Awesome Mini

Nicholas ‘Nico’ Martin took a MINI Electric and wrapped it in 2000 Twinkly LED smart lights. The festive electric car is touring various locations in the UK this holiday season, bringing cheer and helping to raise awareness and donations for three charitable causes: The MS Trust, Duchenne UK, and the Alzheimer’s Society.

The MINI Cooper Anniversary Edition will honor the very first MINI built 60 years ago. It’ll be limited globally to 740 units, a reference to the car’s starting number 74 on its first racetrack victory. Offered in 3-door, S 3-door, and John Cooper Works models, they’ll share sporty nods to Formula 1 racer John Cooper.

UK custom car maker David Brown Automotive celebrates 60 years of Mini with this “remastered” version of the tiny car. It has a 1450 cc engine that makes 125 hp, racing brakes, and an updated interior with racing seats, harnesses, a roll cage, and more. Just 60 units of the car will be made in either right- or left-hand drive.

John Cooper Works massaged the MINI Cooper into its most bonkers variation yet, a 2.0L turbo 306 hp little monster that goes 0 to 60 in 5 seconds, and tops out at 165 mph, all while handling like an oversized go kart. It’s got a giant roof spoiler, upgraded cooling, a lowered suspension, brakes, lightweight wheels and more.

A new variant of the MINI Cooper that runs purely on electric power. Its front-wheel motor cranks out 181 hp, and its battery offers a range of roughly 124 miles. Like other MINIs, expect go kart-like handling, possibly even more so thanks to the battery pack’s low center of gravity. We rather dig the funky new wheel design too.

2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the Mini. Voted the most second influential car of the 20th century (behind only the Ford Model T), the original Mini was in production from 1959 until 2000. Learn about its origins and more in this retrospective book by Giles Chapman.

BMW decided to make it a little easier to for us test its many vehicles by creating the BMW Test Fest, a day-long event at the BMW Performance Center in Thermal, California. With over 80 cars from BMW, Rolls-Royce, and MINI, here’s a taste of what we experienced.

The sickest looking MINI ever. It sports an aggressive new grille, a carbon fiber aero kit, awesome Union Jack taillamps, and a stripped down interior with a roll cage and racing seats. No word yet on power or other performance improvements, but it’ll surely pack many.

French company Lazareth says that it’s selling Mini Mokes modified to be amphibious. The mod is mainly based on a propeller that lets it go up to 7 knots on water. On land, you get 4-wheel drive and a top speed of 56mph.

David Brown Automotive’s remake of the original Mini. Limited to 50 units, the Mini Remastered also takes cues from the coachbuilder’s own Speedback GT. It’s also equipped with modern comforts such as an infotainment system and a remote key.

The new MINI John Cooper Works Countryman gets a zesty new engine with 228hp and 258 lb-ft. of torque, as well as standard AWD, sport suspension, Brembo brakes, and 18″ alloy rims. Inside there’s more space than ever, with seating for five, and sweet JCW sport seats.

The computers have won. Cars with automatic transmission are more efficient and consistent than manuals. But if you believe that owning a high performance vehicle is about having fun, Carfection has for you a bucket list of cars with “a proper gearbox.”

The latest addition to MINI’s John Cooper Works lineup is this amped up version of their compact crossover, packing a twin-turbo engine that makes 228 hp and 258 lb-ft. of torque, an all-wheel drivetrain, sport suspension, Brembo brakes, and bold JCW body styling.

We’ve already seen skiing on sand dunes, so why shouldn’t sand snowboarding be a thing. Snowboarder Wojtek “Gniazdo” Pawlusiak took to the desert to shred some slopes with a little help from rally driver Kuba Przygoński and his Dakar-outfitted MINI. Photos by Marcin Kin.

MINI recently revamped its Clubman more spacious for passengers and cargo. The ALL4 variant gains the ability to handle a variety of terrain, thanks to its AWD system that can dynamically allocate power to front or rear wheels, and enhances cornering ability.

Han Yue broke his own Guinness world record for tightest parallel parking. This time he was able to fit a Mini into a space only 8cm (3.15″) longer than the car. In other news, a man wore a race suit just to park his car.

Is there anything that Rob Scallon can’t play? Here he is in a tiny closet, playing a concert with the smallest bass on the market – a tiny ukulele-sized bass thumping out the jams – and the smallest amp and pedal set up too.

Guerlain Chicherit recently attempted to complete the world’s longest ramp jump. After solid test runs, his final run went catastrophically wrong. Go behind the scenes of the jump and see the horrific crash from his point of view.

LEGO follows up the VW Camper with a model of another classic car, the Mini Cooper. It’s made of over 1,000 pieces, some of which have never been made before. It comes with a picnic basket, blanket and a spare tire. Available 8/1 for $100.

BMW might be considering changing the Mini’s brand to Medium. The new Mini 5-door has three rear seats and 67L more trunk space than the 3-door model. It will be available in four engine variants, from 116hp to 192hp.

MINI and coachbuilder Touring Superleggera knocked it out of the park with their collaborative concept roadster, blending the best of British and Italian automotive design. The tailfin and Union Jack tail lights are priceless. More on 95octane.

Guerlain Chicherit is no stranger to performing stunts in a MINI. Unfortunately, during his attempt to break Tanner Foust’s record for longest jump, things went horribly wrong on touchdown. Fortunately, Chicerit is doing okay.

As if parallel parking wasn’t difficult enough, watch as Han Yue crams a Mini in-between two others leaving a space just 5.91 inches longer than the car in one fell swoop, blowing away this guy’s record.

We first saw the MINI Roadster in concept form, and now it’s going into production. We dig this go-kart inspired 2-seater soft-top and the available 211HP 1.6L turbo in the John Cooper Works edition.

Just when you thought the MINI couldn’t get any smaller, BMW revealed their tiny $22k two-seater, which tops out at a zippy 149mph in an upgraded 208hp, $32k John Cooper Works version. Vid here.

While they’re known for their subcompact cars, Mini now has their own subcompact urban bicycles. The 24-pound bike folds neatly and is small enough to fit in the back of – you guessed it – a Mini Cooper.