2008 MINI "mini" Roadtrip

MINI on the road in Northern California

Sutter's Mill restoration near site of the original mill where gold was discovered in California in 1848 setting off the California Gold Rush.

The summer of 2008 has been a summer of weddings for me. I've attended three weddings in six weeks. An old friend from high school (actually my sister's really good friend) recently got married in the Sierra Nevada foothills just west of Lake Tahoe. My sister and I were both invited to attend the wedding last week and it was close enough to think about driving up together for a long weekend. So, the question was: Whose car? Well, Jennifer had all those nice modifications recently installed on her 2004 British Racing Green Cooper S so I suggested taking her car on the jaunt to the Sacramento area.

Old Auburn Courthouse, Auburn, California

Turns out the car ran like a champ and made for extremely comfortable freeway cruising. I thought the sound of the exhaust might be tiring after a long stint but at freeway cruising speeds the sound into the cabin was minimal. The Larini system is great... throaty when you want to hear it but not too intrusive on an extended drive. The 15% Alta pulley also made the trip feel more effortless even when the air conditioning was in full operation as temps soared to the 100 degree fahrenheit zone on the run through California's Central Valley. With the stock pulley the extra load on the engine from the a/c unit was noticeable. This was not an issue with the Alta reduction pulley installed.

Statue in honor of the Miner 49er Gold Rush pioneers in Auburn, California

The only hitch: heavy winds blew a tumbleweed across the freeway and into the front driver's side of the bonnet. A very slight dent and clearcoat scratches but luckily nothing worse. Looks like the bonnet will see a paintless dent removal specialist sometime in the near future...

On California's shortest state highway (notice the sign) in one of California's shortest vehicles!

At Motowheels in Sacramento. Needed to make a stop at a great resource for Ducati Motorcycle goodies. Visit: http://www.motowheels.com/

The wedding was just wonderful, the outdoor setting very nice with mild temperatures and blue skies. Spent the following couple of days revisiting my old grad school stomping grounds and meeting with friends and colleagues before heading back to L.A. with the obligatory touristy stop at Pea Soup Anderson's in Santa Nella.

An alumnus returns to campus ten years later

Chatting with Dean Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, distinguished leader of McGeorge Law School, about the changes on campus in the decade since I graduated.

I hadn't been back to the Sacramento area in a decade and it was nice to be able to navigate the city much as I had remembered doing while living and studying there.

Pony Express Memorial, Old Town Sacramento

The funny places you can find Indonesian food... this time in Old Town Sacramento. The Old West meets Southeast Asia! Had some familiar snacks before hitting the road...

Great little roadtrip in a fun modified Cooper S!

White Roof Radio Interview at MINI Takes the States 2 L.A.!

Todd Pearson and db from White Roof Radio, the MINI podcast, interview me at Jillian's Restaurant on the Universal Studios L.A. Citywalk as part of MINIUSA's MINI Takes the States nationwide event. The closing weekend took place in Los Angeles and I had the opportunity to meet and greet familiar faces and meet new MINI friends. My time was very limited this weekend but it was nice to be in the company of MINI folks! At least the drive to this event was a lot shorter than the trip to MINI United 2007 in the Netherlands!

I couldn't attend the Saturday festivities and concert but a good time on Friday night at Jillian's and a fun run from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and up Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains and then back to the Rose Bowl on Sunday made for a fun MINI motoring weekend.

Please visit White Roof Radio for the playable/downloadable radio segment.


My interview begins at about 19'19" of the 25 minute segment just after the interview with David Eichenberg, a regular on the "Sex and the City" television series.


For more on MINI Takes the States 2 please visit this link: http://blog.minitakesthestates.com/


Jim McDowell, Vice-President of MINIUSA (left), Gina Koutros of MINIUSA (third from right) with the young couple that drove across the USA attending all the MTTS events along the way and me (on the right).

Getting ready for a tire shredding lap in the R56 turbocharged John Cooper Works at the very end of MTTS.

