Friday MINI invited MotoringFile for rare glimpse inside their corporate headquarters in Munich. Known as the ‘MINI House’ inside BMW, the building is a nondescript in almost every way except for the MINI type and black facade on the front. We were invited here (along with a couple other handpicked journalists (Edmunds, Autoweek and Cool Hunting) as the first outsiders to see the inside the building – the inside of MINI. The day before we had wondered throughout the basement corridors of BMW with seemingly light security. New 1 and 3 series models were parking and driving around and there seemed to be a relaxed attitude to us being there. At MINI things were different. The first step? I was told I had to surrender my passport. Clearly there will be no snapping a few pics and running for it. So cameras and mobile phones away I reluctantly gave it up and headed inside. As we talked around the corner and into the building I noticed one empty spot for the head of MINI Dr. Armbretch – undoubtedly doing important things elsewhere in the BMW empire. Walking into the building we quickly turned left and headed down a hallway. It’s probably a lot like the hallway in your office except conference rooms had names like Clubman and Traveller. Inside each of the conference rooms were nothing but large tables, polycoms and white boards. You can just imagine the discussions and decisions made here. Once we got to the end we entered the a large room that spanned the entire width of the building. In it were prototype dealer layouts (a new bar-like layout that mimics a kitchen setting), a bar prominently featuring Red Bull, ambient lighting, new accessories, apparel, and at one end, a long table. This was the place where strategic brand and product decisions are made. The journey had ended – I was is the heart of MINI. Please see http://www.motoringfile.com/2011/02/27/inside-the-mini-house/ for the rest of the story.