Autoblog

Simon Baker of the UK comes from a family of MINI fans. Since '02, they have owned four of the little Anglo-Teutonic bundles of fun. Last week during the British Motor Show's press days, Mr. Baker himself took delivery of his family's fifth, the first MINI GP built for a customer. On hand to present the keys was John Cooper's son Mike, owner of the soon-to-be shuttered John Cooper Works Garage.

Mr Baker's car is actually the second GP. The first one is on display at the motor show and will head to the MINI museum afterwards. As such, the car he received is emblazoned with "GP 0002" on the roof over the driver's door. He reserved the car in 2005 based on rumor alone, and when the car was formally announced nine months later, he was #1 on the list. It pays to be proactive.

For his part, Mr. Baker says that he's looking forward to showing off the car to his friends and that we shouldn't expect to see it listed on eBay. As far as he's concerned, this one's a keeper.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: MINI]

UPDATE 2


The 2006 British Motor Show is going on in London's Excel Center on the banks of the River Thames, so we decided to assemble a meta gallery of shots from the show in case you don't happen to be in the neighborhood. Shots of interest include more angles of the Arash AF10, the woolen Ferrari of Lauren Porter, the Caparo T1 and the 1005-bhp Barabus TKR shown above.

Let us know in the comments if we're missing any good galleries of the 2006 British Motor Show out on the web.

WorldCarFans - not many but includes nice write up by Nick Hall, second collection promised soon
World Car Fans 2 - second gallery with Nick Hall commentary, contains 270-mph Barabus TKR supercar
PistonHeads 1 - not very many, but there's a second one below
PistonHeads 2 - again, not many but decent selection of supercars and oddities
Supercars.net - the largest collection, four pages of the best shots
PopularScience - 11-shot slideshow, many green machines

UPDATE 1 - added PopularScience
UPDATE 2 - added WorldCarFans 2

Well, you can't accuse Citroën of taking a conservative approach at this year's British Motor Show. The automaker has its full lineup on display, including some new special edition models and a few attention-grabbing show cars and concepts

The fuel-sipping (60 mpg!) C1 city car is well-represented, with special editions bowing in the form of the C1 Airplay and C1 Rhythm, and a garish new show car called the C-P1NK. The C1 Rhythm is a C1 3-door that benefits from a healthy infusion of additional standard equipment. Appearance-wise, there are no changes -- it looks like a regular C1.

The C1 Airplay, on the other hand, loosens up a bit. Available in black or red, the interior features either high-gloss red or chrome accents on the gauge rims, door panels, and shifter. (The exterior paint finish selection determines which cabin trim package is used.). In addition to those detail enhancements, the Airplay gets equipped with a 1GB iPod nano and dash-mounted dock. If you want to further personalize the car's look, the body can also be dressed up with optional side decals, but we're not so sure that's a great idea. The C1 has plenty of style as is -- no need to fix what isn't broken.

Finally, the C-P1NK is a pure show car that really assaults the senses. Fitted with an aero kit and a nice set of alloys, it takes its namesake color scheme and really runs with it. Not only is the bodywork finished in a garishly hot "passion pink," but it's also covered with custom airbrush designs on the hood and side panels. In back, the exhaust outlets are heart-shaped.

(Additional info and photos after the jump)

[Source: Citroën]

An unlikely visitor made the trip from Japan to London for the British Motor Show. Joining the rest of Mitsubishi's lineup at ExCeL is one of Mitsubishi's "i" kei cars. Mitsubishi UK is in the final stages of a feasability study as to whether or not there's a market for the "i" in Britain.

The automaker is conducting surveys nationwaide to gauge demand, and if you're in London, you can make your voice heard at the Mitsu stand as well. In Japan, the "i" is equipped with a 600cc MIVEC DOHC 3-cylinder engine that's good for 64 horsepower. It's mated to either a 2WD or AWD drivetrain. Current speculation is that if the "i" is exported to the UK, it'll use that powerplant and be a 2WD-only vehicle.

Given that small city cars are very practical and popular in Europe, and that the "i" is a uniquely stylish little car, there's probably a good chance that our British friends will be seeing them on local roadways in due time.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Mitsubishi]

UPDATE 1


Barabus Sports Car Ltd. (not to be confused with Brabus, the Mercedes-Benz tuner) has been working on a 1005-bhp supercar for the past ten years. Now that's dedication. It's being unveiled at the British Motor Show in London this week, but we were getting impatient waiting for pics. A quick email to Barabus resulted in these pictures of the hyper exotic sports car that's powered by a 6.0L V8 with twin turbochargers and dual intercoolers. We were told by the company its website should be ready by tomorrow, at which time there should be a lot more information on this potential Veyron killer.

