When you are living on a ranch – perhaps your horses should have a bulldog stance

Dear Blogreader,

Horses are perhaps the number one thing you associate with a ranch, and the more the merrier. And some of the can be encapsulated in steel, aluminium and carbon fiber. Most ranch owners might opt for a FORD F150 as the perfect workhorse but since my place a juts a ranch by name, I do not feel forced to stick to the truck concept.

I find the MINImalistic approach more attractive. A lot of history going back to the days of Paddy Hopkirk that became an rallying icon in the sixties when driving the rally of Monte Carlo in a Mini. Tuned by the legendary John Copper and grown out of his Formula 1 racing skills. With BMW exiting Formula 1 and the Sauber outfit , running Ferrari engines, who is then best equipped to carry the racing flag for the group, beyond touring car racing, if not Mini, The MINI!

Mini is entering the World Rally Championship (WRC) in May with Mini Countryman. Sounds like the Bimmer Motorsport folks are putting some racing muscles behind the smallest member of their family. Inspired by the fact that most of my driving with a fresh license was done in a 32 hp 1974 Mini and a lengthy copper centric career, a journey into Cooper land 2011 sounds kie great fun.

Starting with scheduling a driving test, or a motoring test as Mini enthusiasts or marketeer would call it, the following warning sign came with the invitation letter……

A bold set of statements made, and most turned out to be true. And the amount of fun features the new Mini concepts has been loaded with, keep you smiling already when reading the broschures, not even have to enter the show room

• The Club Door - An small extra backdoor on the Clubman, opening backwards and just a feet wide to make it easier to jump in the back


• Motoring Graphics – small vinyl details that can be attached to various parts of the car, just luv the Heliport landing sign for the roof.


• Motoring gear – an extensive range of toys, with the garage for they keys being my favorite.


• Zig, Zag, Zug – the way of referring to cruising in a Hardtop, a Cabrio and the Clubman respectively.


• The Italian job - what I have heard is a must see movie from the past, both the 1969 and the 2003 versions.

Plenty of options to chose from and the only things that was clear that Copper is the way to go.

So what about the bulldog? It is called bulldog stance when there is one wheel in each corner of the car...

Stay tuned ;)