Section: Best of the Web

JCW Xtreme Catapulting Commercial

Sections: Best of the Web, JCW, Video Jul 21st, 2008 8 Comments

Here is a good way to start the week.

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New Cell Phone Ban takes affect in WA & CA

Sections: Best of the Web, Safety Jul 2nd, 2008 20 Comments

Washington and California joined the ranks of about 30 other states yesterday banning the use of cellular phones while driving.

The new laws are almost identical in both states, with California having stiffer rules for those under 18 and Washington having a total ban on text messaging too (since Jan 1).

The good lads at Jalopnik did a great break down of the new laws in both states.

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Mini MINIs

Sections: Best of the Web, Marketing, Video Jun 7th, 2008 3 Comments

For the kid in all of us, ThinkGeek is now selling thumb-sized R/C MINI Coopers.

With the current fuel crisis forcing people into smaller and smaller vehicles and spelling impending doom for society as we know it… we figured it was a perfect time to offer these Thumb-Size R/C Mini Coopers. Their all-electric engines run off of button type batteries and are very fuel efficient. Hey… they can’t carry much groceries in the trunk, but they do feature full control with forward/reverse and right/left turning… plus the remote looks like a tiny cellphone. Take that high gas prices!

Just watch these little guys go!

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Friday Video Fun: Launching a Mini

Sections: Best of the Web, Video Jun 6th, 2008 8 Comments

In celebration of Top Gear returning June 22nd, let’s re-live one of the finer moments from past seasons. Like this fine example when Jeremy, James and Richard strap some skiis and rockets on a Classic Mini and send it down a ski ramp at Lillehammer.

Are you bored?

Sections: Best of the Web, Marketing, R56 May 23rd, 2008 1 Comment

Face it, we know you are. You are stuck at work on a Friday with nothing to do, really, except find things to kill time until the clock strikes quittin’ time! Luckily for you, MINI has your back.

MINI.co.uk has come up with a very clever site called Banboredom.com. You pick a site or upload an image, wait a few seconds and the next thing you know, an R56 is racing down a tunnel, into an arena full of cheering fans as you go up a ramp, thru the boring and down the other side, skidding gracefully to a stop. Full video after the jump.

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Agent Provocateur MINI Clubman at the Lifeball

Sections: Best of the Web, R55 May 23rd, 2008 3 Comments

The MINI Clubman by Agent Prococateur got a bit naughty last week at the Life Ball. From Jalopnik.

Those pictures we showed you of the Agent Provocateur Mini Clubman merely suggested naughtiness with their stocking-themed paint job and expressions like “You’re Going Down.” At the “Life Ball” event this weekend, which raises money for AIDS-related causes, the Mini Clubman was on hand and things went from the suggestion of naughtiness to the real deal.

Many more pictures, including some that, ahem, are a bit risque, can be found by following the link below.

[ Agent Provocateur MINI Clubman Gets Naughtier ] Jalopnik.com

MINIUSA.com now featuring JCW

Sections: Best of the Web, JCW, Marketing, R55, R56 May 22nd, 2008 50 Comments

For reals. You can now build out your own JCW R56 or R55.

Or, save it for Friday when you are looking for a way to pass time in the office.

Thanks Eysmahn for the tip!

How Safe is the MINI?

Sections: Best of the Web, R56, Safety May 21st, 2008 38 Comments

We know how safe our cars are. We’ve read the reports and seen the data. It’s a point that we take great pride in. Even to the point of extolling the safety features of our cars anytime someone makes the “I-wouldn’t-feel-safe-in-that” comment. But just how safe is a MINI? From Minifinity.com via AUSmotive.com.

Yikes! Images of this R56 MINI Cooper S rollover have recently surfaced on the Minifinity.com internet forum. The accident happened in Malaysia and, while details of the moments leading up the incident are only speculation, there has been an alledged eye witness report stating the driver and passenger walked away with no serious injuries.

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The Mini Clubman Chateau

Sections: Best of the Web, R55 May 19th, 2008 17 Comments

A few of your sent in this very interesting looking Clubman. From the Winding Road blog.

The Chateau offers a clutter of weird wood trim pieces, including side-view mirror surrounds that look for all the world like the polished halves of coconuts. Exterior non-woody surfaces are finished in iridescent brown and gold paint, creating a very 1970’s rec room vibe. But perhaps the strangest addition to the Chateau Clubman is the retro-fitted shockproof wine cellar in the back, capable of transporting your favorite vino undisturbed wherever you need to go.

Only a dozen are being made and I couldn’t find any information on the cost. Sure looks nice though.

