Dec 29th, 2012
The following is an editorial that wasn’t influenced by advertising on this site but more inspired by what it and what it means for the future.
As those of you in the US have likely noticed, MotoringFile’s advertising partner MINI of Chicago is now offering the $52,000 MINI Goodwood for an astonishing price of $39,995. That’s over $12k off the list price and surely not what MINI had in mind when they created such an exclusive car. For the right buyer it represents an incredible value. But for any future MINI high-end special editions, it could be a little troubling.
The Goodwood has no exclusive exterior styling or even wheels. Designers at Rolls Royce didn’t want to create a car that was an extrovert. As is their philosophy, they simply wanted to created understated elegance that led into a rich and sumptuous driver environment. For a MINI owners used to seeing Union Jacks decals and white wheels, it’s a foreign idea. But for the Roll Royce owner (or anyone with a similar mind-set) the exterior is for the world, the interior is for them. continued →
Dec 21st, 2012
Official news from MINI: The end of the world has been cancelled. Time to party! Many Central American countries, such as Mexico and Guatemala, will hold lavish festivities to welcome the dawning of a new era on 21 December 2012. The date is taken from historic records left by the Mayan people more than a millennium ago. One of the entries in the Mayan calendar has for many years been interpreted as prophesying the end of the world.
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Nov 22nd, 2012
With the new GP, MINI followed a template created with the 2006 original. Crucially that meant starting with the standard MINI hatch as a basis for the new car. Yet we (and a number of our readers) have rightfully asked, why not the coupe? We posed that same question to MINI Design Chief Anders Warming, GP Product Manager Jorg Weidinger and the Head of MINI Marketing Dr. Kay Segler while in Mallorca test driving the car. The answer fell into two categories: expected and surprising.
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Nov 16th, 2012
As aptly pointed out by a reader both the first GP and early R56 JCWs are priced similarly in the mid-20s these days. So which one to get? The first question we’d have to ask – is this a daily driver? If so the more modern R56 (presumably with some options and nice to haves) would be the easy logical choice. However things get much more interesting when this isn’t about solving the problem of finding a daily driver. continued →
Nov 11th, 2012
Our time on the test track with the GP was brief in the grand scheme of things. Ten laps. But you can learn a lot about a car (especially a car designed for the track) in ten hard laps on a tight well designed course. If you haven’t read our full review of the car, certainly check it out. However if you want a quick, seat of the pants look at the GP as I enjoyed my second stint behind the wheel at Circuito Mallorca RennArena, check out the video after the break.
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Nov 9th, 2012
Six years ago a legend was born. MINI released the GP to a market that wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. The stickers, the lack of rear seats, a big wing received more than a few sideways looks from critics (us included). Despite the skepticism, the GP performed better than any MINI ever had, and crucially for MINI, it sold. Along the way, the car changed opinions across the automotive world (us included). Driving was believing as this “parts bin” car seemed to transcend the status quo and take MINI driving back to it’s simplistic roots.
Fast forward six years and we have a new GP. One that looks the part but, like the original, has garnered mixed opinions among the motoring press and enthusiasts alike. The critics point at 211 hp, down three from the original, and a set of graphics that some call garish. Yet there are signs that MINI did this second generation JCW GP even more right this time. With a coil-over suspension and six-pot brakes up front, for example. So what kind of GP is this? We flew to Mallorca in Spain, to Circuito Mallorca RennArena, to answer that question and get the story behind it all.
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Nov 5th, 2012
MINI has officially flipped the switch on the toll-free reservation line for the 2013 MINI JCW GP. However the catch is you have to be a GP owner to qualify. So if you have a GP in the garage and you’re ready to plunk down $1,000 to reserve a new GP just call 1.800…. oh right. Probably shouldn’t mention that. continued →
