Even stupider car names

[swee'pea99]

Actually, for someone my height, an original Mini is just right.

Oh yes, the tank is ridiculously small, anything above 60 mph feels like you're driving a washing machine and the hydrolastic suspension is... interesting... BUT it handles like a dream, goes exactly where you point it, and off the traffic lights (especially with twin SUs fitted), you're probably going to be faster than many a modern car.

I loved my Mini - it came with fun as standard, which is something you can't say about many modern cars. But having said that, I think the updaters of the Mini and the Fiat 500 (and the Beetle for that matter) have done a very tricky job commendably well.

 

[Reynard]

[QUOTE 5103506, member: 43827"]Would it meet current safety regulations without compromising it's original size and shape?[/QUOTE]

I don't think Euro NCAP tests were invented when Sir Alec put pen to paper...

 

[Chris S]

[QUOTE 5103506, member: 43827"]Would it meet current safety regulations without compromising it's original size and shape?[/QUOTE]
Probably not, they were known as 'dum dums' because of their tendency to splatter on impact.

 

[BrumJim]

FIAT Argenta. Released in the UK not long after the Falklands War.

 

[Profpointy]

Never owned a proper mini but have had the odd go in them. The most impressive was my mate's racing one - twice the power and half the weight. That was quick !

I did own a metro which is fairly similar but mine never handled quite right and rusted to buggery.

I'd buy a 5 speed conversion moderately souped up mini though.

 

[Drago]

I don'y have a problem with the modern MINI per se, although theyre not very MINI. I do have a problem with being charged a third or more than I'd pay for and equally good Fiesta, just for the sake of a lifestyle brand name thingy. Even worse are the people that gleefully pay the third or more extra, who then complain they can't retire until they're 188 years old, or can't afford a mortgage deposit.

The MINI Countryman is a daft name - it's useless in the country, and it's usually driven by women.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Agree totally. The original mini was a great design (accepting that by modern standards it is doubtless uncomfortable, fuel inefficient etc) and they should have just kept the cute wonder of it and improved it? Instead they have pumped it up on steroids. The italians have done the same with the wonderful heritage of the fiat 500. The first updated 500 was far far better and acknowldged the fabled heritage.

My current motor is giving me roughly 7 mpg less than my mildly tuned Mini Mayfair did even though they are both 1 litre engines. So much for a modern, fuel injected engine in a more aerodynamic car.

 

[BrumJim]

By that, I assume you're referring to the huge excrescence that is the new Faux Mini?

Just waiting for BMW to design and manufacture a similarly bloated tribute MAXI. Or get hit by a dose of irony and make it as a Smart Car challenger, complete with iconic gearbox-in-sump.

 

[Blue Hills]

My current motor is giving me roughly 7 mpg less than my mildly tuned Mini Mayfair did even though they are both 1 litre engines. So much for a modern, fuel injected engine in a more aerodynamic car.

How do you account for that? I always had the impression that old engines were very fuel inefficient, predating the oil crisis etc. And of course car makers used to often use very ancient engines even in cars that looked "with it" and modern.

 

[Dirk]

[QUOTE 5103506, member: 43827"]Would it meet current safety regulations without compromising it's original size and shape?[/QUOTE]
No. That was the main reason it was scrapped.*

* Along with the fact that the tooling was all knackered, it never made a profit and Austin Rover were in financial dire straits.

 

[mjr]

Austin Rover were in financial dire straits.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0

seems like a way to improve profitability.

 

[Reynard]

How do you account for that? I always had the impression that old engines were very fuel inefficient, predating the oil crisis etc. And of course car makers used to often use very ancient engines even in cars that looked "with it" and modern.

Well, the A-series engine has been around like, forever...

 

[Chris S]

How do you account for that? I always had the impression that old engines were very fuel inefficient, predating the oil crisis etc. And of course car makers used to often use very ancient engines even in cars that looked "with it" and modern.

Modern cars are heavier. The current Ford Fiesta is twice the weight of the original.

 

[Blue Hills]

Modern cars are heavier. The current Ford Fiesta is twice the weight of the original.

Cripes. How do they manage that? You can only have so much safety equipment on board. And then when you factor in heavier more bloated passengers, planet oil is surely fighting a losing battle?

 

[Drago]

Not quite - depending on model and market, a MKI Fester weighed 800-900kg. A modern Fiasco weighs about 1200-1230kg, roughly 50% more.