The Management Fleet // MINI 50 Mayfair

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Though there was some resistance at the start, you really can’t fault BMW with what its done to reviatilse the MINI brand. The car jumped onto the retro bandwagon that was started by the VW Beetle, but capitalised on it in a much better way. And whilst the MINI brand is getting stretched in a variety of directions at the moment with the Convertible, Clubman, Countryman and upcoming Coupe and Roadsters, it’s great to get back behind the wheel of a regular MINI hatchback.

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Except this isn’t any common-or-garden MINI, what we have joining the C&P Management Fleet for the next few months is the MINI 50 Mayfair – a special edition created to celebrate 50th years of the British icon.

Sitting underneath the special Hot Chocolate brown paintwork and pin-stripe detailing is a MINI Cooper S. The 1.6-litre engine is turbocharged to 184bhp, though this particular MINI feels a bit more pokier than that. 16,000 hard kilometres at the hands of the region’s motoring press has loosened up the engine nicely, so we may take a visit to a rolling road to see if our initial thoughts transpose into reality.

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And whilst we would have loved to have a proper six-speed manual gearbox – drivers of hot hatches should really shift gears themselves – you can’t get better than a ZF auto. Knock the gearshifter over into manual mode and you can revel in charging through the gears the ‘proper’ way – ie, pull back to change up, push forward to go down. There’s also the push-me, pull-you paddleshifters lifted from a BMW 3-Series on the steering wheel which help keep you in control when you’ve got your hands on the wheel.

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Without a differential in place, it’s certainly recommended keeping a reasonably tight grip on the leather wheel as the eager engine tries to put all its power through the front wheels. Couple this with some stiff sports suspension, and it can be a rather wrist-twisting affair. Charging hard over dubiously-positioned expansion strips on flyovers are a proper wheel-wrenching experience. Come too hot through a corner and the inside front wheel has a rather alarming habit of lighting up, with the resulting tyre marks on the road.

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The Mayfair certainly doesn’t feel as hardcore as something like a Renault Clio RS, but it’s not as refined as you might expect. There’s a slightly rough edge to this car that’s actually very welcome in an age where manufacturers like to cocoon drivers in leather-lined luxury and remove them from the visceral elements of being in a car. We like to hear and feel what’s going on under the wheels, and the MINI certainly delivers on that front.

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Where the MINI also excels massively is on the fun part of driving. This car could put you in a whole host of trouble as you wring out the free-revving engine and fully exploit the chassis’ abilities on the road. Our time with the car so far has been limited to mostly around town, but we’re looking forward to stretching its legs out on some of the twisty stretches of road in the mountains before too long.

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The frenzied nature of the Cooper S is a little jarring around town – especially on broken road or towering speed bumps, but we think a good few hours tackling some technical corners will certainly be an enjoyable way to spend some time.

Watch this space for some mega MINI Adventures 😀