Autoblog

Mini Coupe made lighter, more powerful by Revozport

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, China, Mini

Revozport is a Chinese tuner, but one of its tuning arms reaches all the way to the UK. To reward itself for getting a particular ISO certification, its UK office put together the Revozport Mini Targa Raze, a program applicable to either the Mini Coupe or Roadster.

It might be a smidge OTT, but it's not a bad job. With the help of Targa racing the motor gets ramped up to 250 horsepower, a 69-hp boost, to propel a car that is 66 pounds lighter, having swapped in 23 carbon and kevlar parts like the roof panel, vented hood and rear bumper and a titanium cat-back exhaust. The track front and rear is also 15 mm wider to fill out those new arches.

No price has been mentioned, but if you're in Zhuhai, China in October you'll get a chance to see it in person. If that's a bridge too far, there's a press release below with more details.

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Mini Coupe made lighter, more powerful by Revozport originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini nixes Coupe GP plans

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Mini, Rumormill

If you were hoping Mini might be bringing out a John Cooper Works GP version of its new Coupe hatchback bodystyle, we're sorry to disappoint you, but the Mini-obsessed folks at MotoringFile says it's not going to happen. Despite having gotten far enough into development that our spy shooters were able to catch the car during testing on public roads, the powers that be have reportedly scuttled those plans.

The report says marketing concerns are likely to blame, as Mini did not want to dilute enthusiasm for the limited-production Cooper JCW GP. Like its predecessor, the 2006 Mini Cooper S JCW GP, just 2,000 examples are to be sold worldwide, and Mini has yet to even release full specs on the Cooper-based JCW GP.

While this move makes sense to us largely because we're not fans of the Coupe, MotoringFile does hedge its bets, writing that the JCW GP Coupe "may not be entirely dead." Certainly Mini could still decide to release it later in the Coupe's lifecycle, particularly if sales stall and those same marketing types decide (as they often do) that moving the metal trumps exclusivity.

Mini nixes Coupe GP plans originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe

John Neff — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Hatchback, Mini, New Car Reviews

Struggling To Find A Reason For Being

The six basic building blocks of life are sulfur, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen. Arrange those in any number of ways and you can get either a single-celled paramecium or Angelina Jolie. The Mini brand works much the same way. Take the same group of engines, interior bits and exterior design elements, combine them in various ways and you get everything from a three-door hatchback to a five-door crossover.

It all started with the three-door hatchback, but Mini kept reconfiguring its basic elements to create a full range of automobiles that now includes the Convertible, Clubman wagon, Countryman CUV, a new Roadster, and this little guy: the 2012 Mini Coupe, available for our test purposes with the aggressive John Cooper Works package. All members of the Mini clan, however, share the same DNA and do little to hide their lineage.

Truth be told, just the idea of the Mini Coupe has few fans around the Autoblog offices. What point is there to a Mini that's smaller, heavier and more expensive than the standard hatchback? It seems to some that the Coupe exists just because it's an easy and obvious way to configure those basic Mini building blocks. But just because one can build something doesn't always mean one should. There's got to be a reason.

Does the Mini Coupe have a reason for being? Or is its existence owed simply to the fact that it could be made, so it was?

Continue reading 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe

2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 May 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini to expand lineup to ten with three new versions by decade's end

Noah Joseph — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Mini

Think there are a lot of Mini variants already? Hold on to your hats, because BMW is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Next month the new Mini Roadster will hit American showrooms, and next year, a two-door crossover (presaged by the Paceman concept from Detroit last year but carrying the Countryman Coupe in production form) should be available as well. But that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

With the third-generation Mini Cooper hatchback set to arrive in 2014, the Anglo-German automaker will soon begin the whole process anew. And when all's said and done by the end of the decade, the Mini range will have - according to reports - grown by another three bodystyles for a total of 10.

The current lineup includes six bodystyles: the standard Cooper hatchback, the Mini Convertible, the Coupe, the Roadster, the Clubman wagon and the Countryman crossover. Throw the Countryman Coupe into the mix and you've got seven. What Mini will come up with next for three additional versions remains to be seen - we wouldn't be surprised to see a minivan, a slant-back crossover or maybe a convertible crossover (like the Beachcomber concept pictured above) - but if anyone can milk the bodystyle cow for all it's worth, we're confident its initials are B-M-W.

