Mini cars

2013 MINI Coupe John Cooper Works by DuelL AG

Japanese tuner, DuelL AG, has become synonymous with building some of the most awe-inspiring tuning programs on that side of the world. Their latest work on the MINI Coupe only adds to their already sterling reputation.

Using the MINI Coupe John Cooper Works Edition for the build, DuelL AG built a sick-looking aerodynamic kit for the German MINI that comes with a bevy of modded parts, including a louvered hood that has been set on both sides, just above the fenders. In addition, the components also include an aggressive new front bumper with fully integrated LED lights, redesigned side skirts, and a new rear diffuser.

DuelL AG opted to keep the MINI Coupe JCW’s performance numbers untouched, which means that you can expect the car’s 1.6 liter four-cylinder petrol engine to produce an impressive 208 horsepower.

For a car that looks as aesthetically endearing as the MINI Coupe JCW, DuelL Ag did a masterful job in giving the German vehicle some serious attitude. Dare we even say that this program is one of the best-looking aftermarket projects done on the MINI Coupe.

Spy Shots: 2014 Mini Countryman Coupe caught testing for the first time

Mini has a knack for developing vehicles that are as appealing to the market as donuts are to our boys in blue. This is evident in the fact that all of their models have been well-received by all, production as well as concept versions. Now, the company is adding another ace in the hole with a production version of the Paceman Concept unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. The model will be sold as a coupe version of the Countryman and has just been caught testing for the first time. The new Countryman Coupe will be making its world debut at the 2012 Paris Auto Show and will be sold on the US market as a 2014 model.

The Countryman Coupe will feature the same technologies and engines as the standard Countryman, which means it will get a 122 HP 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine for the standard model and a turbocharged variant with 184 HP for the S version. Customers will be able to choose between both a six-speed manual or an automatic transmission. We just hope that Mini will also bring out a JCW Countryman Coupe.

2012 MINI Roadster by Franca Sozzani

Every year, you can always count on MINI to be a presence at the Life Ball charity gala. As a matter of fact, the German automaker is more than just a presence there; they bring with them a specially designed MINI vehicle that will be auctioned off at the event with the proceeds going to projects that battle HIV and AIDS.

2012 is the 12th straight year MINI will be part of the occasion. Each year, the German automaker brings a specially designed MINI vehicle that has been designed by a plethora of the fashion world’s pre-eminent designers, including D’Squared, Diane von Furstenberg, Kenneth Cole, Francisco Costa of the Calvin Klein collection, and the Blondes.

This year, the mantle has been passed to Franca Sozzani, the chief editor of Italian Vogue and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Fashion 4 Development. Sozzani was tasked to design a MINI Roadster and she went about with the design and development of the one-off Roadster, saying that the inspiration comes from a "beautiful woman who put a scarf on her head when she drives a Roadster."

UPDATE 05/21/2012: Franca Sozzani has unveiled its specially designed Mini Roadster at the 20th Life Ball in Vienna. The car comes painted in Deepest Purple matte paintwork combined with a gold hallmark MINI rally stripes, gold wheels and wing mirrors, and a stylishly intricate floral design on the car’s roof. The car was sold for an impressive 54,000 euro ($68,800 at the current exchange rates). Check out the picture gallery for a pretty impressive set of images from the car’s official launch.

2012 MINI Clubman Hyde Park Edition

Two special edition MINI models are ready to make their respective debuts, except that in favor of paying homage to any racing legends like the Rauno Aaltonen Edition or upcoming events like the London Edition models, MINI is taking a different route by celebrating two London parks.

One of these models is the MINI Clubman Hyde Park Edition and it’s been given some special colors to justify its special edition label. Whereas its brother, the Cooper Green Park Edition, came with a Pepper White and JCW Green two-tone finish, the Clubman Hyde Park also gets the same Pepper White color. But instead of the green, MINI incorporated a Hot Chocolate hue on the roof, the bonnet stripes, and the side stripes.

Suffice to say, the green and brown theme of the two special edition MINIs does make sense when you’re celebrating a pair of parks.

