Well, I did it – I just plunked down a deposit on a 2011 John Cooper Works MINI Clubman.  Am I excited?  Um…. YEAH!!  Since it’s being built to my specs in Oxford, it will take six to eight weeks to arrive, which will work out perfectly since that’s just about the time we get back from Australia.  Here’s what it will look like:

(click to enlarge the images)

Yes, it’s very similar to the Cooper S Clubman that I hoped to get a couple of years ago, but it will be even better.  The John Cooper Works version has a more powerful engine, larger brakes, and more of a sport tuned suspension than the S has.  This car is going to be so much fun – the only problem could be that the other toys may end up being even more neglected than they are now.  Such a dilema…  🙂

[2/12/2011, 5:32PM] UPDATE: Bummer – I found out that there was a production delay – the car won’t actually be scheduled for production until March 10th, which means that I won’t get it until the end of April.  😦