Let’s Motor
Posted by Ace on August 18th, 2009 filed in letters from Ace, Mini Cooper geekPicked up the new car this morning.
Oh yeah…Â guess I should tell you what kind of car it is, shouldn’t I?
It’s a 2009 British Racing Green Mini Cooper-S. 172 horsepower 1.6 litre 4-cylinder inline; does 0 to 60 in 6.7 seconds, and pulls a max speed of 139 mph. Leaps off the line like a demon, handles like it can tell what you’re thinking, turns so tightly you can pull a U-ie between two rows of parked cars, and stops on a shaved dime. The Empress and I ran it up to Eldritch in Charlottica to wring all the bugs out of it. There weren’t any. We were eating fried wholebelly clams and oysters at a roadside stand two states away from West of the Rivers within the space of hours, and still had more travel range left in the tank than Nightshade had when he was Full.
Speaking of Nightshade: we thanked him for his long and faithful service, and left him in the care of the salesman- but we forgot to leave the keys along with him. He had to wait until we got back from Eldritch to take the long drive to his final reward. We gave the salesman a bottle of Charlottica wine as an apology for the trouble; he in return gave us a bumper sticker that he had apparently forgotten to give us that morning:
If that makes you laugh, take a look at the Terms and Conditions for registering with the MiniUSA web site.
Strongest contender for a name for the car so far is “Gloria”, after Laura Branigan’s song of the same title came blasting out of the car speakers at a particularly perfect moment of sun and speed and asphalt. That, and a certain other “G” word commonly associated with my drawings…
August 18th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Ok, I need a dental bib for all this drool. I think it is that green color that put it away for me. Nice pick!
August 19th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I do like that shade of green, but I can’t help but think that Mini-Coops are clown cars– are you comfortable sitting in it? It seems small, even for me.
August 19th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I am absolutely 100% comfortable sitting in it and driving it. Not only does the driver’s seat adjust forwards and backwards, and up and down, and the backrest thereon tilt however you wish, but the entire steering column, wheel and all, both raises and lowers AND telescopes in and out. I logged over 320 miles in it in a single day, and my sole physical complaints thereafter were a dodgy foot from not taking advantage of the cruise control, and sunburn from leaving the sunroof open all day!
The Empress remarked upon her high level of comfort in the passenger’s seat as well.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
(whistles low and long…)
Sweet ride!
August 20th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Thanks!
Just found out: they’re ending Cash for Clunkers ahead of schedule, on Monday. Talk about squeaking it in under the wire!
August 21st, 2009 at 10:00 am
I would go anywhere in that car! We had the best time. Comfortable seat, room for my long stretch of leg, and a chance to escape for the day. Even the slight bit of traffic on 95 was bearable with the great sound system and Ace’s well thoughtout “Mini-Mix” on the connected IPod. I was honored to be the wing-(wo)man on the inaugural run.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Oh! That reminds me: there is a single caveat room-wise. I am unlikely to ever be able to seat anyone directly behind me, because my seating position eliminates most of the legroom a person in that space would require. So it’s effectively a 3-seater. That’s not a problem for me, though, as under most conditions I only have one passenger: Jack.
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
Ah- that would explain the legroom. vroom!
August 23rd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Strong nickname contender also in “The Katamari-mobile”, as Jack and I play the Katamari Damashi soundtrack while whipping back and forth between Shadetree and Sealand.