Sections: JCW, MF Feature, R52 (Conv.), R53 (Coupe), Sales Sep 30th, 2005 16 Comments 
You can put this in the confirmed rumor category: all 2006 MINIs with the factory JCW package will be pushed back to November production. We’ll hopefully have more info soon.
Sections: In the Press Sep 30th, 2005 9 Comments 
(This is a repost from a year ago with only the dates changed) Hard to believe but the new MINI made it’s US debut five years ago this past week in New York. To give you the full favor of the time period here’s an excerpt from the article Autoweek ran about the introduction:
Frank Stephenson says he’s the luckiest guy in the world because he’s got the best job in the world. As he pulls the cover off his work for the past five years, who could argue?
Sections: MF Feature, R55 (Clubman), R56 (Coupe) Sep 30th, 2005 44 Comments 
Here’s a question that we’ve seen a lot of. What will actually make it to the next generation MINI (the R56) from what we’ve seen in the recent MINI Frankfurt Concept? While we’ve already written extensively on what the R56 will look like inside and out, this subject is probably worth revisiting now that we’ve had time to digest the new MINI Frankfurt Concept a bit. We don’t necessarily have definitive answers at this point but we can at least give some pretty well educated opinions on what details we’ll most likely see in production. So let’s go through the list:
Sections: Motorsports Sep 29th, 2005 8 Comments MINI.ca has posted five videos of the recent MINI victory at the Targa Newfoundland. Check them out:
[ Targa Newfoundland 2005 ] MINI.ca
Sections: MF Feature, Rumor Sep 29th, 2005 45 Comments 
This week’s Auto Express has more on the rumored MCS lightweight. However being that this is Auto Express, it’s important to take some of it with a grain of salt. Here’s an excerpt:
It was revealed by Auto Express in issue 830, and prototypes of the car are reportedly being put through final tests. MINI legend John Cooper Garages is said to be helping develop a new 225bhp 1.6-litre engine.
Sections: MF Feature, R55 (Clubman), R56 (Coupe) Sep 28th, 2005 20 Comments 
Now that the Frankfurt IAA is over and we’ve all had week or two to take in the new MINI Concept, I thought it might be appropriate to write a short design analysis on it. However I’d like to look beyond the initial impressions most of us have had and dive into what makes the concept a successful design study.
The MINI Frankfurt Concept is a tour de force of design and styling that pushes the envelope of what we expect in the MINI. There’s so much to take in that it’s frankly hard to be cohesive in an initial opinion (other than perhaps the very elemental feeling of shock and dislike when seeing something so familiar re-interpreted). However, like most well-executed automotive concept design, it’s a car that shocks and challenges initially, only to subtly impress with it’s form, design details and engineering upon further inspection. For me, the MINI Concept seems to make sense the more you see it.
Sections: In the Press Sep 27th, 2005 104 Comments 
It goes to figure that the moment gas in the US eclispes the $3 a gallon mark, every starts to look at small cars in a different light (from the Automotive News via Autoweek):
Rising fuel prices are prodding the U.S. market toward smaller, European-style cars and forcing automakers to consider much more efficient engines, industry executives agreed here last week.
Sections: Motorsports Sep 27th, 2005 7 Comments From the SCCA.com:
Pete Taylor, of Ortonville, Mich., captured his first National Championship Sunday, taking the Showroom Stock C class win at the 2005 SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Ryan Ciechanski, of Clinton Township, Mich., and Joel Lipperini (also in a MINI), of Pittston, Pa., completed the top-three.
Sections: In the Press, R55 (Clubman) Sep 27th, 2005 19 Comments 
Now that the Frankfurt Autoshow is over I thought it approrpiate to take a quick look at what others are saying about the new MINI Concept around the web:
Sections: In the Press Sep 27th, 2005 2 Comments This news comes from the Independent via Channel4.com:
Sales of the MINI are expected to reach a record 200,000 this year, says the Independent, and annual production – which has already been raised to 230,000 cars after additional investment this year – is expected to expand further still with the launch of the next generation Mini in 2007.
Sections: In the Press Sep 26th, 2005 28 Comments The news that MINI will be extendig it’s range after the debut of the next generation MINI in 2007, shouldn’t surprise anyone. However the Financial Times (and subsequently the Autoindsutry.co.uk) do have this juicy bit on naming issues for the extended wheel base MINI (from the autoindustry.co.uk):
The Financial Times noted that BMW has yet to choose a name for the estate version of the current MINI, having discovered that it may not own the rights to the ‘Clubman’ or ‘Traveller’ names, both used in the past by Mini. An alternative could be ‘Countryman’, a name used for the Austin-badged version of the 1960s Morris Mini Traveller.
You can read more below:
[ BMW considers further expansion of second-generation MINI range ] Autoindustry.co.uk
[ BMW To Extend MINI Range ] Financial Times (sub. required)
Sections: Awards Sep 26th, 2005 5 Comments From MINIUSA Press:
For the fourth year in a row, the MINI Cooper ranked highest in the Compact Car Segment in J.D. Power and Associates latest Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. The study measures owners’ delight with the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles.
Sections: Podcast Sep 26th, 2005 5 Comments 
On this week’s Podcast Todd, DB and myself talk to the man himself, Fireball Tim Lawrence. We also find time to touch on MINIs in motorsport and the recent success we’ve all read about.
You can check it all out below:
Subscribe | Show Notes | iTunes Link | MP3 Link (21MB)
Sections: Motorsports Sep 24th, 2005 9 Comments The Toronto Star has a great account of the Targa Newfoundland race actually written by the winning MINI driver Jim Kenzie. Definitely worth a read:
Unlimited. You don’t have to read the rule book for the Targa Newfoundland car rally to understand what that means.
It means, run what you brung. No holds barred.
Bring on your 650 horsepower supercharged Mustang.
Bring on your 450 horsepower Hemi V8 Dodge Charger SRT8.
There are other classes, but Unlimited is the greatest challenge, so we entered our Mini-sponsored 2004 Cooper S with the John Cooper Works Edition package with its throbbing 208 horsepower in Unlimited, against all that might.
And we won!
Sections: Motorsports Sep 24th, 2005 8 Comments 
By now most of you who follow MotoringFile have probably read the news from last weekend that MINI took first in the unlimited class at the Targa Newfoundland. However for those who may have missed it, MINIUSA have put together a press release that sums up the win:
MINI has won the Unlimited Division of the prestigious Targa Newfoundland tarmac rally. From September 10-17, the MINI Canada/MINI USA backed MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works tuning kit (JCW), piloted by automotive journalist Jim Kenzie, with rally veteran Brian Bourbonniere as navigator, rallied the nearly 1,400 mile route on Canada’s east coast to claim top spot against an international field of high horsepower entries.
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