MINI – James M. Day

MINI Beach Weekend 2021

Although I hadn’t planned—or even participated in—a major Sunshine MINIs event in many years, when I heard that Mickey & MINI was cancelled for 2021, I decided to create a new event during its traditional timeframe in the Fall. Because I live in Daytona Beach, it obviously would be a MINI Beach Weekend.

I took the idea to longtime Sunshine MINIs member, Janet Ford, to determine whether there was interest from the members in the Sunshine MINIs Facebook group. People liked the idea and the interest seemed strong. One comment with several ideas came from Amanda Hancock who lived nearby, so we recruited her to join the planning team.

Best of Chris Harris 1

If you are a car enthusiast, you know about Chris Harris. If not, I’ll give you a brief biography. Harris is a race driver, automotive writer, and reviewer of cars. He has written for sites including Autocar, evo, and Jalopnik. He’s better known for his video reviews from THE DRIVE and then his own channel Chris Harris on Cars. He’s currently a presenter on the UK Top Gear, but still produces extra videos in his Chris Harris Drives series.

First, Harris is a great driver. He’s known for his drifting ability—which the kids love but I find a bit ridiculous—seen in all of his videos. But he can apex, as well. He’s a Porsche enthusiast and the car of his he talks about most is his 911 GT3.

He’s also a good writer. He’s knowledgeable and witty, using his cracking good British vocabulary and sense of humor. Once you’ve watched a few of his videos, you’ll begin to read his articles in his distinctive style. Am I enjoying it? Yes, I am.

MINI JCW Coupe vs. Porsche Boxster

If you know me or have browsed my website, you’ll already know that my most recent previous car (in addition to my older MINI Cooper) was a MINI John Cooper Works Coupe. While I like the sporty, yet practical, hatchback MINI Cooper, I have always preferred the two-seat sportscar. I don’t have a family or the need to haul many people or large items. This preference is why I bought the MINI Coupe in 2011 and the Porsche Boxster this year (2019). Despite the Porsche being a convertible, the two cars have several similarities. Continue reading MINI JCW Coupe vs. Porsche Boxster

Classic Minis in Classic Literature

My favorite type of writing is the spoof or satire using humor, probably acquired through my reading of Mark Twain, P. G. Wodehouse, and Douglas Adams. Plus, I’m a natural-born smart-ass. Thus, much of my creative writing is reactionary or a reworking of something existing.

For one of the MINI Cooper websites I contribute to, I started a series called “Classic Minis in Classic Literature” where I rewrite (re-summarize) classic novels to incorporate a classic Mini (the 1959-2000 version) into the plot. The idea was inspired by the 2009 bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, only replacing zombies with Minis.

In addition to the fun writing, I also reworked an iconic book cover for the revised story. For some books, this was the bigger challenge with my self-taught graphic editing skills, but also enjoyable to create.

I might write more but here are the first nine. Continue reading Classic Minis in Classic Literature