Mini Cooper
Gear: Mini Releases Union Jack Sneaker
Mini’s Lifestyle Collection has expanded to include the Union Jack Sneakers. These high-top canvas shoes are trimmed with the pattern of the British Flag, and even feature the Union Jack in the tread on the sole. The right shoe features the words “Beat The Street” in the insole.
First Look: Mini Cooper Coupe
We’ve just gotten our first official look at the newest member of the growing Mini family. The Mini Cooper Coupe represents a return to basics, with a sporty two-seat layout instead of the two hardly usable seats found in the hardtop.
Facebook List: Your Top 10 Favorite Summer Cars
Yep, summer has officially started, which means that if you haven’t made some serious driving plans yet, you had better get a move on. We asked our Facebook fans to tell us which cars they thought were the very best for driving during the warm months. The answers were mostly convertible based, which is good, but a few, inspiring coupes snuck in for good measure, too.
Base Versus Loaded: 2012 Fiat 500
Earlier, we explored the difference between the base model Mini Cooper S and a fully loaded version, and found that we could more than double the car’s starting price. The Fiat 500, while still available with a fair number of ways to boost the price, doesn’t even come close in terms of expensive add-ons.
Base Versus Loaded: 2011 Mini Cooper S
We love the Mini Cooper S as a budget driver’s car. It’s quick, communicative, eager to rotate, and economical. But the budget goes out the window when we start playing with the manufacturer’s configuration tool. With the oodles of packages and accessories, we managed to make our Cooper S more costly in options alone than the price of the base car. Have a look.
First Look: 2012 Mini Cooper S Inspired By Goodwood
Does $400,000 seem just a bit too dear for that shiny new Phantom you spotted at your local Rolls-Royce dealership? We thought so. Thankfully, Mini, Rolls-Royce’s corporate brother and countryman (no pun intended) has an excellent way of delivering the luxury afforded by the Spirit of Ecstasy in a slightly more affordable package. It’s called the Mini Goodwood.
Geneva 2011: Mini Rocketman Concept
Mini has announced that is will be showing the Mini Rocketman Concept this week at the Geneva Motor Show. The 3+1-seater features three doors and a flexible use of space.
Driven: 2012 Fiat 500 Sport
The success of BMW’s Mini brand in the US (about 45K units sold in North America in 2010—a record number) has relied heavily on selling the notion that the cars fit into the “premium” category, despite their small size. That’s significant because we Americans have long had difficulty reconciling the fact that a small car needn’t always be a very cheap car. Fiat seems to understand this market position pretty well, if we’re to judge by the US-specification 500s that we drove in sunny San Diego.
Driven: 2011 Year In Review(s)
2011 has been a busy year in the Winding Road offices, with auto shows, new model launches, and the usual comings and goings of the automotive industry filling the virtual pages of our website. Even with all the activity, there has been a near-constant stream of automobiles filtering in and out of our parking lot, giving us no shortage of vehicular material to write about.
Mini Announces Hampton Special Edition For Mini Clubman
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Morris Mini Traveller, ancestor to the Clubman, Mini is launching a Hampton special edition of the Mini Clubman through the new Mini Yours personalization program.
Detroit 2011: Mini Paceman Concept
Mini Paceman—all of the all-wheel drive ability of the Mini Coutryman, but with only half of the doors. BMW’s “Sports Activity Coupe” language is filtering down to the Brit brand, it seems, though we must admit that the Paceman is rather handsome.
Mini Previews Paceman Concept Ahead Of Detroit Debut
Mini has dished the details and photos for the Paceman Concept ahead of its official debut at the North American International Auto Show next month in Detroit.
Forgotten Racing Heroes: Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno Aaltonen, a name very few people have heard, was a World Rally Championship driver, who just so happens to also be credited for inventing left foot braking. Known as “The Rally Professor,” Aaltonen was born in January 1938, in Turku, Finland. He is regarded as one of the first of the famous “Flying Finns” and started rallying in 1956 at the age of 18.
Blog: Honda CR-Z—The Second, Purpose-Built Greenformance Car Arrives
The Honda CR-Z arrives at dealers this week, which seemed a fitting time to give another perspective on this interesting car. Having driven the CR-Z in and around San Francisco, we opted this time to try it in the Midwest on the flatter and more pockmarked roads between Chicago and central Wisconsin (the American Le Mans series was visiting Road America, so we chose that as a suitable destination).
Mini Launches New Line Of Branded Luggage
Furthering its claim as the automotive brand that most willing to totally takeover the lives (and discretionary income) of its owner base, Mini has just announced a comprehensive new line of branded luggage.
Secondhand Gems: $40,000 Four Seat Convertables
Once upon a time, topless cars came in all shapes and sizes, and by that we mean all sizes. At 4500 pounds and sporting a wheelbase of 130 inches, the gloriously finned 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible was just a few inches behind a modern full size pickup truck in size. Its convertible top used enough canvas to cover a mobile home, and four people could fit comfortably in the back seat alone, never mind the wide bench up front and the endless trunk space out back. That was a convertible—drop the top, load up the family, the dog, the neighbors, and your in-laws, and head out for a day of windburns and suntans.
I Want To Go Racing: Getting Started
Racing is something that people tend to think is expensive or only for professionals. Well, truth be told, it’s not. For interested beginners, all that’s really needed is the entrance fee to your local motorsports venue in your pocket and your daily driver. You don’t need any kind of racing experience for many events and you don’t need a sports car (although having one can make events so much more fun).
Mini Teams With Prodrive For WRC Return
While Mini has a storied history in rallying, winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times back in the 1960’s, the Anglo-German brand has been less active in the racing scene since its relaunch in 2001. Mini is looking to change that, announcing that it will pair with David Richards’ Prodrive team for a return to rallying in 2011.
Throw Down: Mazda RX-8 R3 Stands All
We were recently lucky enough to have Mazda’s RX-8 R3 in the Winding Road office for a week. Truly touched by the car’s utter brilliance for a relatively small sum of money, Editorial Director Tom Martin declared that he could justify the Mazda’s abilities versus any sporting car on sale today.
Ask It: 2010 Mini Cooper Camden Edition
We have just taken delivery a 2010 Mini Cooper with the Camden package. One of two special editions celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the original Mini, the Camden offers unique White Silver metallic paint, seventeen-inch wheels, white interior trim, and white leather/cloth seats.
Driven: 2011 Mini Countryman Cooper S
Well, here we go again, leaping into another car company’s grand attempt to expand the niche into which we’ve niched it. Okay, Mini has definitely also niched itself, but we humans do have a habit of insisting companies can’t change much or we’ll get really angry and whatnot.
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