The names MINI and John Cooper have been intertwined for more than 40 years and now they are closer than ever. When British race car and engine builder Cooper prepped the original MINIs for the Monte Carlo rally back in the 1960s, he helped cement the iconic status of the little car. When the MINI was reborn as a product of BMW earlier this decade, the Cooper model was a standard element of the lineup. A semi-official tuned John Cooper works edition was also available for the hard-core addicts. Earlier this year, BMW announced that the John Cooper Works MINI would become an official factory product analogous to M models from its parent company BMW.
Fans of the original Lotus 7 will undoubtedly be familiar with Elfin. Others who, like Lotus itself, have come to realize that automotive development has advanced in the past few decades, may be less so. The Australian sportscar-maker is right up there with the likes of Caterham and Westfield, only from the land of reverse-flushing toilettes and leaf-eating marsupials. The company is under the care of Tom Walkinshaw, a legend in the motorsports and tuning communities who has leveraged his close ties with GM's Holden subsidiary for the vehicle you see here, called the Type 5 Clubman. Replacing the discontinued Type 3, the new Type 5 joins the line-up alongside the MS8 Streamliner and was recently unveiled at the ongoing Sydney Motor Show. The new roadster features the same 260-hp turbo four from the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline, only in a much lighter frame of just 750kg (about 1,650 lbs). The combination of generous power and low weight means the Type 5 is pegged to hit 100 km/h (62mph) in a rapid 3.7 seconds while commanding a sticker price comparable Down Under to a Nissan 350Z or Mazda RX-8, only without frivolities like a roof or doors.
MINI has a new commercial for the Clubman that looks like a teaser for a new Tim Burton film -- all it's missing is Johnny Depp. Detailing the arcane goings on at a funeral for a fly, we aren't sure how the commercial is supposed to make humans want to buy the car, but that's why ad guys get paid the big dollars and we don't. However, we do have to admit that the three-swatter salute was a nice touch. Follow the jump to watch the vid, and you can judge the... impact... for yourself.
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The rickshaw is a time-honored method of transportation in China. While the vehicles were initially pulled around by men on foot, the pedal-powered versions have grown much more popular in recent years and are a symbol of Chinese culture. When Beijing MINI needed an interesting way to communicate that the Clubman model was being introduced in Chinese, especially in light of all the media attention on the Olympics, it back-halved a slew of new Clubmans, mounted a pedicab front-end and sent them out for business.
According to China Car Times, MINI's publicity stunt is working exactly as planned. Though the vast majority of media coverage is centered on those games from Greece, the MINI Rickshaws have managed to make some headlines of their own. We think the cabs turned out pretty cool, even incorporating the sunroof into the final design.
If you were planning on hitting one of the 82 U.S. MINI dealers to get your hands on a fuel-efficient Cooper or Clubman, it looks like you'll need to look at plan B. Skyrocketing fuel prices has lifted demand of the little British icons to the point that, with the except of pre-orders, all 2008 models are pretty much sold out. The MINI's cute looks and thrifty petrol-sipping discipline have made the retro hatch more attractive than ever. Year over year sales increases of 39%, 52%, and 24% from April-June have all but wiped clean the MINI's already tight inventory.
Although sales really picked up in April, the MINI has been on fire all year, as the 26,400 MINIs sold in the first half of 2008 represents a 33.6% increase over the same sales period in 2007. And thanks to the MINI's already tight world-wide demand, the BMW-owned automaker can only up US shipments by 2-3k units for the rest of the year.
Team MINI wants to keep its new-found fortune coming, too, as it plans to increase its dealer count to 95 stores by 2011. The British automaker will also introduce a diesel MINI once it can pass emissions in all 50 states.
