Archive for January, 2008

Mini Mania is now offering OEM quality parts at aftermarket prices

From the Press Release:
Mini Mania Inc. announced today it has expanded its service to include a broad range of Original Equipment Manufactured maintenance parts for the Mini Cooper. The range of maintenance parts will provide customers with a single source for all Accessories, Performance and maintenance parts for both the classic and new BMW Mini [...]

MINI may unveil a diesel Clubman in Detroit next week

According to AutoBlog, next week at the Detroit Auto Show MINI may be taking the wraps off a diesel-powered Clubman bound for the U.S.  Diesel MINIs are already available in Europe, but so far BMW has kept Americans running premium unleaded in their Coops. AutoBlog has some beautiful high resolution photos of the Clubman D here.

Blowout: MINI posts 32% higher UK sales in 2007

BMW Group reported UK sales numbers yesterday for their BMW and MINI brand units, revealing a huge jump in sales over 2006:
“The new record reflects a successful first full sales year for the second-generation Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S.  Joined by the Mini One and Mini Cooper D in April, total Hatch sales reached 38,053 in 2007, a 32 per cent [...]

MINI racer Phil Shaw: RIP

“Even in his 70s, Mr Shaw was competing in trials and sprints in his Mini Cooper S…”
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2007 Cooper S ranked in Top 12 most fuel efficient cars

Consumer Reports puts the Mini Cooper S as the 12th most fuel efficient car in America. Actually, it looks to me like it tied for ninth place. For the most part, the rest of the list is dominated by the likes of Honda and Toyota:
Car / Overall MPG
12. Mini Cooper S / [...]

The Electric Mini Cooper: L-Mini

Hybrid Technologies announced it is taking orders for it’s “L-Mini“, a lithium electric Mini Cooper conversion. While it boasts some impressive stats, don’t go rushing out to place your order yet. According to the Hybrid Technologies website, the base price for the L-Mini is a whopping $65,000, or over three times the price [...]

Fiat Abarth SS to (allegedly) challenge the Mini Cooper S in the U.K.

The Cooper S may have nothing to worry about in the looks department, but the Fiat Abarth SS is (supposedly) set to give the Mini a run for it’s money when it comes to performance. The SS is set to launch in the UK this March, with an engine rumored to have been [...]

The Mini Cooper is “old people friendly”. For real.

77 year-old Isaac recently asked car guys Tom & Ray whether he should buy a Honda Civic or a new Mini Cooper. His concern is that he wants something that is “old people friendly”, and he isn’t sure whether the Mini quite fits the bill. As you can ready below from the [...]

Best Cars to Own when it comes time to sell: Mini Cooper

According to Forbes, one of the best cars to own when it’s time to sell is–you guessed it–the Mini Cooper S. Buyers tend to care less about practicality and more about fun, which helps drive up the used values of cars like the Mini Cooper, Porsche 911 and the BMW M6.
“A solid number of [...]