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"Simply the best damn Mini Magazine on the planet. Period." ~ Austin Cooper III If it concerns Minis, MC2 -- the independent American Mini magazine for ALL Mini owners around the world -- has it handled! • Issue No. 27 was mailed to all U.S. subscribers on August 11th. For the complete details on this issue, click on the cover to the left. If you are a U.S. subscriber and have not received your copy of Issue No. 27 by September 3rd, or it is badly damaged when you receive it, simply click on the contact button at the bottom left of the menu bar and send a message to the publisher for a replacement. We'll mail you a replacement issue via First Class Mail right away! Canadian and foreign subscriptions are mailed from our depots in Canada and the U.S. on August 13th. -- Happy Motoring from the MC2 Team!
BREAKING NEWS: MINI Countryman Prototype Causes Bomb Scare In Las Vegas
 August 2, Las Vegas, NV ~ When we first heard that a prototype MINI Countryman was the cause of a bomb scare at the Luxor hotel the last Saturday in July, we assumed that it was just another of those quirky promotion stunts for which MINI has become famous when they introduce a new model. Let’s face it, in these modern times of instant communication via email, text, Internet, broadcast, and even print, unusual PR stunts can have a real impact, especially if they go viral on YouTube. However, as details of the event became public late Sunday, it was clear that Countryman bomb scare was very real indeed.
It all started on Saturday night, July 31, when Luxor hotel security detail received word of a suspicious-looking vehicle parked on the roof of their adjacent parking structure. The vehicle, a black and unusual looking SUV, had its brand identity camouflaged, was dust covered, was carrying German license plates and the interior was loaded down with bubble wrap, a blue water cooler with Arabic writing on it, electronic equipment on the front passenger seat, and other odd appearing gear – all held together by a spider’s web of yellow tie-down straps. Needless to say, in this post 9-11 world, the proverbial bells and whistles went off and we were told that the hotel staff notified Las Vegas Police, who promptly evacuated and closed the parking structure for a couple of hours while they inspected the “suspicious vehicle.” These photos, taken for us by noted auto spy photographer, Brenda Priddy & Company, were snapped late Saturday night, just after the parking structure was re-opened. After a careful examination of the vehicle, it was determined that there were no explosives inside and no threat existed. However, hotel security was not amused. They promptly booted the left front wheel of the Countryman and left a note on it for the owner to contact hotel security. And there the vehicle sat until sometime Monday when someone managed to tell the hotel that it was all a big mistake.
Apparently, the unusual looking vehicle had been being used by BMW/MINI for hot weather testing in nearby Death Valley and the spider’s nest of tie down straps was simply to keep the water cooler and attendent gear from knocking about as the vehicle went through on and off road driving in the hot desert sun. We're guesing that someone didn’t want to spill water on the floorboards!
So, eventually the driver of the vehicle was located, the mess was straightened out, and MINI’s prototype Countryman was returned, unharmed, to the factory so that hot weather testing could continue. A weird adventure to be sure, but luckily, no one and no car were injured. However, there is a bit of egg on the company face! One thing is certain, and that is that MINI is lucky that the Las Vegas Bomb Disposal Unit didn’t take more aggressive measures to deal with the initial perceived threat. Those prototypes are expensive. Announcing new colors for MC2's popular Cousin Ernie T-shirts.
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