Mini Sleigh Ride Through Lapland

A Rallying Ride Propelled By 306 Horsepower

There must be something about the training conditions of their Finnish homeland to have spawned two of the best drivers who ever took the wheel on the rally tracks of this world. Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen from Finland acquired the sensitive touch in their hands and feet driving on deserted roads through Lapland that were usually already covered in snow by late autumn, and sometimes also on frozen lakes. Later on, the rally drivers were to benefit from this experience when they were battling in a fight for seconds during rally competitions. Mini has particularly special associations with the two “Flying Finns”. In 1965 and 1967 respectively, Mäkinen and Aaltonen won the second and third overall victory driving the classic Mini Cooper S in the Monte Carlo Rally.

Right from the start, you can sense that sporty driving in Lapland requires a special skill set, even when travelling on a winter road trip in a modern model like the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman. The power of 225 kW/306 hp under the engine bonnet demands sensitive use of the accelerator pedal, while the all-wheel-drive takes over high-precision distribution of the beefy drive torque between the front and rear wheels. And if high spirits take over, dynamic stability control keeps things calm.