Bucket Seat: Gordon Murrary Automotive T.50

That age old question asked to kids by adults has always been a daunting one to me, "what would you like to be when you grow up?". You see, while many kids always had ambitions of being doctors, teachers, fireman, police man etc, I always only wanted to be one thing, a car designer. That dream followed me for most of my schooling career where I'd sketch cars on the back of my and others books, when things started to get a bit serious in terms of where my career was going, I had to make a choice and followed the engineering route because car design wasn't offered in the country and the prospect of studying overseas wasn't feasible. It was nice to learn over the years of a certain Professor Gordon Murray though, it was his story that still sparks that ambition in me, I entered many online design contests with this in mind, while not having the best tools for the business it was nice to see what I could achieve. Knowing that a South African, let alone a Durban boy was responsible for designing one of the most iconic supercars of all time gave me hope that there is a possibility that anything is possible with dedication and hard work. 

Gordon, having completed his studies at then Natal Techinkon made his way over to the U.K, he worked for Brabham designing Formula One cars for the team, he was then made chief designer by Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone and went on to design championship winning cars with them and thereafter Mclaren. It's then he moved onto the project that would change the way the world saw a supercar, the Mclaren F1. It was and still to this day remains one of the finest piece of engineering the world has seen. A 3 seater sportscar which has the driver in the central position with passengers either side, naturally aspirated BMW sourced V12 with gold foil exhausts that serve as a heat shield. Apart from being the fastest production road going supercar and shattering all sorts of records, it gave probably the best interaction for a driver and this what made the car supremely popular and a must have for any enthusiast. There were many variations of the F1, with GTR and LM models produced but that F1 still remained the holy grail which had the best of everything. Gordon then went on to assist the Mclaren team in designing the Mercedes SLR, another stunner of a car which remains a timeless beauty. 

Last night Gordon Murray Automotive launched what is the true successor to the Mclaren F1, the GMA T.50. During a live stream event, the 73 year old South African gave insight into his vision of the car and what spurred him on to create it. He always was an advocate of less weight and said today the enjoyment of driving has been lost as so many supercars only come 'alive' at the upper-ends of their performance capabilities. With the modern day take on engine builds, using smaller units with the aid of turbos and other funny electronics, it almost takes the heart and soul out of the car.  It also adds unnecessary weight with batteries and power units while the T.50 offers just pure combustion power. It has a V12 Cosworth powertrain which delivers 514kW (690bhp), it has a 6 speed conventional gearbox and three pedals. To the purist it is an ode to the analog supercar and probably the last of which we would see. The Cosworth V12 is high revving offering the driver performance form the moment they put their foot down. The car weights a mere 980kg, it's aerodynamics has it cutting through the air with minimal drag but ensures the car stays grounded. The weight reduction this car has undergone is tremendous, even the windscreen is 28% thinner to decrease weight. It's engineering at it finest and with only 100 units being made with a price tag of £2.36 million before taxes, its sure to be sold out pretty quickly. 

 

Bucket Seat: Mini Countryman Cooper

After having tested the Mini Countryman Cooper S earlier on in the year, when I was told I was getting the bottom of the range Countryman Cooper to test, it seemed to have been a bit of an anticlimax. I mean, how could I possibly enjoy the 1.5L twin-turbo motor variant of Mini's SUV range more than the 2L twin-turbo? Well, funnily enough, I did! While the engines do play a big part in a car, with Mini there's so many other aspects to their cars that oddly enough, you can have fun in any of the engine variants. That is the one major points that differentiate Mini from it's competitors and make it the brand it is. I know many look at the brand and think its just overpriced cars for a select market but people seem to link Mini to it's humble beginnings where it was an affordable, low income targeted vehicle. The brand ever since being reborn has transformed into a luxury premium offering, almost scrapping the essence of it's nature but it was for the better.