Italian Thrill: Driving the Rare Maserati GranTurismo S

I had the opportunity to drive one of only two 2009 Maserati GranTurismo S vehicles currently in the United States by invitation from Maserati Beverly Hills. Deliveries of these cars is slated to begin during the fall of 2008 and production will be strictly limited to a one year run with total US allocation of a rumored 250 to 300 cars. How is the car? One word: Outstanding! I've driven the "standard" GranTurismo and that was very nice; "a sense of occasion" being an apt description. The S is immediately yet subtlely distinguishable from its sibling car by its bespoke 20" wheels, an integrated bootlid spoiler, black headlight surrounds and black grille, and revised and more aerodynamic side skirts. The total effect is a more aggressive yet still very elegant look. The 2009 range has also added bluetooth and iPod/MP3 capability. Satellite radio will also be on offer soon. I love it...

On the test drive. Shame the camera could not pick up just how marvelous the engine sounds!

My drive in the S was much longer than my brief jaunt in the standard GranTurismo. Two things I noticed very quickly: the revised spring and damper setup was firm yet comfortable. No settings here like the GranTurismo and its electronically controlled "Skyhook" suspension. The more sporting and fixed S setup made the car feel smaller than it really is because the GranTurismo is a pretty large GT that genuinely holds four persons in comfort. Roadholding is superb. I've heard that the revised suspension can be a bit bumpy on less than smooth pavement but I didn't notice.

Getting to know the new Maserati GranTurismo S

Red engine heads... as opposed to the "standard's" Maserati blue

Behind the wheel of the S

The larger paddles behind the steering wheel were easy to find no matter what the position of the hands on the steering wheel. These paddles were linked to the "manual" MC-Shift clutch/gearbox which resides in the rear of the vehicle for better weight distribution. With shifts as quick as 100 milliseconds, the clutchless manual paddleshift gave smooth and very quick shifts. Good fun.

The biggest grin maker: the 4.7 liter, 440 HP 8 cylinder Ferrari designed motor (as opposed to the 4.2 liter standard). Lots of torque and power that really makes the S get up and go. Any complaints about the GranTurismo's power are vanquished with this engine. Not only the power is noticeable, push the "Sport" button on the dash and the sound of the car will make any car enthusiast's hair stand on-end! Absolutely marvelous sound that is simply lovely to hear. It puts many other cars at twice the price to shame...

Can you tell that I like this car yet??? :-)

I should have some interesting news about the GranTurismo S later in the year. Stay tuned.

Old College Car Pulled Out of Storage

Original Giugiaro designed Piazza/Impulse (1982)

Photo courtesy of Italdesign/Giugiaro

1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo "Handling by Lotus", last of the Giugiaro Impulses.

Car looks great in spite of all the years and mileage... internals need a lot of work

I've had my old college car in storage for the better part of the last five years and the car had only been driven sporadically in the several years prior to storage. The 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo was the first car I owned from "new" and has been a faithful workhorse from college to graduate school and on to post-graduate study. With an Italian Giugiaro (http://www.italdesign.it/) designed body (designer of Maseratis, the BMW M1, Alfa Romeos, the original Volkswagen Scirocco, and countless other iconic cars), a forward thinking interior, and suspension tuning by Lotus, I still think the Impulse is a pretty car. About the only complaint now as then is that the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo Isuzu motor is a bit underpowered.

With well over 100,000 miles on the clock the car served me well. I always kept the car in very good shape, but time and age started to take a toll on the car. As issues multiplied I decided to park the car until I found the time and resources to put her back on the road. Well, most of you know that I have been going to Steve's Auto Clinic in North Hills, California for my MINI performance modifications. Steve's work has been honest, good, and reasonable, so I opted to have Steve give the old Isuzu a thorough inspection. The Impulse no longer started so I had to put it on a tow truck and had it hauled up to North Hills.

The initial problem was a rusted fuel pump and excess rust in the gas tank which necessitated a rebuild. I had put preservative in the fuel, but time still didn't do the fuel system any favors. Lots of Impulse parts are now "unobtainium" so the gas tank could not be replaced.

We're still trying to figure out how to rebuild the power window regulators since those are also not available and both driver and passenger windows are broken. After taking care of those two items a couple of electrical glitches need to be repaired and then a full engine service will be undertaken. Barring any other unforseen problems one of the few remaining cared for examples of the "Handling by Lotus" Isuzu Impulse Turbos will be back on the roads in Southern California!