MINI News
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Electric-folding soft tops have become the norm in convertibles over the past few years, where they haven't been replaced by complex power hard tops, but MINI is going back to basics for its upcoming Roadster two-seater, according to the latest reports. The news is a bit surprising given MINI's premium placement in the small-car market, but it's refreshing at the same time. Using a manual folding top saves weight and complexity, meaning the car can be less expensive, perform better, and still have the same basic level of functionality. There are a few other cars on the market that still use...
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2012 MINI Coupe John Cooper Works Spy Shots
The MINI family is already growing, and it's soon to gain two new members: the Coupe and Roadster. We'll have to wait a few months yet to see the Coupe later this summer, and a whole year for the Roadster, but these spy shots show MINI is well on the way to delivering a hot version of the...
Nelson Ireson -
One-Off MINI Red Mudder By DSQUARED² Auctioned At 2011 Life Ball
Canadian twins, Dean and Dan Caten, better known as the designer duo DSQUARED², have finally presented the MINI Countryman crossover they designed exclusively for the 2011 Life Ball, a charity event held annually in Vienna in support of HIV and AIDS research that took place this past weekend...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 MINI Roadster Spy Shots
It's hard to believe that it's been nearly two years since the MINI Coupe and Roadster concepts (pictured below) were unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show. Production is already gearing up, however, and today we have some new spy shots of the upcoming 2012 MINI Roadster in testing, this time at...
Nelson Ireson -
2012 MINI Coupe Spy Shots
Earlier this week we brought you some of the first spy shots of the 2012 MINI Coupe JCW, and now we have the model it's based on: the standard Coupe. Even the Coupe spied here bears the inlet on the hood marking a turbocharged engine, however, potentially leaving the door open that this is the...
Nelson Ireson -
MINI WRC Driver Sordo Sits Sixth After Day 1
MINI's return to the World Rally Championship is already underway this weekend in Sardinia, Italy, and so far--aside from a few hitches--it's going well. Dani Sordo and co-driver Carlos del Barrio are currently in sixth place after the first eight stages, with an eye toward a fifth place finish...
Nelson Ireson -
Most readers would recognize the Goodwood name as either being the home of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, an annual event in the UK that draws the latest in supercars and British motorsport personalities, or the home of luxury automaker Rolls-Royce. Soon the Goodwood name may be recognized for another reason as according to a new report MINI is looking to use the name to mark a new range of bespoke customized models. Like the current John Cooper Works (JCW) performance branding for MINI, the Goodwood name would serve as the luxury branding. According to an inside source, the MINI Inspired by...
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MINI Connected 'Enhances Driving Fun' With Social Networking
Cheeky styling and endless personalization options already mark out the MINI as a fun and sociable vehicle, but now a new App from MINI called MINI Connected will give drivers, in MINI's words, "an even more intense experience of limitless driving fun". Normally for this sort of experience you'd be...
Antony Ingram -
Hope For Saab Yet? 9-1 Compact Could Use MINI Platform
To gearheads, the turbulent times Swedish carmaker Saab is facing really pulls at the heart strings. It's one of an elite group of makers that real car enthusiasts like to know is around, even if they wouldn't buy the products themselves. Having had its personality and vitality steadily eroded...
Antony Ingram -
BMW Reveals Downsized 3 Cylinder Engine, U.S-Bound?
Home of the Ultimate Driving Machine and bringer of Joy to drivers, BMW has revealed its latest powerplant and to the casual observer or diehard enthusiast neither corporate phrase sits very easily with the new engine. The reason? It's a 3-cylinder, and it's low capacity. Buyers in Europe are used...
Antony Ingram -
MINI Inspired By Goodwood Preview: 2011 Shanghai Auto Show
On the surface, the respective MINI and Rolls-Royce brands appear to be worlds apart; one sells small, relatively affordable hatchbacks targeted at hip youngsters, while the other is steeped in tradition, costs a fortune to own and is all about big, brazen sedans oozing luxury. Delve a little...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI WRC Team Gets Official Launch In Oxford
Since the first hintings of the return of the MINI name to the world stage of rallying last July, right up through to the testing stages and constant teasing, we have longed to know what form MINI’s efforts for the World Rally Championship (WRC) would take, and now we finally know. The new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
You already know MINI will be back in WRC this year, testing at a limited number of events ahead of a full push for the 2012 season. One of these events was this past weekend’s Rally dell’Adriatico in Italy where the John Cooper Works backed MINI S2000 rally car stormed to victory at the hands of Andrea Navarra and co-driver Simona Fedeli. The two were piloting the Regional Rally Car version of the MINI run by the well-known Grifone team. Navarra led from the start to the finish of the rally, which kicks off the Italian Gravel Championship, based on Italy’s Adriatic coast...
