love is in the air

it's a very interesting feeling, this. and i'm quite sure i've never experienced anything like it.

oh, i'd seen the new MINI Coopers. admired them in photos, in magazines, on billboards, in movie trailers, in TV adverts, etc., etc. in person, even---they're of course even more gorgeous that way.

(which is in no way meant to discount old Minis. oh no. but.)

yesterday, i sat in a MINI Cooper S. i'd never got the chance to do so before; nor have i ever sat in a regular one, even.

it was lovely.

i shall probably expound upon this at length later on.

i will have a MINI Cooper. preferably the S. undecided as yet on the colour scheme (there are SO MANY good colours to choose from!), although i'm leaning towards British Racing Green with a white top and of course the white racing stripes on the bonnet.

there are loads of reasons why this car is cool. fairly standard in BMW products is the drive-by-wire throttle system, which this has got (if working properly, will communicate more efficiently between the driver and the engine, thusly improving response time, increasing fuel efficiency, etc, etc.). it's also got equal length drive shafts (which are useful in eliminating torque steer, as both Spaz and the little MINI Book of Motoring told me at virtually the same time XD), multi-link rear suspension, a supercharged 1.6 litre 16-valve 4 cylinder engine (putting out 163 HP), and a 6-speed manual gearbox. which shifts quite nicely, provided you aren't a twit and don't grind the poor showcar mercilessly without holding the clutch down, as some individuals at the auto show were doing yesterday.

speaking of which, the MINI booth was conveniently located right next to the Subaru booth, so we were able to run back and forth between the two at will, ignoring pretty much everything else. they had one of the Subaru WRC cars there on display, in full livery---it was gorgeous. and it was propped up so you could see underneath, where the underside of the body is all sealed up to protect everything against the rigors of rallying. and our version of the STI was on proud display as well---on a turntable, and of course no one was allowed in it or even really to touch it. absolutely gorgeous car (and with any luck, i'll soon be in v. close contact with someone who will have one...^^).

and then, just for a laugh, we of course skipped over to the Mitsubishi booth to look at the LanEvoVIII in person. and yes, it is verily more ass-ugly in person than it had been in photos. the STI completely whups its sorry arse; definitely in looks, and i believe in performance as well. (although i don't know the specs on it; you'd have to ask Spaz about those, as the STI is his current great-reasonably-attainable-automotive-love. XD)

but, as i said, a MINI Cooper will be mine one day. hopefully the S.

it will happen. now i have a new goal to shoot for. how lucky that my dream car is, well, not outrageous...? XD

(oh, yes, and there are roof racks available for them as well. unfortunately, to install them, holes must be drilled in the poor roof, but there are nice little covers that go over the mounting brackets, and apparently MINI has roof racks of their own and will install them for you. saw this lady's page and found that it's not so bad as you'd think, just hearing about how you have to drill holes in your roof. and $400 installed isn't so bad, especially when you consider that having MINI do it would mean liability if anything went wrong during installation would be on their heads and not mine---i'm very DIY, but i wouldn't really want to have to pay to replace the roof on my car right after i'd got it because of a stupid mistake i made in my newbieness at doing such things, y'know? rather expensive mistake to make. but hey, this adds to the practicality of it---i'll be able to carry stuff for when we go on road trips! ^^)

...listen to me, talking as though i'd already got it. this is some time off---a few years, probably. but. it. will. be. mine.

^__________^