As for the interior of the Clubman Hyde Park Edition, MINI is dressing it up with the same Pepper White color of the exterior with the seats being finished in a choice of either mixed fabric/leather or leather Gravity.

The Clubman Hyde Park Edition will be powered by a choice of powertrain options, including a 1.6-liter naturally-aspirated engine that produces 121 horsepower, a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine with 181 horsepower, a 1.6-liter diesel engine with 110 horsepower, and a 2.0-liter diesel engine with 141 horsepower.

And just like the Green Park Edition, the Hyde Park Edition is also available on the MINI Cooper.

2012 MINI Cooper Green Park Edition

Just a couple of weeks, MINI released a series of special edition Ray Line models for Italy. We’ve barely had time to digest those models and the German automaker is at it again with a pair of special edition models dedicated, strangely enough, to two parks in London.

Yep. Parks.

The first of these models is the MINI Cooper Green Park Edition, a model that distinguishes itself with its Pepper White paint finish that’s complemented by the company’s traditional British Racing Green finish on the roof. Aside from the fancy two-tone color, the Green Park Edition also features an interior dressed in the same Pepper White color with seats that can come in either black or Polar Beige.

The MINI Cooper Green Park Edition will be made available with powertrain options ranging from the 1.6-liter gas engine that produces 122 horsepower, the 1.6-liter diesel engine that produces 112 horsepower, the 1.6-liter turbo engine from the Cooper S that produces 184 horsepower, and last but certainly not least, the 2.0-liter that develops 143 horsepower from the Cooper SD.

Likewise, the Green Park Edition is also available to the MINI Clubman.

2013 Mini Coupe JCW GP

Less than a month after capturing the first spy shots of the Mini Cooper S JCW GP just outside of the Nurburgring during some testing, we now have some shots of the youngest model in Mini’s line-up - the new Coupe - as it sports its new JCW GP equipment. Our spy photographers have spotted a very strange looking Coupe prototype featuring the same wheels and rear diffuser as the GP Hatch prototype spied a few weeks ago. The only explanation that we deemed worthy of this prototype is that a Coupe JCW GP version will be launched soon.

The GP package will make the Coupe lighter when compared to the standard version, but will also add a few extra horses under the hood. Don’t be surprised if there’s anywhere 220 - 230 HP under the hood of this new version.

An official debut for the Mini Coupe JCW GP is expected to be made by the end of 2012, so stay tuned!

UPDATE 07/13/2012: It looks like Mini has changed its mind and canceled their plans for a Coupe JCW GP. The model was supposed to be based on the R56 hatch GP and should have been lighter than the R56 hatch.

Mini cancelled its plans because it was concerned that a GP Coupe would have made the R56 GP less special and unique, and buyers would have lost interest in that model. Now they are going to go about picking their models a little more carefully - a new thing for Mini and their bazillion renditions of the Cooper - and a full line of GP track-ready high performance models is being reconsidered.

We find it hard to believe that Mini would got through all of that trouble, and money, to develop a car that they are just going to cancel right before it’s complete. Something else may be cooking in Mini’s kitchen and we’ll dig a little deeper to discover if it’s decadent dining or just plain slop.

2012 MINI Cooper Hatchback Ray Line

German automaker MINI has essentially turned special edition models into an art form. These guys have done special edition models so much in the past that they’ve pretty much got the whole set-up down pat.

For their latest offering, MINI is releasing a special line of exclusive vehicles, called the Ray Line, which will only be available in Italy. Why they chose Italy, we don’t know. But what we do know is that these models are pretty cool dressed in touches of neon garb.

The Cooper Hatchback Ray Line features a sporty profile that is enhanced by the rear LED lights that gives the car a more dynamic stance. Add that to the plethora of exterior modifications and you have a car that’s itching to stand out from the rest of the pack. As part of the Ray Line, this special edition model will come with fluorescent staining on the bonnet, roof, side mirrors, and hubcaps. Customers have a choice on what kind of neon shade they’d want, ranging from Alien Green, Lemon Yellow, Flash White, Energy Pink, Vitamin Orange and Shocking Blue.

