No MINI doesn’t race in F1, but their parent company BMW does. And there will be no bigger news in the world of BMW Motorsport over the next 6 months than the bombshell that just dropped this evening in the UK. In a dramatic turn of events Formula 1 manufacturers (including Ferrari) voted this evening to leave F1 and set upp a new championship for 2010. After months of negotiations with Max Mosley and the FIA it appears that F1 as we’ve all known it is over. Here’s the official release from BMW Motorports:
“The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 World Championship,” said a statement issued by FOTA after the meeting.
continued →
Official Release: Scoring outstanding wins in the three categories of the International Engine of the Year Award, the BMW Group once again highlights its top position this year as a manufacturer of particularly powerful and, at the same time, efficient engines. In the world’s most significant engine contest, the V8 power unit featured in the BMW M3, the straight-six with Twin Turbo Technology to be admired, among other models, in the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 1 Series and the BMW X6, as well as the four-cylinder twin-scroll turbocharged engine in the MINI Cooper S, have all scored triumphant victories in their respective classes. continued →
visibility when the roof is up is woeful. It’s like sitting in a postbox. The only people who can get in the back are those who have stepped on a bomb and the boot is miserable.
And yet, despite all this, it remains a great little car to own. Because the style — and there’s tons of it — buries the substance, it doesn’t feel, or look, like anything else on the road. You therefore get to stand out without actually being in a lay-by trying to make a fan belt from plaits of pubic hair. The only trouble is that the new Cooper S rag top costs £19,000. The car I tested with something called the Chili pack was £21,205. And I’m sorry but if all you want to do is stand out while driving something new, it’d be impossible to ignore — or resist — the £13,605 Fiat 500 Abarth.
And there it is. You can read more here. But be warned, as is customary Clarkson style, the review is opened with a page or two of rambling about arcane references to 1970s British politicians or broad generalizations. My favorite actually comes on page one of this “review”. Look for it.
After our exclusive scoop last month Autocar went back to its sources to see if they could shed any further light on if the car was actually destined for production. There were some who were saying it was nothing more than a dealer exercise and it was very unlikely it would ever be released. Then you had our multiple sources who were adamant that this was a forthcoming special edition due soon. They found that MINI was indeed planning to work with Rolls Royce on the new car and the model was very close to a green light for production.
The Rolls-trimmed Mini caught in these scoop pictures is not a one-off, according to the source but is a late prototype for what’s intended to be an established premium custom version of the Mini.
Buyers of the high-end Mini will be able to visit the Rolls Royce factory to select the various interior trim and dashboard finishes and will also be able to collect the finished vehicle. continued →
Todd and I take the time to completely recap the drunken debauchery that was MINI United 2009. The things we saw, the things we did, including driving Silverstone circuit. Yes, that Silverstone. Yes, in a MINI. Yes, it was pretty awesome. Too bad Todd got an automatic transmission. He ended up taking a leisurely cruise around the course instead.
How about a funny story about MINI USA? Sure, we have one of those too. And, if you missed it, there was this. Which was pretty funny too.
Oh yea, Todd rode in a helicopter. You can see that here.
I was going to ride too, but, well, you’ll just have to listen.
The Woofcast is back! So much in fact that we had to split it into 2 parts this week. Starting off tonight, Todd and Gabe spend some time getting caught up, including Gabe’s latest BMW press cars. Of course, this is the MINI Cooper Podcast, so they finished off talking about news of the week from Motoringfile.com as usual.
Tune in tomorrow for part 2 when Todd and I recap MINI United!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Sit down, grab a beverage of your choice and get comfortable. In fact don’t even think about getting up any time soon. You are about to watch the single best piece of video we’ve ever seen about the Mini/MINI experience. It’s an official video MINI released to the press at MINI United. MINI basically gave a director and some crew a few months to comb the world to help tell the story of the MINI brand and its culture.
1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Hatch R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Hatch 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: Hatch R57: Convertible R58: Coupe R59: Roadster R60: MINI Crossover R61: MINI Crossover Coupe 3rd Gen MINI F55: Clubman F56: Hatch F57: Convertible F60: MINI Crossover F62: Traveller
If you or your company are interested in advertising on the most influential MINI website in the world, please visit our Advertising section. If you have further questions about becoming a sponsor or would like to see our rate sheet please feel free to contact us directly.
Sections: Motorsports Jun 18th, 2009 21 Comments 
