MINI France has commissioned a rather creative Facebook application, MINI MAPS, that combines Facebook, Google Maps and Flash to let you not only race a virtual MINI on virtual roads all over the world. You can challenge your FB friends or just random people using the app. You pick the track, location and even time of day. The game even simulates weather and other environmental factors. Win races to unlock new MINIs and zoom your way up the worldwide rankings. Take that, Farmville.
The JCW Endurance officially launched this morning at the famed Nurburgring. Powered by a 250 bhp version of the JCW race engine (which itself is mostly the stock engine) the JCW Endurance will take on the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes at the toughest 24 hour race in the world.
And now we can actually see it under its own power. We’ve managed to get a hold of some video of the car at the track that gives you a greater appreciation for everything that MINI has done in this one-off race-car.
This is going up a few hours early since Autoblog (along with a few other sites) couldn’t quite get that embargo ‘thing’ figured out. For the record gentemen, it was tomorrow morning.
Today takes the wraps off of one of the most ambitious motorsport projects from the brand yet. This weekend MINI will be tackling the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, perhaps the toughest and most difficult 24 hour race in the world. And to do it MINI has created an entirely new race car based on the R58 MINI JCW Coupe.
We have the full press release below but we can shed a bit more light on this car ourselves. A few weeks ago I had a chance to sit in the car and go over it in detail. In short this is unlike any MINI Challenge race-car ever made. It may look similar but it has much more extensive aero work along with a heavily revised 1.6L JCW engine. Like the Challenge race-car, the JCW Endurance uses a stock JCW engine. Unlike the Challenge car it doesn’t make due with merely 225 hp but instead over 250 hp.
Helping put this power down to the tarmac is MINI’s first sequential manual transmission. It’s a race transmission that is mounted on the dash just to the right of the steering wheel – very similar to last year’s ALMS/LeMans M3s. Shift times are measured in milliseconds.
Inside the cabin is sparse but perfectly laid out. I can tell you from experience that climbing into the car (especially for someone 6’2″) is not a thing of beauty. And getting out is even worse. But once you’re in the race seat and the controls seem to fit like a glove. However I do apologize for putting my size 13 pretty hard (by accident of course) into the key slot which was moved to the left of the steering wheel.
Even opening the door is a strangely new experience as it’s made entirely out of carbon fiber and weighs seemingly just a couple of pounds. I literally swung it open with a flick of my finger. Carbon fiber is also used on the hood and boot-lid to further reduce weight.
Unfortunately MINI doesn’t have any further plans for this car after the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring this weekend. In fact I specifically asked if this was the next Challenge car and got a resounding ‘no’. So what we have here is simply the fastest most ultimate of all ultimate MINIs. A true one-off (or 2-3 off from what we’ve heard) that will hopefully inform future race-cars and even production cars.
You can read the official press release and see the full official gallery and photos we took of the car after the break. continued →
A new trailer for season 17 of Top Gear UK just hit the interwebs and in it, there’s a moment of special interest to MINI fans. At about 0:10, we see none other than Captain Slow himself, James May, driving the fire out of what appears to be the MINI Countryman WRC race car. He seems to be racing against something, although we aren’t shown what. Knowing Top Gear though, it’s as likely a cheetah on methamphedamines as a jet engine powered BMX biker. Either way, we’ll definitely be tuning in.
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As you may have guessed we’re pretty pumped for the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring this weekend here at MF. Sure F1 is at Valencia but for those could do without the glitz and glamour and would rather focus on the ultimate man and machine, there isn’t a better race in the world. So with that said we thought it appropriate to do a little refresher on the track that will be featured this weekend and that has so shaped MINI’s parent company BMW over the years.
The Nordschleife Nurburgring has been synonymous with the BMW brand since the 1930′s. BMW and its products are probably more closely tied to the ‘Ring than any other manufacturer. And since the R50 and R53 MINI has been part of that. Every car MINI designs and engineers ultimately makes its way to the ‘Ring for what some would consider the most important part of its development process.
During our time with the Coupe a few weeks back, we got a good look at the final production car in the flesh. And, as you might expect, we grabbed our camera.
In person the Coupe looks fantastic. The stance and the proportion just seems to come together in the real world in a way that it simply doesn’t in photos. And with the camouflage off the roof (yes even in red) starts to feel more cohesive and natural. We also got a glimpse of a few other color combinations thanks to MINI’s renderings on the wall around the car you see above. Our favorite (at least in rendered form) has to be the BRG with black roof and alternating stripes. It also seemed to be Anders Warming (MINI’s new Design Head) favorite as well.
The MINI Coupe has been released and priced. Now it’s time for us to take a look at the thing actually moving. And as much as the pictures show us, there’s nothing quite like seeing a car under it’s own power to help define the design. continued →
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: Best of the Web, Marketing Jun 23rd, 2011 5 Comments 
