One for ned78

tc20

Spotted on a car transporter (dont know which co.) heading on M50 south, so i presume heading for Maxwells in Blackrock -

a white MINI Cooper S
a blue/purple (you know the shade) Z4 M

but most interestingly of all, a Cooper S 'Knuttel'. Artwork by G. Knuttel completely covered the bodywork, and the reg plate even said 'Knuttel'.

Are BMW/MINI harking back to the Art cars of the 70s?

Owen

Well spotted! That car was an art car commissioned by MINI Ireland, and displayed at the Keary's MINI Thrills event in Cork. Not sure what they're doing with it now, but it certainly looks weird

peasant

you know that this thread is useless without a picture?

tc20

Actually spotted the Z4 M first, but was drawn to the 'unusual' paint job on the MINI - as i got closer i realised it wasnt a specific paint job (like flip paint)
but an Art car. I just managed to see the passenger side, think it had fishes or somesuch on it.
I'll leave ned to supply the piccies

HashSlinging

never been mad about his stuff.

unkel

Interesting stuff. Some family members are big Knuttel fans. Would you be able to get some pics up, ned78?

drdre

anyone got any pictures

milltown

Depending on where on the M50 it was spotted, I wouldn't bet against it being found in Frank Keane's this weekend. Got a mailshot this morning about another "launch" event this Saturday (iirc) listing such treats as:

New Mini
320 Coupé
New 1 Series
And his vintage/classic BMW collection still on display.

Owen

I can root out some pictures of it, but I'll have to scan them. I don't know of any online ones.

Henry Ford III

I've read a few "less than fully enthusiastic" reviews of the new MINI Cooper S. Not all is sweetness and light.

An example is this from 4Car relating to performance:-

"If you're looking at the Cooper S as rival to the likes of the Clio 197, Focus ST, Astra VXR etc then look again as it's more of a fast supermini than an all-out B-road blaster. On paper, the 0-62mph time of 7.1 seconds isn't far off, but it doesn't feel that fast on the road.

The 1.6-litre turbocharged engine may have 175bhp but it lacks the punch you'd expect from a turbo. Maximum torque is 177lb-ft at 1,600-5,000rpm, although there is an overboost function when you really put your foot down, which increases torque to 192lb-ft. However, I'll say it again, it just doesn't feel that fast. It's pretty good in the mid-range, where that slug of torque performs the best, allowing you stay in third gear from walking pace to licence-threatening speeds without having to touch the gear stick.

The engine note has something to do with the tardy feeling you get from the S. In the old supercharged Mini, the accompanying whine egged you on to push the car further, whereas the boomy exhaust note now does little but annoy you.

The Cooper has the same 1.6-litre engine but does without the turbocharger, so manages just 120bhp and 118lb-ft of torque. Official figures are 9.1 seconds to 62mph and a 126mph top speed. But on the road, you'll struggle to achieve those sorts of figures, especially if there are any hills in the way. You have to work the engine very hard to get any decent acceleration from it, and when up to high speed, things do become pretty noisy."

It gives the new Cooper S an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5.

The Golf GTI and Focus ST get a full 5 stars btw.

unkel

I don't think a 2.5l ST and a 1.6l Cooper S are competing with each other much in this country, HF

But comparing them anyway from a performance point of view, the ST is 0.3s quicker to 100km/h. The Golf is actually slower on paper than the MINI. Both Golf and ST cost €6k more than the MINI, which probably has lower depreciation too. Starting to look like good value for money...

tc20

milltown wrote:

Depending on where on the M50 it was spotted, I wouldn't bet against it being found in Frank Keane's this weekend.

I passed the transporter just before the Dundrum/Sandyford exit southbound,
thats why i reckoned on him heading to Maxwells in Blackrock

Henry Ford III

unkel wrote:

I don't think a 2.5l ST and a 1.6l Cooper S are competing with each other much in this country, HF

But comparing them anyway from a performance point of view, the ST is 0.3s quicker to 100km/h. The Golf is actually slower on paper than the MINI. Both Golf and ST cost €6k more than the MINI, which probably has lower depreciation too. Starting to look like good value for money...

