The current JCW has been a disappointment for MINI in terms of sales. They won’t ever say it but it’s clear that the car hasn’t performed up to expectations. But that’s not to say it doesn’t posses all the ingredients for success. We’ve written about it quite a bit on MF (you can read out review here) and even put together an official MotoringFile point of view around what the JCW should be. We’ve even thrown it out to readers in a poll awhile back.
It now looks like MINI has been listening. They know that the car needs one thing above all else; exclusivity. As it stands now the JCW looks on different from a bone stock Cooper S with the exception of a few very minor pieces of trim and a unique set of 17″ wheels. For 2011 MINI will be making an updated JCW aero-kit standard on the JCW in every market. That means installation of the kit will be done at the factory with all other assembly. But there is one massive update to the kit; a huge (functional) rear air diffuser that is lifted (mostly intact) from the JCW Challenge Race car (seen above).
Yes the WC50 is coming to the US. No you can’t have one. According to sources within MINI USA the all 50 copies of the WC50 coming to the US have been spoken for by individual customers. That means if you want the rarest MINI ever you’ll have to hope that someone backs out of an order over the next few weeks. As we reported previously production should be arriving at dealers between now and the end of April.
What’s a WC50 you ask? Nothing less than the most equipped JCW money can buy. It is taken off the Oxford line and then assembled and painted by hand. MSRP will be $40,300 with shipping (a pretty good deal as it turns out). You can see the entire list of specifications after jump.
The Countryman is officially here. MINI rolled out the red carpet while at the Salone del Mobile this week for a party celebrating the launch of the newest model. It was also the debut of the official MINI Countryman song written and performed live by Michelle Branch and Timbaland.
Official Release: Against the backdrop of the Salone del Mobile, MINI celebrated the launch of its new MINI Countryman with an exclusive guest line-up and a host of friends. The party, attended by numerous Italian and international VIPs from the worlds of fashion, design and lifestyle, fully lived up to the “Urban meets Country†motto of the fourth addition to the MINI family: nature, in the shape of meadows, trees and butterflies, entered an urban location in the centre of Milan to become the stage for the launch party for the new MINI Countryman, due to hit the showrooms as of September. The same motto was also seized upon by four well-known celebrities who presented their MINI Countryman all packed up and ready for a personal weekend getaway. The highlight of the event was the world premiere of the new MINI Countryman song by Michelle Branch and Timbaland, performed live on stage for the first time by the country singer.
Official UK Release: The search is on for 20 drivers to take part in phase two of a pioneering trial to test the UK’s first ever electric MINIs. Phase one of the trial is currently underway, the first 20 MINI E pioneers took ownership of their electric MINIs in December 2009 and are due to hand them back in June.
If you’re in Italy this week and reading this site, it’s a safe bet that you’ll be interested in MINI’s contribution to Milan’s famous design week. However if you can’t be there we’ve got some an exclusive behind the scenes look at what’s in store for Milan in the form of a gallery above.
Official Release: In keeping with the brand’s “Creative Use of Space†philosophy, MINI is making a contribution to this year’s Milan Design Week from 13 – 19 April. Taking centre stage is the new MINI Countryman, which celebrated its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will go on sale in September 2010. The car forms the centrepiece of installations at Milan’s state university and the Triennale Design Museum.
This is one of the reasons we love MINI and it’s parent company BMW. They have no reason to ever take the MINI E anywhere near the track. It’s been a success as a test bed for future cars and they’ve gotten all sorts of good press from it over the past year. But the people behind MINI (and BMW) thought; why not take the MINI E to the largest and most famous race-track in the world. And that’s not to mention how long (14 miles) and dangerous is can be. The video above is proof ridiculous ideas often result in great youtube videos. The result? 9:51 seconds.
Official Release: Making on the infamous Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit at race speed with an electrically powered car is an ambitious project, but the BMW Group has just become the first car manufacturer to make it happen. Today the MINI E Race, a modified race-spec version of the standard MINI E, completed a lap of the legendary 20.8 km “Green Hell†in a time of 09:51.45 minutes. The MINI E Race hit a top speed of 187 km/h.
Last week BMW’s Technik division celebrated its 25th anniversary with a slew of photos of the super secret division’s work. However one thing tucked away within the photos and information was a small piece on a very recent BMW test car that featured a Hydrogen fuel cell combined with a small petrol engine. Incredible technology no question. However we wonder how aggressive BMW will be with the development
BMW has traditionally spent quite a bit of money on Hydrogen research. In fact they even brought the Hydrogen 7 Series to market a few years back. However late last year they publicly said that future hydrogen development was being put on hold for fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
British magazine Autocar is theorizing that this could end up not only in a small future BMW for also in larger MINIs. Here’s an excerpt:
The system combines a conventional front-drive powertrain along with a hydrogen fuel cell, electricity-storing supercapacitors and an electrically driven rear axle.
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
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Sections: JCW Apr 14th, 2010 74 Comments 
