Mini Coopers are made in Oxford and they have a factory tour with a showroom of relic cars. That in itself may be interesting, but when the Terry College professor was talking about the tour at breakfast (he had taken his class there for an excursion), the best story came from another faculty member who had a friend who bought a mini cooper. As the car was being built, she began receiving emails from the car telling her about his brothers and sisters and what a good time they were having getting all their parts together. And then when the car was being shipped, she got emails about the cruise and the good time the car was having. The car emails also asked her how tall she was and what was her favorite music. When her car arrived, the seat and mirrors had been adjusted for her height and the radio stations with her music choice was already plugged in. I was enchanted. The story continues, her car sends her little gifts, like umbrellas every 3 or 4 months. And, there are events that mini cooper car owners are invited, like the movie release of the Italian Job. But when they got to the theater, they find that the mini coopers have to go through an obstacle course before they can park and go in to see the movie. It’s enough to make you want to buy one of the cars. The imagination of us professors did not stop, though, we began discussing what would happen should she sell the car. Would she get emails that said: after all the time I waited in the hot sun for you, or when you were late and I had to rush, or I waded through rain and snow for you…. We stopped because the car was becoming a bit scary. The really good news about the car and its business is that every part is paid for by the customer before the car is built. They do not build cars that have not been paid for. Hmmm, interesting business model.