The MINI Clubman is everything the MINI Cooper is and more -- nine inches more. It has a passenger-side suicide door and that wide-mouth split rear gate, but everything else from its retro looks to the 172-hp turbocharged four-cylinder underhood is the same. But is it the same? Does nine inches of wheel base ruin the go kart-like handling we love so much in the MINI Cooper S? The folks over at Web Rides TV were itching to answer exactly that question, so they pitted the Mini Clubman S against a real, 9-horsepower go-kart. To give the kart a chance, the race was performed on an actual go-kart track, squeaky floors and all. The winner? You'll have to hit the jump to find out, but the race is more exciting than the finish.
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving are not going to like this one. Italian coachbuilder Aznom, which has previously rolled out custom MINIs like this pickup "tender", has now produced a Clubman inspired by a vintage of another sort. The Aznom MINI Chateau is distinguished by a mobile wine cellar installed in the trunk, capable of housing six wine bottles in isolated comfort, along with six wine glasses with which to enjoy them. Aznom's wood veneer finish decorates the exterior and cabin, which also gets a unique leather trim. Riding on 18-inch TSW Pace rims shod with Yokohama rubber, Aznom will only produce 12 examples, each one individually numbered and personalized for their owners. We'll have to wait a few years to see if the Chateau gets better with age like the vino it transports.
Elfin is preparing to unveil a brand new sportscar this coming August, according to the latest reports. The small Australian automaker is known mostly for producing Lotus/Caterham 7-style classic roadsters, with the new model replacing the outgoing Type-3 Clubman kit car and joining the V8-powered MS8 Streamliner (pictured above) in the company's line-up.
The news was revealed by the company's owner Tom Walkinshaw, the Scottish racing driver behind the eponymous Tom Walkinshaw Racing outfit. According to Walkinshaw, the new lightweight sportscar – which has yet to be named – will feature "electrifying performance and go-kart handling" with an atmospheric power-to-weight ratio thanks to a 1500-pound curb weight and 260hp coming out of the turbocharged two-liter four from the Pontiac Soltice GXP. A six-speed manual will round out the package, along with ABS, power steering and traction control. The new vehicle, which will sell for under $60k, is anticipated to be based on a tubular chassis with a composite body that eschews the classic design of the Type 3 in favor of contemporary styling, while still integrating open wheels with cycle-style guards. The new model promises to separate Elfin from the myriad companies churning out Caterham replicas and distinguish the company as a competent sportscar-maker.
"You want a large for $.25 more?" That's what the popcorn drone behind the concession counter asks when you order a medium Coke at the movies. You may not need it, but hell, it's offered, so you pull the trigger. The same thing is happening in auto showrooms. Why settle for just an Escalade when you can have the ESV? This year, even BMW-owned MINI is getting in on the act. The result is the MINI Cooper Clubman, which your local MINI salesperson will happily offer for just $2,000 more than the regular Cooper.
So, what does that extra two grand (before options) really get you? After all, the regular MINI Cooper is a tidy little package; it's great looking, fun, and economical, while offering a high level of factory customization and/or personalization. Want more performance? Buy an S. Want even more than that? Get the JCW. If you wanted more room, however, you had a problem. Until now. Enter the Clubman. MINI has decided to expand the niche it occupies by combining the red meat its core customers want -- the cars' signature styling and entertaining nature -- with more room for people and stuff. But not too much more, because then it wouldn't be a MINI. The idea was to get bigger while remaining small. What a conundrum. Go too big, and you squash brand identity, don't go big enough, and the whole exercise is a waste of everyone's time.
At first glance, we couldn't help but wish we had had one of these when we were in high school. But on second thought, a pink-accented MINI might not have been the babe-magnet Agent Provocateur would have us believe. At least, not for any girls we know, but if this is what it takes to inspire impromptu gatherings of scantily-clad lingerie models, then who are we to argue.
Sorry, we got a little distracted there. And so can you, just check out the images in the gallery after the jump. Most of them are perfectly safe for your puritanical work environment, but for those few that aren't, we'd suggest waiting until you get home. And the kids are asleep. And your significant other isn't "in the mood", whatever that means.
