Most owners try to keep their car's mileage low for subsequent resale. German Mini enthusiast Peter Kirchhoff chose the opposite path. His Mini Cooper D officially surpassed the 1 million kilometer mark, retaining its original engine.
Symbolically, the car reached this historic milestone at the Mini factory in Oxford, where it was assembled 12 years ago. The company invited the owner there to record the achievement.
Over the years, the hatchback has visited 25 countries. However, such an impressive mileage was not an accident, but part of a long-term project called Project One M. Kirchhoff set out from the very beginning to cover a million kilometers, meticulously recording all trips and technical data of the car.
What is particularly impressive is that the car has retained its original engine throughout its entire operation. According to the owner, the car also avoided serious accidents and major repairs.
For BMW and Mini, this story became a kind of demonstration of the reliability of the B47 series diesel engine. This engine replaced the earlier N47, which gained a mixed reputation due to timing chain issues. In Kirchhoff's case, the new unit proved its ability to withstand extreme loads over hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
The fuel economy figures are no less surprising. The owner claims that the average fuel consumption over the entire period of operation was only 2.95 liters per 100 kilometers. This is equivalent to approximately 80 miles per gallon by American standards.
The car itself was named Nemo due to its orange body and white stripes. However, after reaching the million-kilometer mark, the project does not end. The owner's next goal is one million miles, or over 1.6 million kilometers.
However, even such a result will not allow the Mini to become an absolute record holder. The legendary Volvo P1800 of American Irv Gordon covered over 5.2 million kilometers in its lifetime and is still considered one of the most famous record-breaking cars in the world.
Nevertheless, Kirchhoff's story once again reminds us: with proper maintenance, modern cars are capable of serving significantly longer than commonly believed.
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