STYLE

Every aspect of this cars design must be appreciated, while many would say the changes that differentiate this Countryman to it's predecessor are minimal but it's the subtle nature of these changes that make the big difference. The car is now longer and wider than before, as well as taller. The new Countryman has more bulk than before and the addition of the roof racks adds to this masculine look. For me though, the interior of this car was one of the best I've seen from Mini and a true reflection of how far they have gone in creating options for each Mini owner to make a car that is unique and a true reflection of themselves. The seats had the cross-sectional stitching which brought out the brown/tan colour of the leather, it really caught your eye when opening the door. The Mini welcome mat is an awesome extra, to greet the driver on arrival, the interior mood lights add that ambiance at night when in the car. The detail gone into the middle console is fantastic with all the switches finished in chrome, the huge infotainment screen is big and pronounced up top. Displaying information and easy navigation from the jog-shuttle controller situated behind the gear selector.

COMFORT

While the interior looks nice, it really is damn comfortable. With the extra space in the cabin due to the overall size of the car being made bigger, it feels as if the seats are also bigger than normal. There is the option to have the front seats heated as well, to help on those frosty cold winter mornings and evenings. The cabin is spacious enough to accommodate 4 adults, I suppose one can seat 5 in there, with just a tiny squeeze. The new Countryman also has the new optional extra offering of a picnic bench. Which conveniently folds away under the boot floor. Taking it out is just as simple as it opens out over the rear bumper with the cushion positions just on the tailgate. Ride quality, as per the Cooper S is magnificent. The engineers really have done a great job on the suspension with smooth driving on any surfaces. I did take the Countryman on some gravel trails and it handled it with ease. While it not might be a fully fledged 4x4, it does the SUV thing pretty well. 

Picture by @mvrc1988

PERFORMANCE

Like I said at the start, this cars engine could do very little to persuade me over its bigger brother but surprisingly the 1.5L Twin Turbo engine that comes in the Mini Countryman Cooper isn't that bad. It's no slouch having to cart around this very heavy vehice. The engine pushes out 100kW with 220Nm of torque, pretty average numbers especially when you consider the type of vehicle its in but if you think of the purpose this car is serving, its pretty good. It has the perfect amount of grunt when needed but still perfect to cruise around with. When it comes to fuel economy, the weight will come into to factor again, while the claimed fuel consumption is 6 liters to a 100km, I very often found myself hitting the high 11L/100km. This could be due to my irradic driving style but the car is very thirsty. 

Picture by @mvrc1988

VERDICT

Overall, I really love this car. It's a Mini, its fun to drive and the high premium options one has to spec this car is insane. I love how you can personalise the car to such an extent and that makes every Mini made, sort of unique. They added the right type of extras which come standard to the car which make it that much more great. The roof racks and automatic tail gate, so you don't have to physically open and close the boot yourself. Downside has to be the it's appetite for fuel, I found myself having have to fill this car twice during my 7 days with it but there is some good news, Mini have confirmed that they will be bring a diesel version of the Countryman to our country in the last quarter of this year. I would love to see how that one performs.

Picture by @mvrc1988

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.5 litre, Twin Turbo 4 cylinder
Gear Box	6 speed automatic
Power	100kW
Torque	220Nm
Top Speed	250km/h
0-100km	9.6  seconds
Price	R 428,500*

Bucket Seat: Mini Clubman Cooper S

After attending the launch earlier in the year and having a limited drive in it due to time constraints, so I was really looking forward to getting the Clubman on my test. Alas, something aren't meant to be I guess as during my time with it, I encountered an unfortunate incident which saw me return the car just 3 days after getting it. Some people in this country just enjoy causing damage and trouble to others property but luckily the damage to the car was not too severe and at the same time let me experience first hand what an owner has to go through should something like this had to happen to them. Even though it was just 3 days, I did manage to have a lot of fun with the car and here's how it went down.

Style

The Clubman is probably the longest Mini in the line up, its base is the Mini 5 door with a longer boot. Although some may call it a hearse, I think it looks pretty nifty. It has that Mini charm to it, and while looks compact, it really is quite big and spacious on the inside. In fact, I'd go out on a limb and say its more spacious than the Countryman. It was the Cooper S model so it had all the sporty extras added to it, large 18" blacked rims, lowered bumper and bigger grilles. The business end of the car has to be the rear, although the back is longer, it doesn't seem out of place and the showstopper has to be those rear doors. Normally with a hatch, you would be familiar with the usual tip up door but with the Clubman, the doors open like a panel van with a two split and with the auto boot open function, it proves to be quite a cool party trick as I showed it off to many and they were equally impressed.

