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MINI and ABF build the world's fastest Cooper S
Filed under: Motorsports, Tuners, Hatchbacks, MINI 
Click above for a few more shots of the ABF Performance MINI
MINIs have a long history of racing, though most of the iconic hatch's focus has been on its slot car-like handling than its prowess down the 1320. That's set to change with the collaboration between MINI and ABF Performance to create the world's quickest Cooper. How quick? In a taped performance for an upcoming episode of the show Pinks on Speed TV, the Cooper in question, which is an S model from 2002, scored a 10.48 second quarter-mile time while reaching a trap...
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Mocking the Eco-Poseury - MINI pushes the CarFun footprint
Filed under: Etc., Green, Marketing/Advertising, MINI 
High fuel prices or no, MINI offers a solid entertainment-to-efficiency ratio. The neo-teeny MINI is fun to fling around, and if you can keep your boot out of the turbocharged engine in the Cooper S, you can have your fuel economy and eat it, too. To emphasize this point, MINI is launching a new campaign focused around what it calls the Carfun Footprint, and the new ad push includes its own website and new print ads and billboards with typically clever MINI taglines. If you're curious to see how your current vehicle stacks up against the MINI's Carfun quotient, head on over...
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MINI Clubman Rickshaws running around Beijing
Filed under: China, Etc., Green, Marketing/Advertising, MINI 
Click above for more shots of the MINI Clubman Rickshaws
The rickshaw is a time-honored method of transportation in China. While the vehicles were initially pulled around by men on foot, the pedal-powered versions have grown much more popular in recent years and are a symbol of Chinese culture. When Beijing MINI needed an interesting way to communicate that the Clubman model was being introduced in Chinese, especially in light of all the media attention on the Olympics, it back-halved a slew of new Clubmans, mounted a pedicab front-end and sent them out for business.
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Final first-gen MINI convertible rolls down the line
Filed under: Car Buying, Convertibles, Plants/Manufacturing, MINI 
Click above for high-res gallery of the MINI Cooper Convertible Sidewalk
Fans of the MINI Cooper Convertible take note: the last of the first-generation R52 models has now rolled off the assembly line. The last of the breed was a Cooper S with the Sidewalk package, painted metallic White Silver. If you were hoping to get your hands on this climactic machine, don't get your hopes up -- it's already been sold. Don't fret, though, there is a good side to this story. This stoppage was all planned, of course, and it means that the line...
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VIDEO: MINI JCW has a virus
Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, MINI 
One of the apparent keys to creating a viral video is mimicking reality by showing young people attempting stunts. The main difference is that in Virals, the injuries aren't real, and the camera work is better. Oh, and the payoff is usually CG that's been fussed over, versus pimply little Johnny trying to figure out chromakey in his bedroom. MINI wants to put across the point that the Cooper S with the John Cooper Works package is more extreme than extreme. The very definition of extreme, perhaps. Extremus maxiumus. Whatever. Corralling a big-power MINI is first rate entertainment, but a lesson in how levers...
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First Drive: 2008 MINI Cooper S JCW
Filed under: Hatchbacks, MINI, First Drive 
Click above for a high resolution image
We've had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a few MINI variants, including a 2007 Cooper S and more recently a 2008 Cooper Clubman. Despite some quirky interior design cues and limited practicality, it's hard not to love the MINI for its superb handling and slick-shifting transmission. Still on our to-do list, however, was to experience some of the John Cooper Works options that were absent on our previous test cars. Fortunately we were able to schedule a short drive with a 2008 MINI Cooper S with a few select JCW options. Are the...
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JCW MINI Cabrio coming to Geneva '09
Filed under: Convertibles, Geneva Motor Show, MINI 
Click for a hi-res gallery of the JCW MINI
Step into a MINI dealership as of next spring and ask for "the works", and there'll be a new option at your disposal: the John Cooper Works MINI convertible, which Inside Line reports will be unveiled in March at the Geneva Motor Show. The drop-top Works will, by and large, share the same mechanics as the Cooper cabrio (for bodystyle) and the 208hp JCW hatchback (for go-fast bits), with the possible addition of the optional front sway bar as standard to keep the body rigid. An extra 220 pounds of weight is tipped to make...
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AutoblogGreen drives the MINI Cooper D, at 47 mpg who cares about fuel prices!
Filed under: Green, Hatchbacks, MINI 
click on the MINI Cooper D for a high-res gallery
Back in the 70s, the first great oil shock threatened to obliterate the fun in driving. This time around, that's not the case. Modern electronic management systems and highly efficient engines are allowing engineers to create drivetrains that provide outstanding fuel economy and performance. Combine those two elements with a great chassis and you can have a blast behind the wheel -- without draining your wallet or your conscience. Such was the case with AutoblogGreen, which had the opportunity to spend a few days thrashing some European unobtanium, courtesy of Bosch Automotive Systems. The...
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No new MINIs for '08? Manufacturers tapped, dealers sold out
Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Hatchbacks, MINI 
Click above for a gallery of the 2008 MINI Cooper S.
If you were planning on hitting one of the 82 U.S. MINI dealers to get your hands on a fuel-efficient Cooper or Clubman, it looks like you'll need to look at plan B. Skyrocketing fuel prices has lifted demand of the little British icons to the point that, with the except of pre-orders, all 2008 models are pretty much sold out. The MINI's cute looks and thrifty petrol-sipping discipline have made the retro hatch more attractive than ever. Year over year sales increases of 39%, 52%, and 24%...
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VIDEO: MINI Clubman vs. Go Kart
Filed under: Videos, MINI 
The MINI Clubman is everything the MINI Cooper is and more -- nine inches more. It has a passenger-side suicide door and that wide-mouth split rear gate, but everything else from its retro looks to the 172-hp turbocharged four-cylinder underhood is the same. But is it the same? Does nine inches of wheel base ruin the go kart-like handling we love so much in the MINI Cooper S? The folks over at Web Rides TV were itching to answer exactly that question, so they pitted the Mini Clubman S against a real, 9-horsepower go-kart. To give the kart a chance, the race was performed...
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