MINI Releases Monte Carlo Edition in Europe
MINI is releasing a special edition R56 Cooper S for the European market to celebrate it’s multiple wins at the Monte Carlo rally almost 50 years ago. The car comes in Chili Red with a white roof and unique stripes on the side. Additionally the car will feature unique badges and a white rings gas cap.
Perhaps the most notable thing to the are the four front driving lights installed on the grille. This marks the first time that MINI has officially sold a car with more than two driving lights. MINI has said this reduced air flow to the engine of the with the R50 and R53 models. However with the R56 the majority of cooling comes into the car via the lower grille allowing for the extra pair of lights.
Inside the theme is continued with “Monte-Carlo Edition stitched into the seats and a two-tone red and black steering wheel. Additionally the steering wheel, keychain and fender decals are individually numbered.
And for the final touch, MINI brand ambassador and winner of the 1966 and ’67 Monte Carlo Rally Rauno Aaltonen will be signing each car.
The 200 of the Monte Carlo editions will be made available to European buyers later this year for the price of €36,500 ($49,600). And for those of you in the US, yes this does seem somewhat familiar. In 2004 MINI USA released a Cooper S called the MC40 to commemorate the same thing. Although with 1,000 units made and no ability to personalize the car with specific options, the MC40 quickly became a tough sell for most dealerships. Hopefully MINI has more luck with the much more exclusive and better options ‘Monte Carlo Edition’.
Source: Left Lane News
<p>meh</p>
<p>I like it, but I think it needs the aerokit.</p>
<p>yup</p>
<p>aerokit.</p>
<p>When someone totals one of these, I’d like to buy your steering wheel…</p>
<p>When someone totals one of these, I’d like to buy your steering wheel…</p>
<p>When someone totals one of these, I’d like to buy your steering wheel…</p>
<p>Wow, love it. Good thing it’s $49K and not available here. Otherwise I might be in trouble with the other 75% of the family.</p>
<p>these special editions … they seem to be a weekly event nowadays.</p>
<p>I’m all for this stuff, but IMHO they need SOMETHING other than looks stuff to make the car special. The MC40 wasn’t that bad a deal, I think it had the JCW kit intalled, but it was marketed poorly, and the retro decals didn’t really look good to any young buyers. I think a lot were sold with the decal kit rolled up in the back…. But if they want to get money for something like this from me or people like me, it needs more than stitching and driving lights.</p>
<p>The MC40 wasn’t a JCW</p>
<p>I stand corrected. But this new car is yet another wrapper on a stock offering. As such, it’s really just eye candy. Works for some, but how hard would it have been to actually make it worthy of the name other than some lights and bling? Those that actually want performance are massively underwhelmed.</p>
<p>I’m all for this stuff, but IMHO they need SOMETHING other than looks stuff to make the car special. The MC40 wasn’t that bad a deal, I think it had the JCW kit intalled, but it was marketed poorly, and the retro decals didn’t really look good to any young buyers. I think a lot were sold with the decal kit rolled up in the back…. But if they want to get money for something like this from me or people like me, it needs more than stitching and driving lights.</p>
<p>Am I missing the interior pictures somewhere?</p>
<p>I think we’re all missing the interior pics–not fair describing it and not providing visuals …</p>
<p>I’d like to see a Limited Edition JCW MINI with JCW, suspension, and other performance options.</p>
<p>When I was in London this spring, I saw a few John Cooper Works cars with his signature in the bonnet stripes, and one of them had four driving lights like this, so unless the owner did that themselves, this isn’t the first time 4 lights have appeared on a factory MINI. My question is whether we could get the 4-light mount here. </p>
<p>When I was in London this spring, I saw a few John Cooper Works cars with his signature in the bonnet stripes, and one of them had four driving lights like this, so unless the owner did that themselves, this isn’t the first time 4 lights have appeared on a factory MINI. My question is whether we could get the 4-light mount here. </p>
<p>It’s done quite often through the aftermarket. I believe some companies have 4-light bars or you just mount 4 of the OEM lights individually. Originally, it was not recommended to mount that many (or even too many grille badges) due to blocking the air flow to cool the engine bay. Maybe the placement of them on this Monte Carlo edition was done on purpose for that reason? The signature bonnet stripes are commonly found on Ebay as well.</p>
<p>When I was in London this spring, I saw a few John Cooper Works cars with his signature in the bonnet stripes, and one of them had four driving lights like this, so unless the owner did that themselves, this isn’t the first time 4 lights have appeared on a factory MINI. My question is whether we could get the 4-light mount here. </p>
<p>More pictures!</p>
<p>psssh my MC40 dash is signed by Rauno Aaltonen!</p>