Performance

Nothing more needs to be said about Mini's Cooper S engine that hasn't been said already. It's an almighty 2l Twin Turbo power plant that just itches at every opportunity to provide the most thrilling drive every time to you flick the switch to start the car. That coupled with the masculine tone of the twin exhaust, makes you feel like a racer ready to take on the track. Even though the car is larger than the other Mini's, it still has that Go-Kart feel to it, and it easy to maneuver around. I had the automatic gear box which some may say takes away the joy of driving this type of car but I feel it's quite the opposite. With the engine pushing our 141kW, 280Nm of torque and a top speed of 228kph, you don't want to be changing gears all the time.

Comfort

It's not only me that shares this sentiment, as others who sat in the car said so as well, it really is the best Mini in terms of space and comfort. There's tons of leg room in the back for adult passengers as well as plenty of space in the front. The set up is more in line with BMW although everything is distinctively Mini. The Clubman also has some neat tricks to it as well, normally the mood lighting package in the Mini just features the usual LED lights on the door handles, center console and cabin lighting but on the Club, it has an LED feature pattern on the door which really is breathtaking at night. It caught me off guard at first and I was taken a back by it. It really is flippin cool to see!

Storage

If you going into the market to buy this car, it's for the storage capacity no doubt. The boot is massive and the storage space can be increased by dropping the rear seats. It's simple enough to do so, either by flicking the switch from the boot or from the back passenger doors. It's actually quite surprising how much can fit in the boot and with the doors being split, it makes loaded and off loading easy peasy.

Extras

The cars extras list is might long and impressive to say the least. The car came loaded with them, the light package as mentioned before, Harman Kardon HiFi stereo sound, panoramic glass sunroof with blinds, Scotch pattern seats which is really cool and makes your Mini distinctly different from others. The car also came with Satellite Navigation and Bluetooth Audio streaming. 

Mini Assist

Now on the third night with my car, on way home from dinner, I encounter rocks placed along the road on a blind rise and it was almost impossible for me to avoid, as agile as the Mini is, I managed to avoid the bigger rocks and subsequently hit the smallest one, immediately the cars safety warnings told me something was wrong, the left front tyre was losing pressure and I could feel the car pull to the left. Knowing my house was not more than 200 meters away and the Mini has run flat tyres, I continued to drive at a slow pace, fearing if I had stop to assess the damage I could have been a target for the perpetrators who placed the rocks there. Initially I thought it was the tyre that popped but when I arrived home I realised that the entire rim had cracked. Miraculously nothing else on the car was damaged and the tyre looked like it was fine but due to the rim being cracked, it cut through it. 

Now if this had to happen somewhere else where you're quite far from your destination, it would not be advisable to drive on with a damaged rim. Thats where Mini Assist comes into play, every car sold comes with a Mini Assist plan, and in cases where the rim is damaged, one cannot just pop the boot open and change the tyre since there isn't any due to the cars coming with run flats, so Mini Assist will come to you with the spare rim, change it for you and you can continue to your destination. Of course that rim won't be a replacement, just serves as a standby while you source a new one. It was a learning curve at the same time for myself to see what would happen if an owner had to experience this problem and I must add, the guys were pretty helpful and saw to the issue as soon as they could. 

Verdict

It's the best Mini there is, yes I know I didn't have it that long, yes I want it back, but like the phrase for the Clubman says "Go with your gut!" Seriously, go down to a Mini dealer and test drive one, if your biggest concern over getting a Mini was space for 4 adults and enough boot space, this is the answer to your problems. It is a fantastic car, loads of fun and great to drive. 

