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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 19, 2003 - B3 ___________________ t e s t n u n : In the auto industry, as in life, there are very few true win-win situations. A wonderful exception is the John Cooper Works performance kit B M W is now marketing around the globe as part of its M IN I range of cars. What it does is merge BM W engi neering pedi gree with the fabled Cooper racing name, that at once gives M IN I a direct connec tion to all the DNA that made the Mini Cooper one o r, the mosj loved cars of aH time. Before he died in 2000, John Cooper Sr. was still making Cooper S perform ance parts for the BMC/Rover M ini as he had been doing from the 1960s up until B M W bought Rover (and has since disposed of it). B M W did, how ever, keep the new M IN I plans that had been in gestation inside Rover for many years. To separate the two cars, B M W refers to its vehicles as the M IN I, instead of Mini. What makes the John Cooper Works M IN I tested here so special is because it was developed by the same family who, with apologies to Dr. Porsche, invented the rear-engine racing car. Today you can walk into the John Cooper Works facility in West Sussex and meet the entire Cooper family, who not only carry on the tradition, but actu ally work at the shop hopping up every thing from the original BM W /Rover M IN Is to the current B M W iteration. His son. John Michael Cooper, (he likes being called Michael) is now the chairman of John Cooper Works and he greets you at the door with a firm hand shake and proves to be as approachable as your next-door neighbour. I should note that Michael is named after England's first Formula One World Champion, Mike Hawthorne, a close friend of Michael's father John. F Y I, Michael's son Charlie, a champi on rugby player is named after M ichael's grandfather Charlie, who first dreamed up the rear engine racer with the Cooper 500 for a collection of Fiat Topolino suspension bits (includ ing the transverse leaf spring) and ex W W II motorcycle engine parts. The Cooper Works is very much a family affair. It is everything you heard about and read about when Formula One and sportscar racing was a nicer, friendlier place to be. The whole scene makes driving the new car that much more of a pleasure. The John Cooper Works M IN I starts as a 163 hp M IN I Cooper S as it arrives from the factory. Already pretty quick. Cooper put in a new head, bigger supercharger, a high-flow exhaust sys tem and ups the power to 200 hp and 177 lb./ft. of torque from just 1.6 litres. It is not cheap at an estimated (C)$8,000 extra on top of the (C)$29,950 base price of the M IN I Cooper S. However, the change in the road going power and prowess is absolutely scrumptious. Cooper told me the new head increases intake by 20 per cent and exhaust by 30 per cent. The big trick, he said, was getting rid of the heat. Anyone who has opened the hood of a M IN I knows it is a marvel of space utilization. A ll that metal so closely packed also serves as a heat sink. Ergo, the work done on heat dissipation is truly an engineering marvel. W hile there may be only 35 or so more horsepower, it is the torque that starts to come in way down at 1,800 rpm that makes a difference. I saw 70 mph in second gear and 110 mph in third gear and this baby rocket had three more gears to go. It accelerates from 0-100 kph in 6.7 seconds, but the telling number is 80120 kph for passing in just 5.6 seconds. I mean press the gas pedal and you are absolutely flying. Now the M IN I Cooper with its short · m u m ____________________ MINI Cooper a piece of history that gives miles of smiles The John Cooper W orks M IN I comes with a bijy«er supercharger and high-flow exhaust that produces 200 hp and turns the playful Cooper S into a real road tiger. wheelbase and wide stance, is arguably the best-handling production car you can buy for under $90,000. With the power of the Cooper Works kit, you truly can gobble Mustangs and Corvettes alive. On the roundabouts, my Englishborn co-driver was able to rocket around like a ball along the rim of a roulette table and slot into a hole in the traffic like that same roulette wheel dropping into a slot. Carrying on the roulette analogy, with this car, red or black you win. "WTien I first drove the car, I knew that what it needed was 200 hp," said Michael. " What we did was work with B M W on this very closely. We amassed thousands of hours of data. I mean you really can't believe how much informa tion we used to make this work right. "The result is our Works kit can be fitted to any Cooper S and it w ill not affect the warranty in any way. It also meets the emission standards of any country in the world including California." The plan is to have a John Cooper Works section in every M IN I dealer ship including Canada. You w ill be able to order the performance kit (which includes discrete badging) as well as the special 18-inch alloy wheels and tires and very aggressive sports seats, which you'll probably need once you start to probe the outer edges of the per formance sphere. In Europe the conversion runs at (Euros)E5.000 fully installed. In Canada that equates to about (C)$8,000 and it w ill be fully installed at dealers when the kits begin arriving this sum mer. Cooper told me doing the conver sion takes nine hours initially, but his staff has got it down to 3.45 hours. So is it worth (give or take) $8,000 more to have a John Cooper Works M IN I? You bet! There are few, very few, ways to own and drive a vehicle that was pro duced by one single-minded person who valued performance above com merce. But with the John Cooper Works M IN I, you not only can afford