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MINI turns 51

James — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:00:16 +0000

MINI turned 51 today. The first Mini was launched to the UK public on August 26, 1959.

MINI posted the notice on its Facebook page:

MINI turns 51 years today!

How are YOU celebrating the birthday of MINI today?!

MINI designer Sir Alec Issigonis brought ‘Creative Use of Space’ into fruition with his first MINI sketches on a napkin. [...]

last MINI WC50 is produced

James — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:30:17 +0000

After nearly a year of production, the 500th of 500 MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 special editions has left the assembly line in Oxford. It is due to be shipped to a customer in Australia.

Dr Jürgen Hedrich , managing director of Mini Plant Oxford, said: “The Mini World Championship has been an interesting [...]

RSR Motorsports wins again

James — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:00:17 +0000

MINI has won back-to-back races in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge as RSR Motorsports took the checkered flag at Quebec:

Trinkler and Randy Smalley earned their second consecutive GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) victory on the 1.521-mile, 10-turn temporary street circuit, as Trinkler took the lead from Tom Long in [...]

Steelers arrive in training camp in MINI Coopers

James — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 02:30:04 +0000

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

LATROBE — The big guys have a thing for the little cars.

Last year, outside linebacker James Harrison arrived at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe for training camp driving a white SmartCar and took coach Mike Tomlin for a ride. This year, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his offensive line rolled [...]

WRC welcomes MINI

James — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:30:45 +0000

The World Rally Championship welcomes MINI back to rallying.

The Monte Carlo Rally made the Mini a legend, where it took three wins in 1964, 1965 and 1967. It really should have been four, but the team was disqualified in 1966 on a technicality, handing Citroen victory. Now the Mini drivers will get [...]

MINI in the WRC

James — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:00:19 +0000

Everything is coming together for MINI’s entry to the World Rally Championship. For 2011, the WRC is making changes to the specifications of the cars. From the WRC website:

The new World Rally cars to be used from the 2011 season will remain four-wheel drive, but will be smaller, cheaper [...]

MINI Countryman vs. Nissan Juke

James — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:30:30 +0000

Auto Express has a review of the MINI Countryman against what they call the Countryman’s “closest rival”, the Nissan Juke. Here’s some of what they say about the MINI Countryman:

Rounded-off square lights are designed to make the face more masculine, and blend with chunky looks and an aggressive take on the car’s grille.

However, next to [...]

RSR Motorsports wins the Garden State 250

James — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:00:47 +0000

RSR Motorsports won its first GRAND-AM series race in the Garden State 250 in New Jersey. The new in-house built 198 MINI Cooper S driven by Randy Smalley and Owen Trinkler got the win in the ST class.

Next, Sarah Cattaneo and VJ Mirzayan finished seventh in the 197 MINI Cooper S.

Finally, Craig Conway, Owen Trinkler, and [...]

2011 model year changes summary

James — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:00:38 +0000

From BMW Group PressClub USA:

Exterior updates

All models will have new bumper fascias, taillamp assemblies and larger foglights. There is a new Adaptive Xenon headlight option ($100), and black headlight housings are newly available for Cooper and Cooper S (no charge option). Sunroof glass tint will change from 10 percent in the previous model to 30 percent on [...]

RSR Motorsports debuts new MINI Cooper S

James — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:30:46 +0000

RSR Motorsports will debut its new, completely in-house built MINI Cooper S this weekend in the Garden State 250 in New Jersey.

The rebuilt car was completed recently under the direction of chassis engineer Jim Haaser, and the team will put the MINI through its paces during the test day at New Jersey.

“The dyno run went [...]