[ MINI Clubman Chateau by Aznom ] Windingroad.com

Sunday Video Fun: CTS-V at the ‘Ring

Sections: Best of the Web, Video May 18th, 2008 26 Comments

Sneaking this one in on a Sunday because it is very cool! Don’t tell Gabe, ok?

What we have here is a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V running laps on the ‘Ring Faster than any other production sedan has. Ever. 7:59.32 to be exact. Perhaps you would like some proof?

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Used Car Market flooded with SUVs?

Sections: Best of the Web, Efficiency May 17th, 2008 38 Comments

As we mentioned last week, we Americans are doing what we can to get out of those huge gas guzzling SUVs and into smaller, more fuel effecient cars. This from Boston.com

The sale of new SUVs and pickup trucks has dropped precipitously in recent months amid soaring gas prices and a weakening economy: SUV sales for the month of April alone fell 32.3 percent from a year earlier and small car sales rose 18.6 percent. This fundamental shift comes against a backdrop of relentless gas increases, and growing concerns over the environment and US oil consumption, according to auto analysts and car dealers.

“The SUV craze was a bubble and now it is bursting,” said George Hoffer, an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University whose research focuses on the automotive industry. “It’s an irrational vehicle. It’ll never come back.”

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Gas Prices Driving Buyers to Smaller Cars

Sections: Best of the Web, Efficiency May 8th, 2008 21 Comments

A great article via the Paper of record. It would seem that those SUV drivers are really getting tired of having to swipe their credit cards twice to fill up their tanks.

In what industry analysts are calling a first, about one in five vehicles sold in the United States was a compact or subcompact car during April, based on monthly sales data released Thursday. Almost a decade ago, when sport utility vehicles were at their peak of popularity, only one in every eight vehicles sold was a small car.

Amazing stats. Oh, but there’s more.

Sales of Toyota’s subcompact Yaris increased 46 percent, and Honda’s tiny Fit had a record month. Ford’s compact Focus model jumped 32 percent in April from a year earlier. All those models are rated at more than 30 miles per gallon for highway driving.

Not to mention MINIUSA Sales up almost 40% for April.

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Japanese Honda Powered Classic Mini

Sections: Best of the Web, Motorsports May 7th, 2008 14 Comments

You have to give it to the good lads over at Jalopnik. Besides being huge fans of the Chevy El Camino, they also find some of the coolest stuff you’ll ever see on a car. Case in point, this race-prepped Mini.

Here are things we know about this racing Mini from Japan: mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive, gigantic wheels, Honda B18c engine. We’re not sure what compelled this individual to take the original Mini platform and flip it on its head, but we’d like to see this thing take on a Renault R5 powered by an SR2ODE motor for some reason. Clearly, what the Mini has been missing all this time is Integra Type-R power.

I’ve seen this done with a MINI (mid-engine BMW 6), but not in a Classic. Crazy.

[ Japanese Mini Cooper Does Everything Backwards ] Jalopnik.com

MINI Ripoff to Debut at Beijing Auto Show

Sections: Best of the Web, MINI Competitors Apr 21st, 2008 35 Comments

You must remember when we told you about Lifan 3 Series. It’s really getting built, has gone through a name change and will be debuting at the Beijing Auto Show according to Auto Blog.

The production version of Lifan’s egregious MINI clone is set to debut this weekend at the Beijing Motor Show. The Lifan 320 as it’s called has an 87-horsepower 1.3L underhood that drives the front wheels alone. We’re sure that Lifan will point to the car’s standard 5-door hatchback layout as evidence that its not a true MINI copy, but let’s all be serious here.

Follow the link below for the rest of the story and more pictures that will make you shake your head.

[ Lifan 320 to debut at Beijing ] Autoblog

Thanks for the MINI Memories

Sections: Best of the Web Apr 18th, 2008 3 Comments

A brand new Mini book is now available chronicling the history of Mini in South Africa.

Have you ever heard of the Mini Mk3 with a boot, or the Safari, Sunshine and Moonlight special editions of the Mini? Interested? Then this book might just be for you!

Fresh from the publishers, this excellent 255 page hard-cover book tells the story of the Mini in South Africa. It’s all there, the entire production history, from the very first locally assembled Austin 850 in 1959 to the very last Mini to roll out of the plant in 1983. If that were not enough, there’s plenty of unique South African motorsport to whet the reader’s interest.

For those of you that are keen on all things about the Mini history, it may be worth checking out.

[ Thanks for the Mini Memories ] MINIPassion.co.za