An outlier is somebody who chooses not to be part of a group or a community. According to Malcolm Gladwell, an outlier is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience. In his latest book of the same name, Gladwell tries to find out why some men and women are so puzzlingly extraordinary and accomplished compared to others.
To understand the characteristics of an outlier one has to look at his environment – his culture, community, family and the generation, he says. In other words, instead of looking at the tall trees we should be looking at the forest.
The power and ability of the environment in shaping one's character and success in a particular field is what is stressed in his book.
I think I understand what Gladwell is trying to convey when I apply this to motor cars that have been quite different from others both in style and driving experience.
Many of us have a certain image in our mind of how cars are supposed to look. Right from the early days of the automobile to future concept car designs, we work on set images and basic structures that few manage to deviate from.
Many designers avoid making daring deviations fearing it might result in a huge mistake and public rejection, and it could be this fear that sets the limits for designers and car manufacturers. One automobile that somehow laid to rest notions of how a car should look is the MINI. And it was a mighty success if the huge fan following it has is any indication. The environment played a major role in shaping its classic design and functionality.
The original Mini Classic came into production in 1959 during the fuel shortage in the UK when larger gas guzzlers were facing huge declines in sales. I must deviate a bit here to touch upon the muscle car – a subject I keep referring to quite often in these columns. Many muscle car lovers have told me that their cars, despite their huge engines, are more fuel efficient than those with smaller engines on the highway.
I know about the cool engine cylinder deactivation features that the modern V8s and V6s have but what's the point? Why would I need to get a V8 if I needed only 4 cylinders to work at certain times? My point is that if you need a muscle car, don't compromise. Get one with a real muscle engine. The 6.1 Hemi engines are a great choice for the muscle breed, but then let's not focus on fuel efficiency here.
I have often got into a muscle car thinking how it's just not built to do anything right and then I start driving it and somehow the combination of raw power and the usual boat-like handling makes me enjoy the whole experience and I end up contradicting myself!
The MINI doesn't brag about muscle power because it doesn't have any. The MINIs of the '50s and '60s were built to compete in the ‘Bubble Car' segment. The 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman has a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine that produces 175 hp @ 5,500 rpm.
MINI has continued to stick to the smaller engine segment while improving on the other features thereby resulting in a premium small car.
The initial MINIs had compact rubber cone suspensions instead of the conventional springs. The intention was to reduce the size and to take advantage of the natural damping properties of rubber. The suspension system, the sliding window design, the monocoque chassis and the
boot design were all optimised to ensure minimum overall dimensions while maximising passenger and luggage space.
A successful model
The MINI Clubman version was born in 1969 when MINI was under the British Leyland ownership. It was longer and taller than the MINI Classic and remained a successful model for a long time.
After MINI's acquisition from British Motor Corporation by BMW in 2000, the classic MINI was redesigned and made to look great. The earlier cult following that the MINI attracted was mostly due to its kart-like handling, and BMW has managed to maintain the kart feel. The new generation Clubman was introduced in 2008 offering a unique 3-door design and improved handling. The 3-door design where one side of the car has a single door and the other side has two doors which is fine if the steering wheel is on the left side of the car as the passengers would need to exit the vehicle from the right side.
The insides are quite different
and very appealing to the female gender. My wife and daughter love
the design and the rather amusing dashboard layout. Build quality is excellent and the seating is optimised to maximise space which is what the MINIs of the past were built for. The model we got to test drive was the
John Cooper Works Clubman which had a 0–100 km/h acceleration of around 7 seconds owing to the
twin-scroll turbocharger producing a significant 260 Nm of torque @ 5,000 rpm.
Fuel efficiency is further enhanced with the cockpit telling you what the ideal gear position is by analysing the vehicle speed and gas pedal position. The Clubman has quite a lot of road presence for a car this small. Heads turned as we cruised around and most of them were kids who wanted their daddy to get them one.
Driving this high-end small car made it quite clear to me that the MINIs are no longer targeting the affordability segment. They aren't even trying to convince the muscle car lover to
buy a MINI. They are targeting the earlier MINI lovers who would love to have one with better handling and all the modern styling and gadgets fitted into them. Our test car came with a premium sound system, DVD player and Navigation in addition to all the other luxury and safety features.
Like other outliers, it is quite hard to understand why someone would pay so much for an unconventional car like this, but a little research into the MINI's history will tell you how big a fan following it has. It's true that the MINI has deviated from the affordable segment since the takeover by BMW. It was first conceived in an environment that needed fuel efficiency and ‘more-for-less'.
It was this environment that shaped the MINI's character and appearance and created a passionate fan following. It has now evolved into a more luxurious and innovative car and it wouldn't have probably got to where it is now if it wasn't for its history and past environment. A classic outlier in the automotive world!
Philip Shane is a Dubai-based motorhead