to own a performance car that meets or exceeds your expectations, but it can be pur chased by a lot more people than can even think about Porsche or Ferrari. And best of all. John Michael Cooper is someone you can reach by picking up the telephone. Yes, I checked, and he does return his own phone calls. If you've been eyeing a M IN I Cooper, bank loans are low and so are interest rates. Go ahead; buy a piece of history that w ill give you miles of smiles of enjoy ment for many years to come. Finding good auto repair facility saves dollars down the road (N C )-- Finding a good automotive service facility is like finding a doctor or a financial adVisoY: building a'relationship based bn trust w ill be important and takes time. Knowing a car's history because it's been worked on before at the same centre can make problems easier to find, and could mean sav ings on repair work. Here are some tips to help motorists: In a larger facility, get to know the serv ice advisor. A service advisor is there to answer questions and can help customers understand the recommendations o f the tech nician assessing the vehicle. In a sm aller facility, get to know the technician. Get referrals from friends, rela tives and business associates. You'll likely get a better idea from seeking several different opinions rather than relying on the perspec tive o f just one person. W ritten estimates should be provided and discussed before going ahead with repair work. When in doubt, take the written esti mate somewhere else and get a second opin ion. Meet the people that w ill be working on the vehicle. Putting a face to the name makes communication (and trust) easier. Don't be afraid to ask the service advi sor questions: W hat sort of training do their technicians receive? How often? Do they have the latest com puter and diagnostic equipment? Check the customer area for information about the facility -- most service centres post their rates and billing information Go with a facility that stands behind its work: look for a `customer promise' -- it w ill give you a sense o f how they value your busi ness. K no w the vehicle Motorists can help the automotive service technician to help them, too. Every so often, drivers should roll doVvn the windows and get to know the sound of the car when it's healthy so they' ll be able to notice when it requires service. Reading through the owner's manual w ill help drivers know what to expect in terms of the vehicle's service needs. W hen taking the car in with a problem, drivers should tell the technician what the symptoms are (rather than what they think the problem is). They should try to describe what happens when the car is warm, cold, stopping, accelerating, when it's driven in the city ver sus on the highway. - News Canada & S d f v i www.oakiflllehonda.com O A K V ILLE'S BEST S O U R C E FOR P R E - O W N E D V EH ICLES A N D Q U A L I T Y SERVICE vvw w .m e ra v m o to rs.c o m or 9 0 5 .8 4 5 .6 6 2 3 W HY BUY NEW? WHEN NEARLY NEW WILL DO! O p tim u m USED VEHICLES . «g * Experience the Value & Security of Optimum's 150-t- Point Inspection O ve r 50 Vehicles to Choose From We also have a variety of demos to choose from right here on the lot. These cars ready to go at prices that are so attractive they won't last long. 2002 2001 2001 2000 *4,495 S t a r t in g fr o m F e a t u r e V e h ic l e s 2000 H O NDA P R E L U D E S H Mercedes-Benz SLK320 B.Silver/Black H/seats, CD 6,000tuns Stk,# M l5 l7 B Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 Obisdlan Mac*/ on black/CD li.C IO O km s Stk.# M748 Mercedes-Benz ML320H CD/Privacy/ B. Silver/Ash Mem ory Seals Side Steps Front Grill Gourds 47,400kms B M W M5 Cartxm black on 2 tone leather Opt/full leather in ^ 2 sets wheels & d n e ^ l owner 44,600kms R E A D YF O RS U M M E R !!! $ 2 5 ,9 0 0 1998 Pontiac Grand AM SE Red, auto, air, p.w., p.l., p.m., CD , cruise. 5 speed, silver, leather, sunroof, sp oiler, low kmsll! $9,995 $24,900 $11,900 $24,900 1 2002 CHEVY I CAVALIER VU C I 2000 CHEVY VLXCAVAUER s58,900 *77,900 s 43,900 s77,900 1999 Honda Odyssey EX Grey, auto, power group, climate control. If you don't see the car you are looking for or have any questions, please feel free to call us at 905-845-6623 1998 Chrysler Intrepid Red, auto, air cond., p.w., p.l. Mercedes-Benz ® N a vy Blue, A Door, Auto, A/C, P w r Doors, Keyless Entry, CD, VERY. V ER Y CLEAN, 6,600 kms. *1 2 ,8 8 5 Silver. 4 Dr., A/C, A uto. Pw r. Drs., K eyless Entry. 68.000 kms. *8 ,8 8 5 1998 Toyota 4-Runner Limited Auto, leather, sunroof, loaded. plus taxes & license Meray Motors & Collision Your Oakville Mercedes Source Since IV59 QEW and Dorval Drive, Oakville · 905-845-6623 wwm'. meray motors .co m OAKVILLE B ria r W ood C H EV R O LET OLDSM OBILE LIMITED P e o f> &to tV AFoot# / VC A e -- · O P T IM U M S 2 1 9 1 WYECR0FT RD., OAKVILLE Honda 905-844-9831 www.oakvillehonda.com 321 Lakeshore Rd. West , 905-278-3365 O P T IM U M - *5 I $ * w w w .b ria rw o o d c h e v .g m c a n a d a .c o m e m a il: b r i a r w o o d c h e v @ g m c a n a d a .c o m O P T IM U M · O P T IM U M · O P T IM U M Shopping for healthy food choices has never been Making healthy food choices for you and your family can be challenging. That's why the Heart and Stroke Foundation created the Health Check program. The Health Check symbol tells you a product meets nutrition guidelines for healthy eating. For more information, visit w w w .h e a K h c h e c k .o rg or call the Heart and Stroke Foundation at 1 -8 8 8 -H S F -IN F O easier 'H IA J C T A M 3 S T K O M F O U N D A T IO N Health Check"... tells you it's a healthy choice HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION FONDATKDN DCS MALADIES DUGOEUR