the mini alive until 2001. Not rover. the same lovely wonderful rover that wanted to kill the mini off on several occasions. The same company who were to lazy to redesign the car so it could compete with the modern cars. the same company that wanted us to drive the metro or god forbid the rover city car.

We have alot to be thank full to the germans for, its about time some of you so called mini enthusiasts, accepted the bini.
Do you give the fingers to any other type of car that waves or flashes at you? NO!

So just accept they are admiring your car, smile and wave back and go about your day and stop posturing and complaining all the time its boring.

Rant over.

Do you know, It makes me laugh how some people forget what happened prior to BMW's involvement and they seem to think that we should all pay homage to the wonder that is BMW, because otherwise we're not proper enthusiasts and are totally wrong for having an opinion.

Sorry but you need to remember that the Mini went through a renaissance period towards the end of the 1980's and that was thanks to new management at Rover. Namely Graham Day who wasn't completely closed minded and he could see that there was still a market for the car and he had the balls to give it the green light to remain in production beyond 1987 and then relaunched the Cooper model too.

It was thanks to Rover that the Mini first got fitted with fuel injection in 1991 remember, but it was a certain Bernd Pitcheidsreider who was the chairman of BMW and a distant relation of Issigonis (and a Mini fan), who had a dream and wanted BMW to have it's own type of VW Golf but with a name from a famous car that probably achieved more things in it's lifetime than any other car ever.

Anyway I'm pleased he allowed the Mini to survive beyond 1996 with the Twin-Point and I also wonder how things would have turned out if he hadn't been sacked just prior to Rover being dropped like a hot potato. Yes, would he have been such a pig and treated all those companies like dirt too I wonder?

So as Mini classic enthusiasts we don't need to like or be fans of the BINI, because it's something completely different. And don't forget who won the second world war too and without wanting to sound un-PC, perhaps we should have all just given in and allowed Hitler to take us over, so we wouldn't have to put up with our heritage being made a mockery of then.

agreed the only thing in common is the mini name, but maybe the owner of the Bini did have a real version in the garage, and is regreting owning the Bini

but i think its not that we dislike the particula owners of the Binis but what BMW as a companie has done to something we all love and adore

[Dev]

Taffy you talk utter rubbish mate.

Minor facelift, erm hello mk1 mk2 mk3 mk4 mk5, clubman, shall i go on.

FACT BMW saved rover or should i say 'over' for as long as possible. allowed production to continue and kept giving us moreuntil it no longer could make it cost effective.

the new mini is class less ala the old one in that anyone can drive one, as per the original.

you'll be complaining about the focus not being true to the escort next.......

[taffy1967]

Taffy - yes i can see it being here in 40 years time due to the fact there are enthusiasts for the bini, strangely just like the mini.

if you are going to carry on this is going to be yet another thread consigned to the junk yard.

I think people should get the facts straight. BMW did buy rover for the mini, but they bought it 1994, therefore THEY kept the mini alive until 2001. Not rover. the same lovely wonderful rover that wanted to kill the mini off on several occasions. The same company who were to lazy to redesign the car so it could compete with the modern cars. the same company that wanted us to drive the metro or god forbid the rover city car.

We have alot to be thank full to the germans for, its about time some of you so called mini enthusiasts, accepted the bini.
Do you give the fingers to any other type of car that waves or flashes at you? NO!

So just accept they are admiring your car, smile and wave back and go about your day and stop posturing and complaining all the time its boring.

Rant over.

Do you know, It makes me laugh how some people forget what happened prior to BMW's involvement and they seem to think that we should all pay homage to the wonder that is BMW, because otherwise we're not proper enthusiasts and are totally wrong for having an opinion.

Sorry but you need to remember that the Mini went through a renaissance period towards the end of the 1980's and that was thanks to new management at Rover. Namely Graham Day who wasn't completely closed minded and he could see that there was still a market for the car and he had the balls to give it the green light to remain in production beyond 1987 and then relaunched the Cooper model too.

It was thanks to Rover that the Mini first got fitted with fuel injection in 1991 remember, but it was a certain Bernd Pitcheidsreider who was the chairman of BMW and a distant relation of Issigonis (and a Mini fan), who had a dream and wanted BMW to have it's own type of VW Golf but with a name from a famous car that probably achieved more things in it's lifetime than any other car ever.

