Checkered Blog by Checkered Flag is the automotive play place in Hampton Roads Virginia

A Rickshaw Model for the MINI Clubman?

For centuries now, the rickshaw has served as a staple of Chinese transportation. To celebrate the release of the MINI Clubman in China, a new version of the traditional two-wheel rickshaw cart was introduced to the streets of Beijing. So you're wondering, what does a rickshaw have to do with a MINI Clubman? Well, this new version dubbed "MINI Clubman: The Other Rickshaw" is a "hybrid" of sorts. From the front it looks like a typical rickshaw. Move towards the back and you're in for a unique addition, a Clubman rear-end!

A fleet of these MINI rickshaws are shuttling locals and tourists alike around the Olympic city. Powered by pure man muscle, the MINI rickshaw is as fuel efficient and emission-free as a vehicle could possibly be. Here's a list of the rickshaw's technical specifications, provided by MotoringFile.com. 

Horsepower: 1 manpower
Torque: Variable
Driveline: Chain. Rear wheel drive!-Brake: Wire operated e-brake
Doors: 3
Seats: 3
Emissions: None
Mileage: Results vary depending on drivers' food consumption

Styling wise, the MINI rickshaw is equipped with a glass sunroof and leather interior. It's also decked out with real Chinese lucky charms and talismen. They're intended to bring luck to passengers and also release positive vibes for the Games. Speaking of which, maybe these rickshaw drivers deserve some Olympic medals too. I'm sure it takes major athleticism to drive one, especially with a couple of tourists in tow! Check out the photos below from Autoblog.

Meet Checkered Flag MINI Customer Alice Schooler!

Alice is a Virginia Beach resident who LOVES her British Racing Green 2006 MINI Cooper. She works as a civilian employee at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek and has lived in the area for almost 20 years. Thanks for talking with us Alice!

CB: What's the best thing about being a MINI driver?
Alice: I love MINI! I like smaller cars, so it's perfect for me and it handles well.

CB: What are your hobbies?
Alice: Hmm my hobbies...knitting. And I like reading, romance novels.

CB: Where's your favorite place to eat?
Alice: I like the Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden. The food is good and they give you a good quantity of it. (Laughs) You know they don't just give you a small scoop. It's good portions.

CB: What do you have in your MP3 player or CD player right now?
Alice: I listen to a variety of things. Mostly anything. I really like Madonna.

CB: What's the last movie you've seen?
Alice: Now, that's a question I can't answer. I don't go to the movies. And I couldn't tell you what the last one I saw on T.V. is (laughs). I don't remember.

CB: Do you have any pets?
Alice: Yes, a cat named Rusty.

CB: What's the one thing about you that people would be surprised to know?
Alice: Hmm...I was in the Navy. Not too many people know that I was in the military.

CB: What's the one invention you couldn't live without?
Alice: Oh geez, at my age I don't think I would give up anything (laughs). Probably Cable T.V. or a computer. I just want to keep going forward because technology just makes life easier.

CB: What's the best thing about being a Checkered Flag customer?
Alice: I never have a problem here. The customer service is always great, and the atmosphere is very comfy.

 

Meet Checkered Flag MINI's Nikki Kern

CB: What exactly do you do here as the AdMINIstrative Assistant?
Nikki: I wear many hats here. I am the administrative assistant for the managers. And I also oversee reception.

CB: And how long have you been working here?
Nikki: In November it'll be 3 years. Before here I worked at a bank. I definitely like it here much more.

CB: Which Hampton Roads city do you live in?
Nikki: I live in Norfolk. I've lived in this area for probably 20 years. I was born here but then we moved to New Orleans. We're a military family, so we moved around.

CB:  What are your hobbies?
Nikki: Many things. I like visiting my best friend in New York City. We have girls' nights. I lay on the beach in my backyard, and all the normal housewife things.

CB: How often do you go to NYC?
Nikki: Uhm, probably twice a year. We go to see the ball drop on New Year's, and then we usually go in the summer time too.

CB: Where's your favorite place to eat?
Nikki: Chili's. I love their margaritas and the chips and queso dip. Ruth's Chris is always good too. 

CB: What do you have in you MP3 player or CD player right now?
Nikki: The new Usher. I love him. I can't pick a favorite from his CD. I really like Rhianna too. Take a Bow is probably my favorite song off of her CD.

CB: What's the most recent movie you've seen?
Nikki: Sex and the City. I absolutely loved it! I watched it with my mom and we had a good time.

CB: What pets do you have?
Nikki: I have a cat named Ali. She's a Maine Coon and has beautiful markings.

CB: What's the one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Nikki: I graduated high school early. Did it in three years. During my senior year I took all A.P. classes so I entered college as a sophomore. I went to Lake Taylor, ODU, and TCC too.

CB: What's the one invention you couldn't live without?
Nikki: Probably the cell phone. I don't want to go back to using quarters for the payphones (laughs).

CB: What's the best thing about working for Checkered Flag?
Nikki: The interaction I get with the people I work with. We're like a family here. Interacting with customers is always really good too. A customer came in with cookies just to say thank you. So that was really sweet, and we're glad that we could help them.

A Mighty Cool View of MINIs

Seeing a convoy of MINIs is always impressive.

Seeing a convoy of MINIs from the air is REALLY impressive.

When a group of MINIs left Virginia Beach last week after stopping for one night as part of the MINI Takes the States rally up the East Coast, they drove in formation across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  Photographer Patrick Mclaughlin was hovering in a helicopter and he captured the action from his literally birds-eye view.  Patrick graciously shared some of the photos with the Checkered Blog.  These are actually just a few of the really cool pictures that he got that day.  You may see all of them and purchase them if you wish on the web site where Patrick has a gallery of shots. Thanks, Patrick!

