Take a 2019 Tea Break with Delta

[Mike Harte]

Under the weird but not wonderful category!

Was behind a new Mini Clubman estate the other day, and came to the conclusion that the newish ruddy great light clusters on the rear facing doors was just plain ugly. But worse was to come.

When the driver applied the brakes, it transpires that the clusters don't contain the brake lights which are small stand-alone lights embedded in the rear bumper. So, instead of having the lights at a decent height to view from behind, they are fairly low.

A case of a (lack of) style over substance!

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by andy97

The flat deck option required steam catapults and arrestor wires, and conventional take off and landing version if the F35. It was a design/ procurement option.

Yep - if we'd gone flat deck we could have used the better version of the F35 (the cheaper, longer ranged, higher payload version) and also any Nato carrier aircraft could have used the decks (Hornet, Rafale etc.). By going Ski jump it's the crap F35 and helicopters only.

Originally Posted by andy97

In my view we cant afford these ships and the 2 x Amphibious Landing Platform Dock ships (HMS Albion and Bulwark) and would have been better off buying 3 x hybrid ships capable of supporting amphibious ops and F35 ops like the USS Wasp class.

Agreed - if we weren't going flat deck then something like this would have made more sense.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Under the weird but not wonderful category!

Was behind a new Mini Clubman estate the other day, and came to the conclusion that the newish ruddy great light clusters on the rear facing doors was just plain ugly. But worse was to come.

When the driver applied the brakes, it transpires that the clusters don't contain the brake lights which are small stand-alone lights embedded in the rear bumper. So, instead of having the lights at a decent height to view from behind, they are fairly low.

A case of a (lack of) style over substance!

Well, in my opinion the car is pig ugly anyway! Although perhaps not directly related, are there not regulations about rear lights on hatches, estates SUVs etc where if the tailgate(s) could obscure the normal lights when open, duplicates have to be fitted in another position?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Well, in my opinion the car is pig ugly anyway! Although perhaps not directly related, are there not regulations about rear lights on hatches, estates SUVs etc where if the tailgate(s) could obscure the normal lights when open, duplicates have to be fitted in another position?

It's the reason for duplicates on the back of the Insignia Tourer. For some reason, people have commented that it's a 'fancy touch' when they see the boot open, but in reality it's a legal requirement.





Not sure why the brake lights would need to be positioned as such though? The requirement reads:
When every door, tailgate, boot lid, or other movable part is in the fixed open position (any position in which the component will remain, with or without a fixed stay) each of the
- front and rear position lamps
- front and rear indicators
- rear retro reflectors
must fulfil one of the following conditions:
a. half (50%) of the apparent surface of the lamp or reflector is visible from directly in front of / behind (as appropriate) the vehicle, or
b. additional fully visible lamp (s) / reflectors satisfying all requirements for the above lamps / reflectors are activated / visible, or
c. a notice in the vehicle must inform the user that in certain positions of the movable components, other road users should be warned of the presence of the vehicle on the road (e.g. by laying out a warning triangle).

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Well, in my opinion the car is pig ugly anyway! Although perhaps not directly related, are there not regulations about rear lights on hatches, estates SUVs etc where if the tailgate(s) could obscure the normal lights when open, duplicates have to be fitted in another position?

You are, of course, right as crmalcolm confirms. However, just as earlier estates/tourers often had duplicate light clusters in the tailgate pillars, so the Mini Clubman could have had clusters embedded in the tailgate doors' internal trim situated so to be seen from behind - the trim there is more than adequate to have quite a substantially sized cluster incorporated.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

It's the reason for duplicates on the back of the Insignia Tourer. For some reason, people have commented that it's a 'fancy touch' when they see the boot open, but in reality it's a legal requirement.

That’s certainly a tidier solution than many, but probably forced on them by the clamshell tailgate! One of the less tidy layouts was on the original freelander.....

[Gerard C]

I dont remember the Q7 has those additional lights when the clamshell tailgate was opened… may be because it was so hard to stop it!

[Mike Bell]

Ah, welcome back, Gerry...... Holidays over?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

I dont remember the Q7 has those additional lights when the clamshell tailgate was opened…

That's because they included the mandatory lights in the rear valance.

[Willmaz223]

Anyone else watch the Channel 5 doc about the Dreadnoughts.Fascinating. Can't imagine what it would've been like at Jutland and other battles. Wish the original images could be made to colour like what Peter Jackson did with the WW1 Programme.

For me being young you find it hard to imagine it happened with the amount of change thats happened since. Quite sad in a way but also good aswell.

Anyway enough of me for one day. Time to worry more about college.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Under the weird but not wonderful category!

Was behind a new Mini Clubman estate the other day, and came to the conclusion that the newish ruddy great light clusters on the rear facing doors was just plain ugly. But worse was to come.

When the driver applied the brakes, it transpires that the clusters don't contain the brake lights which are small stand-alone lights embedded in the rear bumper. So, instead of having the lights at a decent height to view from behind, they are fairly low.

A case of a (lack of) style over substance!

I owned one of the previous version Clubmans - the one with the daft rear opening door on the offside - I absolutely loved it! Great little car and ideal for my needs at the time. Traded it in for a Jag XF when I foolishly decided I wanted something bigger and regretted it from day one - no accounting for (my) taste I suppose.

Not sure about the current version though I must admit.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by gary396

I owned one of the previous version Clubmans - the one with the daft rear opening door on the offside - I absolutely loved it! Great little car and ideal for my needs at the time. Traded it in for a Jag XF when I foolishly decided I wanted something bigger and regretted it from day one - no accounting for (my) taste I suppose.

Not sure about the current version though I must admit.

Agree, the previous model was a good size. I always wanted a Cooper S Van version!

[midgetman]

We had a Mini Countryman that was Cooper S-ised back on the 70s. It had an MG1300 engine in, with the twin carbs, smaller bearings and closer gear ratios. In fact I learned to drive in it, at a disused airfield not far from us. I was about 11 years old I suppose.

Happy days

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Willmaz223

Anyone else watch the Channel 5 doc about the Dreadnoughts.Fascinating. Can't imagine what it would've been like at Jutland and other battles. Wish the original images could be made to colour like what Peter Jackson did with the WW1 Programme.

For me being young you find it hard to imagine it happened with the amount of change thats happened since. Quite sad in a way but also good aswell.

Anyway enough of me for one day. Time to worry more about college.

I watched it. Good stuff. Interesting comment from the US engineer on board USS Texas about the vast majority of sailors of that time would not have had electricity at home, and yet were operating one of the most technologically advanced machines know to man at that time. Must have been awe inspiring.

I have been to Scapa Flow, and colleagues of mine dived on the wreck of HMS Royal Oak, a WW2 casualty courtesy of some exceptional navigation and seamanship from the German U-Boat commander, Gunther Prien.

One thing the tv programme did not mention is that the German wrecks are one of the only sources of virtually radiation free steel in the world, and still used in a variety of medical and scientific instruments.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel

[grantp]

Originally Posted by gary396

I owned one of the previous version Clubmans - the one with the daft rear opening door on the offside - I absolutely loved it! Great little car and ideal for my needs at the time. Traded it in for a Jag XF when I foolishly decided I wanted something bigger and regretted it from day one - no accounting for (my) taste I suppose.

Not sure about the current version though I must admit.

The current clubman must be pretty close to the size of an XF.


Will BMW ever introduce a Mini Mini and head back to something closer to the original concept even if only intended as a battery powered city car?

ETA.

Via Google.

Jag XF length: 4,954 to 4,955 mm

Mini Clubman Length: 4,253 to 4,266 mm


So about 15% difference depending on which way one does the comparison calculation.