Anyway I'm pleased he allowed the Mini to survive beyond 1996 with the Twin-Point and I also wonder how things would have turned out if he hadn't been sacked just prior to Rover being dropped like a hot potato. Yes, would he have been such a pig and treated all those companies like dirt too I wonder?

So as Mini classic enthusiasts we don't need to like or be fans of the BINI, because it's something completely different. And don't forget who won the second world war too and without wanting to sound un-PC, perhaps we should have all just given in and allowed Hitler to take us over, so we wouldn't have to put up with our heritage being made a mockery of then.

agreed the only thing in common is the mini name, but maybe the owner of the Bini did have a real version in the garage, and is regreting owning the Bini

but i think its not that we dislike the particula owners of the Binis but what BMW as a companie has done to something we all love and adore

Good point and like I said, I'll flash or wave to them if they make the first move.

But I also love the fact that I'm classed as a so called Mini enthusiast because I don't like the BINI and refuse to kiss BMW's shiny black Nazi boots and yet I've been a Mini enthusiast all my life and have owned Minis for over 20 years.

So does that mean I'm not a proper Mini enthusiast then?

If this is the general views of some and that we should all be thankful to the Germans, then I'm very bloody worried.

[biggav]

Bernd Pitcheidsreider went straight on to the board of VW and tried to take over Longbridge in ealy 2000 he wanted the Mini and MG brands and to leave Cowley with BMW....

there was no way in hell that BMW were going to let the mini go.

[taffy1967]

Taffy you talk utter rubbish mate.

Minor facelift, erm hello mk1 mk2 mk3 mk4 mk5, clubman, shall i go on.

FACT BMW saved rover or should i say 'over' for as long as possible. allowed production to continue and kept giving us moreuntil it no longer could make it cost effective.

the new mini is class less ala the old one in that anyone can drive one, as per the original.

you'll be complaining about the focus not being true to the escort next.......

But the basic saloon shape hardly changed and the dimensions are the same too.

Do you really think the BINI is still going to look the same in 40 years time?

And no I don't think I'm talking rubbish to be honest mate, it's just I have different views to you and sorry but you're views seem quite disturbing to me as it happens.

If you love the Germans and their BINI then good for you, but don't ram it down everyone else's throats because some of us haven't been brainwashed with all that tosh.

[taffy1967]

Bernd Pitcheidsreider went straight on to the board of VW and tried to take over Longbridge in ealy 2000 he wanted the Mini and MG brands and to leave Cowley with BMW....

there was no way in hell that BMW were going to let the mini go.

Well of course not, they wanted their VW Golf didn't they?

[Dev]

since when has not liking the bini made you an "enthusiast" (sp) the love of the mini makes you that.

well for one i'm not thankful to Rover for the way they saw mini owners, as a nesscary evil to make up the figure on the other tosh they touted.

you have a very blinkered view my friend, with your attitude towards the germans you'll be telling us that all peugoets stink of garlic and that the welsh all have leeks behind there ears...

[yorkshirechris]

Think there's a lot of issues flying around here (British heritage & manufacturing, greedy companies, peugeots stinking of garlic!!) let's just calm it down and stick to the original question rather than having a political debate about German car companies!

They can always be discussed on a new thread

[Dev]

Taffy you talk utter rubbish mate.

Minor facelift, erm hello mk1 mk2 mk3 mk4 mk5, clubman, shall i go on.

FACT BMW saved rover or should i say 'over' for as long as possible. allowed production to continue and kept giving us moreuntil it no longer could make it cost effective.

the new mini is class less ala the old one in that anyone can drive one, as per the original.

you'll be complaining about the focus not being true to the escort next.......

But the basic saloon shape hardly changed and the dimensions are the same too.

Do you really think the BINI is still going to look the same in 40 years time?

And no I don't think I'm talking rubbish to be honest mate, it's just I have different views to you and sorry but you're views seem quite disturbing to me as it happens.

If you love the Germans and their BINI then good for you, but don't ram it down everyone else's throats because some of us haven't been brainwashed with all that tosh.