MINI Takes the States Takes Virginia Beach in Style

WOW! Yesterday evening and this morning were a lot of fun. That was when Checkered Flag MINI hosted the Virginia Beach stop of the MINI Takes the States Rally with the Flying Finn. This is a drive by MINI owners up the East Coast, from Miami to Boston, that is taking place this week and is one of several rallies across the country. This one is named Flying Finn in honor of Rauno Aaltonen, the Finnish-born rally champion who is participating in the East Coast event.

Checkered Flag MINI held a meet and greet outside of the Virginia Beach Convention Center yesterday evening, where local MINI owners welcomed the rally participants to town. This morning, Checkered Flag had a breakfast send-off for the group at First Landing State Park.

WinsGal and I had the "job" ("fun" is a more accurate word) of helping with the two events. As always, WinsGal did much more work than I did. I spent a lot of time meeting the MINI owners and looking at the cars. A highlight of the meet and greet was a talk by Rauno about rallying in a MINI Cooper S in the 1960s (that is the car he and Bob Holden were driving when they won the Gallaher 500, a premier touring race in New South Wales, Australia in 1966.) Rauno also autographed postcards and he signed the one shown here for the Checkered Blog.

Something else cool that happened last night was that WTKR Channel 3 television stopped by and reporter Ted Alexander interviewed Checkered Flag MINI brand manager Susan Drees, who explained that at 37 miles per gallon, the MINI combines fuel efficiency and flair. I saw Susan on the 11 p.m. news last night and of course, she was great.

This morning was a super time, too. It was a relaxed breakfast amid the wooded beauty of First Landing. As you can see here, the MINIs looked especially lovely in this setting. True to form, the rally participants departed in style. They formed a convoy and headed toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for a photo-op of crossing the bridge. They are en route to Philadelphia now.

Happy motoring to everyone in the rally and thanks for visiting Virginia Beach!

 

MINIs Will be Gathering in Hampton Roads

 

If you see more MINIs than usual on the local roads tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday morning, there is a reason: that is when the Virginia Beach stop of MINI Takes the States 2008 is taking place.

MINIs (and their owners, of course) are heading up the East Coast, from Miami to Boston, in one of several rallies across the country. The East Coast event is named "Rallying with the Flying Finn" in honor of participant Rauno Aaltonen. He is a former rally champion whose many achievements include teaming with Bob Holden to drive a Mini Cooper S to victory in the Gallaher 500, a premier touring race in New South Wales, Australia in 1966.

Aaltonen will sign autographs in parking lot 5 of the Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19^th St., Virginia Beach from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, as Checkered Flag MINI welcomes the rally to town.

A warm (or, given the weather lately, should we say "hot") Hampton Roads greeting to everyone involved in MINI Takes the States 2008!

The new MINI Clubman!

Want fries with that?  How about we supersize that order?

Welcome to the MINI Clubman - it takes the mini out of MINI....well, almost.  It is all MINI, but with a little more room.  So it isn't a mini MINI, but it is still a MINI - um...yeah, something like that.  Christine does a much better job at explaining things:
 

Online Videos by Veoh.com

MINI Takes the States Version 2.0

Back in 2006, MINI USA engineered a whopping cross-country road trip for thousands of MINI enthusiasts, aptly named MINI Takes the States. This year, they asked MINI owners if they were game again and of course, they were, but rather than drive cross-country they elected to throw four blowout parties in major cities across America. Miami, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles will all be hosting MINI Takes the States 2008 on various weekends throughout the summer. These weekends will be chock-full of all things MINI, but also concerts, go-kart racing, drive-in movies and much more. Online registration is $20. From what we hear, participants are caravanning from Miami to Boston, with a stop in Va Beach on the itinerary. If you think you might be interested in participating, visit the website for more information about dates and to see the detailed route.

BMW-MINI Service Department Expansion Humming Right Along

I continue to be awed by the rapid pace of the $4 million expansion project for the service department at Checkered Flag BMW-MINI. These photos show you just how huge the service facility will be when the work is done, and that is the point of it all...its capacity is being more than doubled because, for quite a while now, it has been operating over capacity. Architect Jerry Smith with Lyall Design, which is working on the expansion, says much of the electrical and plumbing infrastructure has now been put in and work crews are starting to put the windows in place. Despite the complexity of the project, it remains on schedule for completion by late summer or early fall of this year.

Everyone at Checkered Flag BMW-MINI is just...ready. Steven Hueur Sr., who has long worked in the Checkered Flag BMW-MINI parts department, tells me that the additional space will really help to streamline their operations. "We will have more room to store and access parts, more staff to assist customers, more retail space for BMW, more of everything. Our operations will be more efficient because of the additional space and the technology that is being incorporated. We are very excited for it to open and we know our customers are too!"

9 Models at Checkered Flag Make ACEEE's "Greenest Cars" List

Via MSN Autos, I found that The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy released its annual "Green Car" scores.  A whopping 9 of the top 12 models are sold at Checkered Flag!  The scores are tabulated by examining fuel economy, emissions and production processes.  New to the list this year is our very own 2008 smart fortwo and the 2008 MINI Cooper/MINI Clubman.  The top spot went to the compressed natural gas powered Honda Civic GX, which is only sold in California and New York.  Also making the top 12 was the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Honda Civic and the Honda Fit.