I see where you are coming from.

I think they are competing though. All 3 are high performance small(ish) cars. 4Car reckon you wouldn't drive the MINI as quickly due to excessive engine noise.

MINI will have lower depreciation, but that doesn't make it a better car.

In addition the Golf and Focus have a good level of kit as standard, and salt, pepper, & chilli packs etc. are seemingly sold on every MINI. They are also much bigger and probably more practical.

Don't misunderstand my point though - I actually like MINI's.

Owen

I drove a new Golf GTI last month for the first time, with the DSG Gearbox. Quite possibly one of the best cars I've ever driven. I'm still amazed by it one month on, and it's earned so much respect in my eyes.

Henry Ford III wrote:

In addition the Golf and Focus have a good level of kit as standard, and salt, pepper, & chilli packs etc. are seemingly sold on every MINI.

Hold on a minute. Golfs are basic too, you must buy comfortlines and sportlines to get any decent level of kit. The MINI is the same, but instead of sportlines, we call it a pepper/chili pack. It's perceived as an option, when in reality it's more of a specced up model. The standard MINI Cooper spec is quite good, 6 Airbags, Alloys, Chrome Trimmings, ABS, Alarm, Immobiliser, EW, EM, Speed Dependent PS, Follow-me-home Headlamps, Spoiler, Tyre Pressure Sensors, CD, Aux-in. And now that the Storage Compartment Package has been finally released, you can have a decent sized boot if you've no one in the back seats.

The Cooper S actually ain't half bad at all. It doesn't feel fast, and that's deliberate, but it makes peak torque at 1500 RPM and keeps that peak torque until 5800 rpm on a flat curve, so even though it's horsepower isn't that amazing, it can out accelerate most cars. Or so I keep telling myself

Anyway, OT subject, the thread is about the Art Car, I'll eventually get around to scanning the photos I have and I'll post them up soon.

themotor

Hi all, newbie here.

I spotted this car in Dublin 2 days ago. The pics are on the front page of www.themotor.net if you want to take a look.

Dan ( www.themotor.net )

crosstownk

Thanks - That's the first pic I've seen of it.

But this thread is almost 6 months old.........................

themotor

I know this thread is old, I was Googling for more info on the car and came across this thread, as you guys didn't have any pics I thought I'd oblige.

Spent 3 days in Dublin, it was lovely.

unkel

Thanks themotor

ballooba

Why is that website so slow?

themotor

Sorry, my host site is upgrading right at this time, talk about bad luck! But the Mini pics are right on the first page, so you won't have to go far to see them.

Dan ( www.themotor.net )

Esel

Dan, it's a bit spammy to keep posting your link tbh.

themotor

Point taken. But when it's the only website in the world with a pic of the car that you were all taking about, I'd of thought that putting a link to it would of been the least of your worries.

I joined this forum to show you the car, not to advertise the website, the site is a non-money making, no-advertising, non-spam and no-pop-up site.

Enjoy if you want to, do look if you don't want to.

unkel

themotor wrote:

I joined this forum to show you the car, not to advertise the website

Exactly. Some of us appreciate your posts, themotor

themotor

Cheers.

If I'd of known at the time that there was so little on the car on the 'net I'd of taken more and better quality pics.

Dan.

Esel

themotor wrote:

Enjoy if you want to, do look if you don't want to.

No need to frown, really. You will notice I said 'keep posting'. You put your link in again on a subsequent post - this sparked my comment. I enjoyed the pics, but thought Nuttel could have integrated the painting through the panels. Maybe he was thinking ahead, and people will have various panels from this car hanging on their garage wall at some point!

unkel

esel wrote:

I enjoyed the pics, but thought Nuttel could have integrated the painting through the panels

Give it a rest, will ya, esel? Your man Knuttel is the "artiste" - not you