MINI takes the States

According to the Motoring File, MINI's two-day rally and festival is back for a 2010 edition. This includes driving from still-to-be-announced starting points across the country to the final destination, Denver, CO. Participants will arrive in Denver on August 6th and stay for a two-day festival of all things MINI.

The last MINI takes the States was in 2008, with the main drive spanning 1,500 miles from Miami to Boston. Watch the highlights here.

It seems MINI is realizing its drivers favorite things -- drive and talk about their MINIs. All other cars might want to beware I70 and other highways leading into Denver in early August. It will be a MINI stampede.

What is John Cooper Works?

John Cooper Works or JCW is MINI's performance model, named after the famous race car driver and tuner of the 1950's and 1960's. John Cooper and his son Michael assisted BMW in releasing the suped-up version to the public in the 1990's. Cooper created the John Cooper Works company in 2000 and died shortly after. His son Michael managed the company until 2007 when the BMW Group bought JCW as a MINI subbrand.

John Cooper made the first MINI Cooper in 1961, after driving a MINI and "falling in love with it's racing potential." It imidiately made a splash on the racing circuit. The Cooper's version of the MINI Cooper S won the Monte Carlo racing circuit three times from 1964-1969.

The name Cooper was not attached to the MINI consumer vehicles until BMW of Germany acquired the MINI brand and began marketing them as premium small cars in 2000. The John Cooper Works variation was introduced on a limited scale during the 2006 model year. You can watch Australians break down the difference between the Cooper and the JCW here.

Information from www.miniusa.com.

MINI Convertible: Best Value of Year

The 2010 MINI Cooper Convertible was recently named Intellichoice's 2010 Best Value of the Year in the 'Convertible' category for all bodystyles: base, S and John Cooper Works. The "BOVY" awards are based on total cost of ownership of the vehicle in relation to its peers in the same model category. Intellichoice awards "BOVY" awards to 32 different categories of cars and trucks.

This is the third consecutive year a MINI has received a 'BOVY.' Last year the MINI Convertible was awarded BOVYs for both the 'Convertible' category as well as 'Best Car Value over $24,000.'

While the emotional appeal of the MINI brand has long been recognized by car enthusiasts, it seems Intellichoice is now acknowledging the rational appeal of the brand as well.

Dirty MINI

My least favorite thing about winter? Dirty roads. They lead to dirty shoes, pant legs and most disturbingly dirty cars.

Beautiful winter snowflakes undoubtedly lead to gray mush and salt, wrecking havoc on cars. But there are some steps you can take to minimize the impact of these cold-weather foes on your MINI's finish.

• Wash your car as often as possible. Try to keep up with the weather forecasts. Anytime you see a patch of clear weather, treat your MINI to a shower. Don't forget to wash underneath your car, where most of the salt will accumulate.

• Never use warm water to clear ice off the windshield or headlights - the glass can break on contact from the temperature difference.

• Use caution when brushing snow off your MINI. The dirt particles that are hiding under the snow can inadvertently scratch the surface. Use a soft brush in a short, straight pattern, without removing the very bottom layer of ice.

• Never brush snow off the body panels. Unnecessary and can often lead to scratches.

Stay warm!