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BMW M Boss Kay Segler To Head MINI
MINI may soon get a kick in the performance department with news emerging today that the boss of BMW M, Dr. Kay Segler, will be responsible for MINI brand management starting from May 1. Segler, 56, has overlooked the development of several key M division models including the recently revealed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Radio Control? Old News! Phones Are Where It's At
Before the advent of video games and thousands of cars stunningly recreated in high polygon models on hundreds of detailed race tracks, we used to use a little thing known as imagination and a little suspension of disbelief to get virtual racing thrills. Diecast cars were at the bottom of the tree...
Antony Ingram -
Video: Remembering Elizabeth Taylor And Her Sunbeam Alpine
As a celebrity blog, it would be hard to ignore the death of one of the biggest stars of the 20th century -- and we're not: Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. Millennials and younger folk may not know much of Taylor. By the time they were born, she was best known as a friend and defender...
Richard Read -
New Jersey Police Get MINI Cooper As New Patrol Car
We’ve seen plenty of special police cars in the past, including a Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 and even an impounded Dodge Viper, but the latest is just too cute to ignore. BMW has this week presented the Woodcliff Lake police department in New Jersey with a brand new MINI Cooper. The...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: MINI's Return To World Rally In 2 Minutes
You already know MINI will be back in WRC this year, testing at a limited number of events ahead of a full push for the 2012 season. Here's the view from inside the company on what it means to throw gravel with the MINI badge. With this years adoption of the cost-saving Super 2000 rules for...
Nelson Ireson -
The Geneva Motor Show is one of the top auto shows each year for new cars, concepts and car technology, and 2011 was no exception. Under the shining lights and amongst the glamorous girls were some pretty hot ideas and cool technology, so here we've chosen our favorite gadgets, details and tech from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Mazda's Sky engines Possibly the most traditional technology to start off our list, Mazda had a small range of their new Sky engines on display. Perhaps not the most exciting pieces of technology at the show, but certainly an important development for internal...
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BMW Exec Hints At MINI Rocketman Production
MINI’s string of recent concept cars have a tradition of heading straight to production, except for perhaps the rugged Beachcomber, which was deemed too unsafe for the real world due to its lack of doors. With the unveiling of the latest MINI Rocketman concept, we could soon have yet another...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI Rocketman Concept Live Photos: 2011 Geneva Motor Show
Positioned as a curious "3+1" seater with three doors and a scant 10-foot overall length, the 2011 MINI Rocketman concept is one MINI that’s actually mini. It’s currently only a design study, though it certainly looks like it could be promoted to the big leagues if the reception is warm...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI Rocketman Concept debuts at 2011 Geneva auto show
Leaks, teasers, previews...the Geneva Motor Show is gearing up to a fever pitch this year, and MINI wants to be part of the action. Its entrant to the concept category? The MINI Rocketman Concept. Positioned as a curious "3+1" seater with three doors and a scant 10-foot overall length, the...
Nelson Ireson -
MINI WRC Hits Up Rallye Monte Carlo Alongside Classic Mini Rally Car
Monte Carlo is one of the classic homes of rally racing, and the original Mini was no stranger to its wiles. The new MINI WRC isn't, either, now that the two have shown off at the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique. Posed beside its forerunner, the new MINI WRC looks gargantuan, despite being based on...
Nelson Ireson -
MINI Unveils Clubman Hampton To Kick Off New MINI Yours Personalization Program
MINI is launching a new personalization program called MINI Yours, which will essentially offer customers a range of different options to configure their car exactly how they want it. Customers will be able to choose from a large selection of exterior paint finishes, light-alloy wheels, upholstery...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran