Poor old BMW. It was all going so well, the orders were flooding in and everyone loved the new Mini. Then BANG! Almost literally, as sparks flew when fuel nozzle met filler neck, risking a nasty explosion. A hasty recall was arranged so that dealers could fit a part to earth the offending item. No problem ΂- a quick visit to the local dealer and the mod was soon fitted so normal service could resume. With just 500 cars on the UK's roads at the time of the recall, the fuss was all over before it really started.

The novelty value of having a Mini outside the office hasn't worn off yet and, despite covering 1756 miles this month, I'm yet to see another on the road. I think that'll change come November when RHD production gets into full swing.

The only glitch this month has been a strange resonance coming from the exhaust. It sounds as if the pipe is touching the body somewhere it shouldn't and it's getting worse as the mileage builds. We'll get it investigated before the first service.

Now it's fully run-in, the engine gets a serious workout every journey. It's smooth and torquey but does get a little breathless as the revs rise. There's little point chasing to the red line in every gear as power starts to tail off around 6000rpm, yet cross-country times are still superb thanks to the terrific chassis.

Our car is the current ultimate spec ΂- Cooper with 'Sports Pack Plus' no less ΂- so it has the same spring and damper settings as next year's 160bhp Cooper S. Trouble is, the engine in our car just doesn't have the grunt to exploit the suspension's brilliance. Help is on the way, however, in the form of factory-approved tuning kits that will push the power up to 135-140bhp. They'll be launched in November this year under the 'John Cooper Works' brand name and the good news is that they can be retro-fitted to current cars like ours.

Next month our Mini gets its new interior, which is being applied by Classic Car Services in Leicester (0116 268 2607). At the moment they specialise in leather interiors for BMWs but can see a new market in Mini re-trims thanks to the dubious quality of the factory-fitted leather in current cars.

All will be revealed next month.