Goodbye beautiful A2.. hello hot MINI

S

sailesh

A2OC Donor
Today was the last drive, heading down to Southampton to deliver the best A2 that I'm ever likely to own.. :confused:

http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthrea...s-121bhp-remap-BOSE-cruise-HIDs-refurb-wheels

Sun shining, BOSE doing its magic, cruising comfortably and effortlessly between 80 and 95 on the Stealth torque (yes, not your usual mpg chaser!).. turns out I spent over 90 hrs driving the thing since I bought it last October, and although my stint was short it has been most enjoyable, and every forum member bar none has been unreservedly helpful and a genuine pleasure to meet through my various enthusiast endeavours, so I will most definitely remain an A2OC-head. :D

Ultimately, I tried to create one of the best A2s, but realised that whilst every A2 has character (i.e. is definitely different from the rest), each individual car has limits to its personality (i.e. an ability to be distinct in its own way), especially from a driver's car perspective. I'd opine that my Stealthed ex-TDI 90 on a driving machine scale tops out near an accessible 7 whilst other cars are able to take the driving dynamics up to 10, though perhaps a diesel, even a decent one, is always the wrong starting point.

Fundamentally, I missed the joy of attacking twisty A and B roads and low-speed urban race car antics, but didn't want to lose too much space, so it'll be an ultra-rare MINI John Cooper Works Clubman (and a mouthful!) for me from now on, but I shall always consider an A2 first should I ever need a second car, and of course this will be the only place to call!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REDUCED-T...TUj5nAV1BEyzwkrkPPDO0%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Thanks again, and long may A2OC remain like its inspiration - fresh and rust-free! ;)
 
Thanks for all the kind feedback about the club Sailesh and it's been a pleasure having you around these few months. It feels longer which is a complement to your input. I hope you stick around and as A2's definitely get under your skin maybe you'll own one again in the future. You've already met a few of the forum regulars who are keen to ensure the car is preserved as a future classic so you know it'll always be possible to have a pretty special and sensitively maintained car. Certainly for the forseeable future.

Be careful with that JCW. If you've a penchant for driving around at 3 figures of miles per hour then that's a worry. The turbo on the A2 will have been well exercised which is a positive for the new keeper, but I wouldn't dream of driving at that rate on the open road ( and I'm a trained and authorised blue light driver)

Take care and stay between the hedges fella :p:cool:
 
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Thanks for the kind words Murdo, I will certainly try to make it as a stowaway to the next A2OC social...

Of course when I quoted my speed I must have forgotten the units of measure :p but point taken and in general I much prefer cars which can be enjoyed within the speed limit and between the hedges :cool:
 
Here you go, a pic of the new motor.. I like to think of it as the Batvan. The new mirror covers are a tribute to my previous car of seven years, bottom, which was wearing the winter tyres that are now on Steve Birchall's nice 1.4 petrol for sale. :)

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redbull_a2 said:
Loving the Smart Coupe , I have previously owned 2 of them one bring the Brabus Coupe.
Click to expand...

I actually tried to replace the Roadie (remapped and on Brabus suspension) with an A2 TDI SE and a Brabus Coupe Xclusive.. the Brabus was very nice (great engine!) but the vulnerable charge-cooler radiator under the car pretty much disabled it around London so it couldn't be used as a daily driver.

Tough car to replace - 50 mpg no matter how hard it was driven, enough toys and equipment to be safe, comfortable, and exploitable. My 'goodbye' below, but next time I will probably get a low-miler Light. Why did you move on from your two?

http://www.theroadster.net/trc/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=25019
 
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