(More pics can be found after the jump, for additional live shots visit PaulTan.org)

[Source: Barabus]

UPDATE 1: added live shot of rear view

The Honda Racing F1 car is made up of 3,200 individual parts, and if you go the the British International Motor Show this week or next, you'll be able to see every single one. Literally.

That's because Dutch artist Paul Veroude has seemingly worked magic with his exhibit called "View Suspended," in which each and every part of the car is suspended from above, creating a living exploded technical diagram. As awed as we are by the photographs of the display, we can only imagine how impressive it looks in person. Everything down to the smallest little screw is hanging in suspended animation.

Manufacturers always strive to have interesting displays at autoshows, whether they be safety demonstrations, cutaways, or other imaginative ploys to generate visitor interest. With "View Suspended," it's a safe bet that Honda will be capturing the attention and imagination of every single person who walks by it. It's just that cool.

Click on any photo to enlarge it. It's the best way to get a sense of the painstaking effort and incredible attention to detail that went into this piece.

(Additional photos, info after the jump)

[Source: Honda]

We brought you initial pics and details last week, and today, SEAT made it all official in London where factory Touring Car drivers James Thompson (WTCC) and Jason Plato (BTCC) pulled the checkered cover off the all-new Leon Cupra.

To refresh your memories, the Cupra is the latest tasty morsel from the Spanish automaker. The stylish hatch has VW's 2.0T FSI four-banger lurking underhood, tuned to produce 240 horsepower. So equipped, it makes the run from 0-62 in 6.4 seconds, topping out at an impressive 153 mph. Somehow through all this the Cupra (if you resist the urge to drop the hammer all the time) can average over 30mpg in fuel consumption along the way.

Distinguishable by its curvy body, tough aero kit, and 18" wheels, the Cupra also creates an inviting driving environment for it's pilot and passengers, with sport seats, contrast stitching, and a slick variation on the already-excellent VW-sourced dash and instrument cluster.

We wish we could get it here!

(Additional info and photos after the jump)

[Source: SEAT]

The British International Motor Show opened up in London yesterday, and mean, green and clean were the central themes of the day -- electric vehicles, hybrids, diesels and cars that boost fuel economy and lower emissions stole the show.

One particularly environmentally-friendly announcement came from Ford, which said it would invest USD $1.8 billion or £1 billion in greener technology throughout its lineup. Ford's not the only company looking to get a piece of the action, however -- SMART brought its zero-emission EV (electric vehicle), which launches today, and Saab its BioPower Hybrid. Both should fare well on the "greenness gauge," a color-coded system at the show to indicate to consumers the energy efficiency of each particular vehicle. We'll be bringing you as much from the show as we can, although it appears most of the launches were announced by automakers ahead of time and have already been covered.

[Source: Reuters]

The car above was once a garden-variety Chevrolet Matiz. Then, British celeb florist Paula Pryke got her hands on it. Bouts of madness and wanton flower-slaying ensued, and that's how the Chevrolet Matiz "Car In Bloom" was born.

You see, in the UK, one in three women think style and color are the most important factors when buying an automobile. The "Car In Bloom" was commissioned to (somehow) be a physical manifestation of this sentiment. The flowers? 100% real, potentially creating a difficult car care decision: Come wash time, which hose attachment do you use -- Mr. Clean Autodry or Miracle-Gro Liquafeed?

If you attend the British Motor Show, you can ask someone at the Chevy display where the "Car In Bloom" will be next week. Its creator, celeb florist Paula Pryke, made two more just like it. She'll use one as the delivery vehicle for her business. No word on what's happening to the other. We just hope someone remembers to water it.

(More info plus a pic of a "naked" Matiz after the jump)

[Source: Chevrolet UK]

The new SEAT Leon Cupra has broken cover, and it's a looker. Powered by a 2.0T FSI making in excess of 240 horsepower, the new Cupra makes the run to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds. Visually, it's enough to make you wish SEAT was available here in the States -- something that will never happen because the brand would cannibalize VW and Audi sales in a big way.

An aggressive front apron with honeycomb grill inserts and integrated foglights communicate the Cupra's sporting nature. A downward-sloping character line accents the side view, and around back, the stylish taillights are complemented by an integrated roof spoiler and a black rear bumper insert. A polished oval exhaust tip pokes through on the left side. Stylish 18" wheels fill the wells nicely.

Bucket seats emblazoned with "Cupra" in red and a handsome instrument cluster and wheel set the tone inside. Overall, the SEAT has a more swoopy and organic look to it than the usual VW/Audi fare. It's definitely a hot item.

We'll know more about the car next week when it makes its official world debut in London at the British Motor Show.

(More photos after the jump)

[Source: Autoblog Spanish (translated)]