Midnight on the A708 - first test of the Mini..

Its 12:30am and I am rolling out of Moffatt onto one of the best roads in the country, a personal top five road, thirty perfect miles, the A702 St Mary’s Loch special. My Elise and I know this road very well indeed. In fact one summer evening a few years ago I had my perfect night drive along here, roof down and in the pitch black I got absorbed in giving it everything. But I am not in the Lotus tonight, no between here and Selkirk it is judgement time for my new company car, my little ugly/girls/gay (delete as appropriate) Mini Clubman D.

I chose this car against everyone else’s better judgement. Since ordering it my sexuality and my eyesight have both been brought into question and some think I have lost my mind, but my criteria for this latest choice was simple, It had to be cheap to run, spec’d nicely (leather, nav etc.) and I wanted something to make me smile on nights like this, i.e. at midnight, when the roads are empty and its just me and the car. So I chose a mini, rumour had it they handled quite nicely.

Back to the present, mood lighting is set to blue, sat nav is glowing, full beam is on, sport button is pushed, time to put some rubber on the road and find out if I have gone crazy…

Well the next thirty miles gets split into four parts, 1) the first few miles are very poorly surfaced, undulating and quite narrow. The mini struggles with the surface and I have to hold on tight, we are airborne on a couple of occasions but the narrowness of the car and the fact it is dark means I can push on a bit, any enjoyment being countered by misery if I am in the wrong gear exiting a corner – as expected there is not enough power to be lazy.

the run up to the county line.

Part two starts around the Great mare’s tail car park with the great section of road up the narrow valley (think hill on one side and Armco on the other) to the country line. I fly up here and over the top to the long winding section down to and by the loch itself. Done mainly in 4^th and 5^th the car feels really good along here, excellent steering and nicely balanced through the long corners, and the engine is keeping up no probs.

Then into the more twisty section (part three) and I start to get frustrated, I am struggling to make smooth progress and corner entry to exit is not done in one fluid motion – I am struggling to put my finger on the issue.. so I start to push on harder and really hustle the car. Things now get really entertaining and it feels like it can handle the abuse, standing it on its nose, launching it into tight forested bends, and burying the engine down the next straight. Huge fun but this isn’t turning in to a top ten night drive of my life scenario.

Part four, I reach the last few miles into Selkirk and there are a few properties around so I ease down and suddenly realise how tired I am, I have been presenting at work all day, been to an evening do in Liverpool and am on the arse end of a 200mile drive.. –there’s a dodgy humpback bridge up ahead somewhere and I can’t quite remember where - a foggy mind has arrived. The roads are also wet and leafy so I cruise and consider what I have learned about this car. Handling is great, steering is great, but those downshifts need something.. hmm perhaps heal and toe is required. Next week in Wales should give some answers.