With the door about to close on 2005 I thought it might a good time to take a look back. As you can expect it’s been a ton of fun covering the MINI world on Motoringfile this year. We’ve hosted our fair share of scoops and lively discussions throughout 2005.

First up, here are my personal picks for the top ten stories of the last year (drum roll please):

10. MotoringFile Analysis: JCW GP

9. 2006 Special Editions Announced

8. The JCW GP – Your Way

7. MINI Wins at Targa Newfoundland

6. Factory JCW Kit Confirmed for 2006

5. Getrag’s All Wheel Drive MINI In-Depth

4. Behind the Wheel of the 2007 MINI

3. Official Images of The MINI Frankfurt Concept

2. John Cooper Works GP Kit First Pics

And the number one story of the year…

1. The Next Generation MINI Revealed

Beyond the top ten there were a few more categories that I personally found pretty interesting. The three stories about the selling, ordering and then buying of my new 2005 Cooper S featured some pretty entertaining commetary from MotoringFile readers:

Step One: MINI Sold

Step Two: MINI Ordered

Step Three: MINI Delivered

However if you want some really lively discussion you’ll want to start with our coverage of the JCW GP, the introduction of the factory JCW kit, and the Frankfurt and Tokyo MINI Concepts:

John Cooper Works GP Kit First Pics

Factory JCW Kit Confirmed for 2006

Official Images of The MINI Frankfurt Concept

Official Images of The MINI Tokyo Concept

Thanks to all the MotoringFile readers and contributors for making 2005 so much fun. And here’s to an even better year ahead with 2006!