Article from Autoexpress. Should this be a surprise, considering they
haven't sold the car here for over 20 years? Doesn't really bode well
for a U.S. MG, it seems.
Yanks Go Cool On The Mini
0:00
17.01.01
MINI by name and mini by reaction. That's exactly how the Americans
greeted the new MINI when it made its debut at the Detroit Motor Show.
The few polite claps wouldn't have troubled the Richter scale, whereas
applause for the new Chrysler Viper would've bent the needle. "It's a
nice little car. We used to call them 'clown cars' after those in the
circus," said Jeane Hunter who, at 6ft 8ins and as wide as a wardrobe
wasn't exactly designed to fit in the MINI. In fact, he tried and
couldn't.
Show visitor Kim Custer thought the BMW-built baby would appeal to buyers
in California and Florida, or drivers in tourist cities such as New York
and Boston. But he was wary of its Dinky-toy size, adding: "Imagine what
a Ford Expedition 4x4 would do to it in a smash?" Jeffrey Foster was more
impressed and said: "It's the sort of car I'd like."
He wasn't sure about the Cooper badge, and only after an explanation did
he realise its importance. "Yeah, tuned versions would sell well," he
added. Generally, show visitors liked the little car, but were unaware of
its British past and sporting heritage, and didn't seem to care about it
either.
David Littlefield
'62 MGA MkII
'51 MGTD
'74 MG Midget vintage racer
'88 Jaguar XJ-S
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