Not done with all that neon, MINI is also offering special badging, and a new set of 17" MINI Yours Soda Spoke Twin Blade wheels in two different styling options.

2012 MINI Cooper Cabrio Ray Line

MINI’s new Ray Line of models, which are exclusive to Italy, offers customers a fresh new option to enjoy the open-air feel of the Cooper Cabriolet.

Not only does the Cabrio Ray Line come with unique aesthetic modifications, but MINI also went ahead and gave minor tweaks to the interior, particularly the aluminum roll bar that has been deliberately lowered behind the headrests to give drivers an enhanced feeling of freedom as they breeze along the open roads.

But the most important modification done on the Cooper Cabrio Ray Line is giving the car even more visual depth, thanks in large part to the fluorescent staining that allows customers to choose from six different shades of neon. The colors range from Alien Green, Lemon Yellow, Flash White, Energy Pink, Vitamin Orange and Shocking Blue, each of provides even more spunk to a car already brimming with attitude.

In addition, MINI also added a new special badge on the car signifying its special edition designation, as well as a number of options and accessories, including chrome surrounds, a fluorescent hub cover, bonnet stripes with fluorescent piping, black caps on the bi-xenon headlamps, and a new set of 17” wheels that come in two different styles.

2012 MINI Clubman Ray Line

Ever the company that specializes on all things quirky, MINI has come out and given credence to their reputations one again with the release of the neon-clad MINI Ray Line.

Exclusive only to Italy, the three models - the Cooper Cabrio, the Cooper Hatch, and the Clubman - all sport some eye-catching gear that once again allows MINI to stand out from the rest of the pack.

For the Clubman, MINI decided to give the model even more luggage space to take advantage of the car’s bigger dimensions. Two special storage units have been added, the first of which is the Clubdoor, which was placed behind the front passenger and can be opened agains the direction of travel. Then there’s the Splitdoor, which replaces the Clubman’s traditional door in favor of two panels that pay homage to the wooden frame of the Mini Classic.

Another distinguishable quality of the Clubman Ray Line is the fluorescent staining, which can be customized courtesy of six different neon shades, including Alien Green, Lemon Yellow, Flash White, Energy Pink, Vitamin Orange and Shocking Blue. The model also carries a special badge on a hexagonal grid of the model as well as new plaques of side scuttles. Other modifications for the Clubman Ray Line include bonnet stripes with a fluorescent profile, a fluorescent Profile Roof Stripe roof, black caps on the bi-xenon headlamps, a fluorescent hub cover, and a new set of 17" wheels that come in two distinct stylings.

2012 MINI Cowley Caravan

In case you haven’t noticed over the past couple of years, it’s important to understand that when it comes to MINI, there’s nothing in the realm of imagination that these guys aren’t afraid to pursue.

The BMW-owned company has never been a shy about its quirky approach in their marketing exploits, as well as in building concepts, special editions, and everything else in between. And as if to continue in that trend, MINI has released a couple of new models that are, safe to say, unlike anything else anybody’s ever built.

One of the models is called the MINI Cowley Caravan, a model that was based on the Countryman, and comes with pretty much everything you need to build an impromptu camp site.

There are two welcoming sleeping berths, a twin-burner gas-stove, a water tank with its own pump and dish-washing facility, a solar module to charge the on-board battery, and a 230-volt power connection that serves as the power source for - get this - the refrigerator, the TV/DVD, and hi-fi stereo system.

The words "MINI" and "contemporary" have very few similarities between them, and you don’t need to look further than the Cowley Caravan as proof of that. Despite being a separate apparatus in its own right, the eye-catching trailer is still only 12 centimeters - that’s under five inches - wider than a MINI Clubman and weighs just under 300 kilograms - 661 lb - making it svelte enough to be towed around by the Countryman, thus turning it into a true road companion whenever and wherever you go.

And by the way, we are 100% sure that this was a clever April Fool’s Day joke from the automaker. Well played, Mini.