cooper

MINI USA has released the listing of 2018 model year pricing and equipment updates. Following are the equipment updates and pricing by model.

Our video of the week this go-round features  a couple fast Minis at Jay Leno’s Garage. Well, I should say a fast Mini and an outrageously fast oh-my-lord-what-was-that Mini.  The show is presented, with Jay Leno, by Graham Reid of the Heritage Garage garage out in California. Graham Reid takes Jay for a ride in his vintage Mini Cooper. I you are into Minis, or any of the derivatives, you owe it to yourself to check out Heritage Garage. They carry a great supply of Mini parts and pieces – including racing and tuning trinkets that are quite hard to come by. Plus they really seem to know their stuff. For those of you who are not familiar with Jay Leno’s Garage, here is the official blurb… ‘After retiring from his perch atop the late-night TV ratings in 2014, comedian […]

One of the most exciting and interactive events dedicated to the most iconic small car in Britain is set to return to the calendar in 2016, with Mini World Live promising to be even bigger and better than the show’s debut earlier this year. Mini World Live to take place at Rockingham Motor Speedway on July 10, 2016 The initial event was deemed a great success, attracting hundreds of beautifully restored classics, modified performance cars and the UK’s leading Mini specialists and experts to Rockingham Motor Speedway. 

History repeated itself last weekend as the JD Classics-owned 1954 Cooper T33 took a class win at the Brighton Speed Trials, just as it did at the same event sixty years ago. The latest victory adds even more heritage to the Cooper’s already-impressive competition history. The Brighton Speed Trials have been running since 1905, and in the 1955 event the Cooper T33’s original owner Cyril Wick competed in his car, setting the fastest time for sports cars over 2501cc. This year, JD Classics Managing Director Derek Hood took the Cooper T33 back to Madeira Drive in Brighton for the latest running of the Speed Trials. Damp roads and more than 90 competitors made for a hotly contested event but the dominant Cooper easily came out on top of its class with a top speed of 106mph and a fastest time […]

As the latest addition to the MINI family, the new Clubman, unveiled today, has grown up in both size and maturity compared to its predecessor launched in 2007. Completely redesigned and engineered from the ground up, the new MINI Clubman features premium quality and craftsmanship in every detail, creating a sleek and sophisticated interpretation of the brand’s iconic style. In fact, for the first time since the Clubman name was introduced in 1969, the new MINI Clubman has been developed as a separate model from the iconic MINI Cooper Hardtop, taking the legendary MINI sporting feel into a larger class of vehicle. The new MINI Clubman continues in the tradition of renowned British estate cars, offering a rare combination of passenger comfort and elegant styling while being fun to drive.

A selection of iconic racing cars rarely seen on the open market will be available in the competition car-only Silverstone Auctions sale held ahead of the Silverstone Classic on 23 July 2015. For the first time since its conception in 2011, Silverstone Auctions has introduced a stand-alone Competition Car Sale. Due to the unprecedented demand and appeal of historic racing cars and the increased demand of Silverstone Classic, the auction house have introduced a dedicated racing car-only sale on 23 July. The event will complement the two main classic car sales over 24-26* July.

There is no way to talk about British cars without talking about the Mini, and who would want to? For our Video of the Week this time we turn to a History of the Mini from the “Great Cars” series. The short film covers the history of Sir Alec Issigonis’s design from beginning to end and even goes so far as to venture into new MINI territory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTdcJvST3I4 This is a wonderful video in that it not only captures the mood of the 1950s in which the Mini was developed, but also the 1960s when the diminutive car came into its own. The video continues to follow the development, or lack thereof, all the way through the 70s and 80s up to the very end. You can see how the Mini affected everything from racing to culture to fashion and was […]

Mini has celebrated the two millionth car rolling off the production line with prime minister David Cameron driving the vehicle at the car’s Oxfordshire plant. The iconic British vehicle began production ten years ago following a successful relaunch and a large amount of public anticipation. Over 1.5 million cars have been exported by Mini, owned by BMW, while the company’s latest expansion plans to cater for the latest generation of the vehicles takes it total UK investment to £1.5 billion. “The two millionth Mini to be made here in Oxford is a fantastic symbol of the UK’s strength in the global automotive industry,” said the prime minister, adding that the car represents a great British manufacturing success story. Frank-Peter Arndt, BMW board member responsible for production, added: “The most essential factors in the success of Mini are the skills, passion […]

According to AutoEvolution.com, despite being ideal vehicles for hairdressers and looking like retro hatchbacks, we actually like the cars that MINI makes. However, there’s always that nagging thought in the back of our minds that they are as British as a bratwurst. There’s still hope though, as MINI recently announced a big investment plan in its plant in Oxford, UK to prepare for production of its third-generation Cooper model, a test mule of which was recently spotted while undergoing road trials. The new model, will be based on a new front-wheel drive platform dubbed UKL, which will be used by BMW for its own range of entry-level hatchbacks. A new Cooper isn’t the only kind of ammo that MINI has ready to load, as the company boss Norbert Reithoffer has revealed to What Car? that a 10 model lineup is […]