MINI of Australia this week released the JCW Challenge Edition meant to bring the factory JCW car a little closer in visual apparel to the JCW Challenge race cars. There’s no word on if we’ll ever see something like this in other markets but we do know that MINI USA (among other markets) will be tinkering with the JCW factory spec for 2011. Full release below.
Official Release (Australia): More performance. More customisation. More MINI. Introducing the new and exclusive race-inspired MINI John Cooper Works Challenge Edition – bringing the MINI John Cooper Works even closer to the track.
In recognition of the pure pedigree that underpins MINI, the release of the MINI John Cooper Challenge Edition draws John Cooper Works even closer to the MINI CHALLENGE race car, both in its appearance and performance.
The BMW Group today announced at the Washington Auto Show the first results from a comprehensive study conducted in cooperation with the University of California (UC Davis) and consumers leasing MINI E electic vehicles as part of a year-long program to acquire real world use patterns. The MINI E program is the first large population field test of current generation electric vehicles and therefore sheds a realistic light on both the opportunities and challenges from this innovative new form of mobility.
The UC Davis study results of 57 drivers, combined with updates continually provided from the log books of all 450 users show the following:
The range of about 100 miles is sufficient for most daily needs
Charging at home provides enough energy for most daily driving
Demand for additional charging is centered on the place of work, or where sufficient time is spent during the day (shopping centers, stadiums, etc.)
Driving the MINI E is a delightful experience and there is no sacrifice of “real car” values
Unmet demands focus on having enough space for four passengers and more cargo to stimulate even more use of an electric vehicle
Due to the design of MINI’s 1.6L turbo engine, much of the heat generated by the engine ends up being emitted from the side closest to the hood/bonnet. One unforeseen consequence has been that the plastic hood scoops on the “S” model have actually warped due to excessive heat. In fact over the years MINI has noticed the issue and even made the non-fuctioning scoop slightly functional by opening a few holes in the black faux mesh. However in the end MINI has decided to change the material the scoops are made from. So from March ‘10 buils onward MINI will be producing a new “metalized” plastic scoop (with metal infused into the plastic) that will be standard on the MCS and JCW models.
Update: What does that mean for current owners with saggy scoops? We don’t have 100% confirmation on this yet but MINI will likely be dealing the problem within the normal warranty guidelines (i.e. it’ll be covered). If you’re out of warranty we’d guess that it’ll be handled on a case by case basis.
Under the darkness of night we switched servers last-night to something faster and more dedicated. It’s all around good news for us and you. With one little exception; any comments that were made during the two hour transition have been lost. Now back to your regularly scheduled MotoringFile…
Today’s look at MINI Design Past Present and Future is all about the Coupé and to some degree the roadster. It’s also the last look we’ll be giving you into what we believe to be the best book yet detailing new MINI design.
MINI faced a lot of possible scenarios with the Coupé and seeing what they ended up side by side with the initial sketches is essentially a sneak peak into the design process. Many of the sketches in the images here actually show coupes and roadster based on the R50 platform – obviously a clue as to how long MINI has been considering a coupé.
Also of note are the wheels shown in the some of the prototypes and sketches of the final design. Look for them to show-up eventually.
Remember that if you’re interested in an English version of this book, MINI may consider producing an english edition if the feedback on MotoringFile is positive and strong enough. So if you’d be interested in the ultimate coffee table book about MINI design, let us know in the comments section. Otherwise if you’d like the German version seen above, go to Amazon.de .
Over the past week we have bombarded you with Countryman with images, video and enormous amounts of information. So in an effort to help you make sense of it all we’re going to go back over the high points over the next few days. Today we’re going to take another look at the video we exclusively debuted here last week. The version above is a bit short (ie more concise) and is higher quality than what we showed you last week.
Next we’re presenting you with our full photo gallery of the Countryman with every exterior and interior MINI has officially released. Enjoy.
The answers; thankfully not so big. The German magazine Auto Bild had chance to get the latest R56 Hatchback in a studio with the just unveiled R60 MINI Countryman to show off the relative size differences. The result? It’s almost shocking how close the two are in overall length and height. While we haven’t had a chance to drive the R60 yet, we’re certainly optimistic knowing the overall size comparison to the R56 and the R55 Clubman. And if it drives as good as it looks, MINI may have a smash hit on their hands.
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1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Coupe R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Coupe 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: One/MC/MCS Coupe R57: One/MC/MCS Convt. R60: MINI SUV
Sections: JCW, R55 (Clubman), R56 (Coupe), R57 (Conv.) Jan 28th, 2010 11 Comments 
