So, you may be asking yourself, who the heck is URBAN MINI? URBAN MINI is simply one guy’s vision of amazingly cool parts that MINI never made. One amazingly hip, devastatingly good-looking guy with oodles of technical geekery, that is (I in no way wrote this part myself).

The original spark for URBAN MINI was begun way, way back in 2001 as the new MINI first came to market. I immediately started playing with the online configurator and my brain began to burn with cool parts and accessories that were either needed or missed by MINI itself.

As it happens, I had a clunker of a Volvo that refused to die and despite how much I wanted to ditch it and buy a MINI, I really love the old 240's, so I had to put the MINI off for a bit. In the mean time, I obsessively followed the brand, joined the forums, read MotoringFile.com daily and listened to the WhiteRoofRadio podcast every week. Lucky for you all, my trusty steed eventually croaked in a most spectacular way and paved the way for....

.....a spanking new 2007 R56 S parked in my garage!!! Yay, finally! After that new car smell started to wear off, I dusted off some of the old designs and got to work making this dream a reality.

With delusions of grandeur and world domination in mind, I set about starting URBAN MINI as an actual company in the summer of 2008. Of course, being laid off from my day job in no way influenced this decision. After untold hours in front of a computer aided design program, months of website development, a couple more gray hairs and a minty pack of gum later, URBAN MINI is now a reality.

Located in the heart of downtown San Francisco, I'm now able to bring my ideas to you, the MINI addicted, via this fun-filled series tubes and pipes called the internet.

- James

A LITTLE HISTORY

James Irmiger

James is a lifelong designer, tinkerer, and automotive enthusiast who turned his first wrench with his dad somewhere around age 10. As the son of an Industrial Education Teacher and a Computer Systems Analyst, his natural progression towards all things mechanical and computer was somewhat of a no-brainer.

Born in Germany but raised in Wisconsin, he's a private pilot, competitive sailor, has attended four different colleges and universities studying Aeronautical Science and Architecture, has traveled the globe, and has a far-reaching devotion to world cuisine. James has spent most of his professional career in business management with brief stints in everything from boat cleaning to foundry work. He freelances in web design and, of course, both designs for, and owns, Urban Mini.

James currently lives in San Francisco, California, with his wife Rose, a slightly psychotic Greyhound, a Rottweiler mutt obsessed with humping, and a female cat named Klaus. Oh, and don't mention to him that he's now over 40, he's still adjusting :)