Mini Delights For Drivers

Balloons, food and drinks. ... Welcome to Corte Madera, Coopers.

Mini of Marin opened its doors Wednesday to a festive atmosphere. The spotlight was, of course, on the cars, but the guest of honor might have been Jay, who bought the first Cooper at the new dealership. It was a base model in racing green.

"He's a longtime Mini owner and he wanted to be the first client at our new dealership," general manager Joe Thomer said of Jay, a Napa resident.

Mini takes over the Paradise Drive site which had been the longtime home to the Marin Honda dealership after more than a year of planning and construction. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13, at 11 a.m.

Even as curious car shoppers wandered around the gleaming showroom, a hauler loaded with fresh Minis pulled up to the dealership. Corte Madera, the 111th Mini dealer in the United States, will be one of the first to get a shipment of the brand new Mini Roadster convertibles, due to be released in two weeks.

"This is a great car community," Thomer said. "This is a great place for us. ... We're going to work to be a full-service dealership."

The dealership also has a little star power behind it: Roger Penske.

"Everything Roger does is first-class. He put a lot of himself into this dealership," Thomer said of his boss. Penske's name is inseperable from the auto world. At one time or another, a Penske product has probably been under the hood of all our cars.

He's most famous for his trips to the winner's circle at the race track, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His drivers will be at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway for both the NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 and the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

Corte Madera Mayor Bob Ravasio ackowledged at Tuesday's meeting that the Town Council has been eagerly awaiting this day. The dealership is expected to be a big boost to the town's economy.