Specifications

• 2 litre, 3 cylinder TwinPower Turbo
• 6 speed automatic gear box
• 141kW
• 280Nm torque
• Consumption: 6.4ltr/ 100km
• Top Speed: 228kph
• 0-100kph: 7.2 seconds 
• Price: R447 000* (*excluding extras)

Bucket Seat: Mini Convertible & Clubman - First Impressions

The temperature was a steamy 24 degrees at 9am last Friday in Cape Town, very little cloud and bright sunshine forecasted for the rest of the day, perfect weather for driving around the fairest Cape in a convertible, preferably with a hot blonde next to me. Fortunately enough for me, I was in town to drive the all new Mini convertible and my driving partner for the day was the gorgeous blonde Katie Hart of Ari & Me Blog. Having ticked all the right boxes for my day, it was time to hit the road. The Mini convertible like the hatch is offered in two engine variants, the 1.5 litre TwinPower Turbo Cooper and the 2 litre TwinPower Turbo Cooper S, as most car launches go, it was a race to get to the Cooper S models but truth be told, I wasn't that bothered seeing that we would be driving around with the roof down, so cruising rather that speeding.

The convertible is everything like the hatch, only difference is the roof opens and closes, and with this the boot space is decreased...a lot. To be fair to it, it was a decent space that accomodated a suitcase and my back pack with room for a packet of chips or so. Driving the car, it felt every bit like the hatch, it was nippy, and even with the added weight to the roof, the engine never felt like it had to work over time when you smashed the pedal to the floor. One thing I've grown to love abou the Mini is it's low center of gravity and its sharp turning. It really gives you that go-kart feel when you're behind the wheel and driving with it on the R44 to Hermanus was simply a joy, with the roof down taking in the scenery and smells of the ocean really was a highlight of the launch. After encountering some road works we had to take a short cut to the lunch stop in Stellenbosch, this meant heading up back the N2 and down Sir Lowry's pass. With sport mode engaged, the rev's got louder and longer and the car became more loose. It left a lot of the other cars on the road in the dust. 

Overall first impressions on the convertible was good, during the press briefing at lunch, we learnt about the colours and styling that will be available in it, so that the prospective buyer can individualize their car to their taste. The launch colour which is a light blue/ turquoise colour is quite eye catching and goes well with the creme white interior. There is even the option of you have the Union Jack printed on the fabric roof. 

After a lovely lunch at Cavali Wine and Stud Farm it was time to swop cars, this time I did race to get the Cooper S variant of the Mini Clubman. Now many question the Clubman's place in the Mini line up but as I learnt during the day that the Clubman does have heritage in the Mini family long before the Germans decided to take over the company. The Clubman in essence is really a Mini 5 Door with a longer boot and fancy suicide style doors for the boot, so it does essentially make this a 6 door car. I like the look and feel about this car, gives it that more mature style to the car. Even the finishing and options available for the Clubman has this more grown up sense to it. 

The route back took us through the famous Viljoen's pass and Franschhoek Pass but unfortunately I didn't get to drive that part of the journey, due to time delays and my passengers flight time my part of the journey involved a speedy trip down the N1 to try and get her to the airport without missing her flight. It almost felt like a Top Gear challenge, normally on launches we are not meant to be using the in car navigation but it was time to break some rules and with the destination entered it was time to beat the clock during rush hour traffic mind you. Again, sport mode engaged and even with the bigger chassis this Cooper S was relentless, high revving and fast acceleration is what it was made for, and with it's sharp turning, bobbing through the clueless Cape Town traffic was a breeze and quite fun. We did get some angry remarks from some drivers but hey, if you're going to do 80kph on the fast lane in a 120kph zone, I am going to flash you to move over. 

Got to the airport at 17:02pm, enough time for my passenger to check in and wait for her flight. It's a pity I only drove the car for 30 odd minutes as I really enjoyed it. I will have to wait for the test unit to come to Durban for me to get a real feel for the car. What was quite noticeable was the 8-speed auto gear box that comes with the Cooper S model only, it has paddle shifts as well but it works so well with the engine, that it would have been a shame if it didn't have it.

Prices: 

Mini Clubman:

Cooper, 6-speed manual: R343,000

Cooper, 6-speed automatic with steptronic: R361,000

Cooper S, 6-speed manual: R415,000

Cooper S, 8-speed automatic: R434,500

Mini Covertible

Cooper, 6-speed manual: R368,000

Cooper, 6-speed automatic with steptronic: R384,900

Cooper S, 6-speed manual: R433,000

Cooper S, 8-speed automatic: R451,000