Firstly i'm not ramming it down others throats i'm saying live and let live.

Secondly at least i can do it with out refering to the nazi's in every other post. Which if you knew anything had involvement in VW and porsche not BMW, but again facts.

Thirdly as for being brainwashed, pah - i happen to like the bini but i also have the benifit of having both.

Fourthly the basic bini proportions have stayed the same, again facts, facts. the details are the winner here.

[timbo]

If people moan soo much about how the Bini looks nothing like the mini and is alot bigger then why dont they just see it as another car! I see Binis as a total different car and to be honest they are very nice. my mate has a brand new cooper s and i cant fault it. I live in oxford and without bmw it would be a lesser place in that they employee a great deal of people.

It also makes me laugh when people who i know have never owned a classic mini say to me the old ones are the best. They are the best in that they hav bags of character but who in their right mind would own any other car that leaks like a sieve and feels like the suspension has been replaced with pogo sticks?!

The classic mini will never die with enthusiasts such as our selfs about and the Bini will never be considered in the same league as it. So what annoys people sooo much about them?

[taffy1967]

since when has not liking the bini made you an "enthusiast" (sp) the love of the mini makes you that.

Eh?

But you called me a so called Mini enthusiast like I wasn't worthy or something.

well for one i'm not thankful to Rover for the way they saw mini owners, as a nesscary evil to make up the figure on the other tosh they touted.

Well regardless of what you think, you should be thankful that Rover kept the car in full production since it was after all meant to be replaced in 1980. In fact it was up for replacement in 1968, but that fell through and we lost the Cooper instead.

And you really have a very jaded view and lack of knowledge on that subject, because it was Rover after all who financed the legendary Mini 30 celebrations at Silverstone and broke the Guiness Book Of Records with the massive cavalcade on the race track.

BMW on the other hand only financed part of the circuit for Mini 40 in 1999 and the event was just part of that years Summerfest.

So considering they unveiled their cor blimey hatchback in the Mini video/cinema experience, they obviously didn't consider Mini enthusiasts to be that important did they?

you have a very blinkered view my friend, with your attitude towards the germans you'll be telling us that all peugoets stink of garlic and that the welsh all have leeks behind there ears...

No I just have different views to you and all things considered I'm glad too.

Oh and we used to own a Peugeut and now you're insulting me personally too, but then I'm not a stereotypical Welsh man anyway.

Edited by taffy1967, 28 June 2007 - 08:23 PM.

[mab01uk]

Taffy - yes i can see it being here in 40 years time due to the fact there are enthusiasts for the bini, strangely just like the mini.

if you are going to carry on this is going to be yet another thread consigned to the junk yard.

I think people should get the facts straight. BMW did buy rover for the mini, but they bought it 1994, therefore THEY kept the mini alive until 2001. Not rover. the same lovely wonderful rover that wanted to kill the mini off on several occasions. The same company who were to lazy to redesign the car so it could compete with the modern cars. the same company that wanted us to drive the metro or god forbid the rover city car.

We have alot to be thank full to the germans for, its about time some of you so called mini enthusiasts, accepted the bini.
Do you give the fingers to any other type of car that waves or flashes at you? NO!

So just accept they are admiring your car, smile and wave back and go about your day and stop posturing and complaining all the time its boring.

Rant over.

Well said Dev.
I have a BINI and 2 classic Minis. I have had one of my classic Minis for 20 years. I have owned classic Minis continuously for 35 years since I passed my test. To preserve my classics I now use a Bini as a daily driver as it is the nearest driving experience to the go-kart handling of a classic Mini and has a loyal similar enthusiast following. I do not want a bland boring hatchback like a Fiesta or a Peugeot! Next time you put 2 fingers up at a Bini it may be someone like me, many especially older Mini enthusiasts also own a Bini and are proud of it.
Rover played a major part in its design, its a shame they failed to reap the benefits but it was not BWWs fault they became a moneypit, if anything BMW should have been quicker to clamp down on Rovers problems.
Here is a video of the Bini prototype launch by Rover in 1997, complete with an interview with the late John Cooper himself.

[Barnett]