Mini to expand lineup to ten with three new versions by decade's end originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini's Best Test Drive Ever has everything, plus Falconer

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Videos, Mini, Humor

Imagine, for a moment, that you're on your way to a car dealership. For the sake of argument, let's say it's a Mini Cooper Coupe you've got your eye on. You arrive at the dealer, hand over your license and get in for a test drive. What's the absolute best thing that could happen?

According to one man, these six words define the test drive that dreams are made of: Stewardess. Salt flats. Paratroopers. Sushi. Falconer.

No, those aren't the six words we'd have come up with either, but, after watching the post-jump video, it's hard to argue with the results. Ask yourself: Have you ever had a better test drive than this? Yeah, neither have we. Check it out after the break, and feel free to read all about the promotion that prompted the video in the press release.

Continue reading Mini's Best Test Drive Ever has everything, plus Falconer

Mini's Best Test Drive Ever has everything, plus Falconer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mini Cooper Coupe JCW

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Mini, First Drives

Fun, Form And Function... In That Order

Human beings can be a fickle bunch, especially Americans. Case in point: The five-door hatchback is unarguably one of the best arrangements for an automobile, providing ample room for adult-size occupants and their random detritus without being so large as to significantly impact fuel efficiency or make it difficult to fit into tight places.

And yet we consistently flock to ever-larger vehicles with the biggest, most powerful engines available. We opt for SUVs and crossovers in lieu of wagons and hatches; we ogle over sloping rear greenhouses, high beltlines and severely raked windshields. In short, our decisions are often dictated more by style and perception than the realities of daily life.

But we're not here to condemn style-conscious consumers. We're equally as enamored with the latest fashion-forward trends as the next red-blooded enthusiast. But we still have to wonder how far the ooh-it's-pretty attention spans of car buyers will go before a lack of usability begins to hinder purchase decisions. To help answer that question, we took to the roads in and around Nashville, Tennessee in the 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe.

Continue reading 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe JCW

2012 Mini Cooper Coupe JCW originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch the new Mini Coupe take on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, Videos, Mini

Mini JCW Cooper Coupe completes 24 Hours of Nürburgring - Click above to watch video after the jump

Mini is currently waist-deep in a world tour to show off its new Cooper Coupe. We've seen the prototype journey to the top of Mt. Washington, and now a pair of John Cooper Works Coupes have been put to the most grueling of tests in Germany. How so? Mini sent the Coupes into the Green Hell to compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

The Mini JCW Coupes ran strong, and, rather impressively, both crossed the finish line 24 hours after entering the 'Ring. Click past the jump to watch a highlight reel of the 5,600-kilometer journey.

Continue reading Watch the new Mini Coupe take on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring

Watch the new Mini Coupe take on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mini Coupe makes its motion picture debut

Chris Shunk — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Mini

2012 Mini Cooper Coupe in action - Click above to watch the video after the jump

The 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe is hot off the presses, with unique sheetmetal, upgraded power numbers and a promise to become the fastest production Mini on the market. We can live with that, and Mini is hoping coupe shoppers can, too.

To kick of the latest ride in the Mini stable, the advertising team came up with a fun little video with the tagline "Another Day. Another Adventure." The 49-second video shows the Mini Coupe as it travels (in a spirited fashion) through Iceland, Rio and Hong Kong. The idea, of course, is that the fresh-faced coupe + a willing co-pilot = fun anywhere the open road takes you.

Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself. You won't hear any voice-overs and the sales pitch is definitely set to low, but you will see plenty of gorgeous shots of the Mini Coupe on twisty roads.

Continue reading 2012 Mini Coupe makes its motion picture debut

2012 Mini Coupe makes its motion picture debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe [w/video]

Matt Davis — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Mini, Quick Spins

Fastest Factory Mini Ever Built

2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe Prototype - Click above for high-res image gallery

This was, at the very least, a perfect matchup of car and track. We've just returned from enjoying a day-trip drive in a pre-production 2012 Mini Coupe, the very two-door that is due for worldwide deliveries at the start of October. Not only that, the only model available to drive was the 208-horsepower John Cooper Works edition. You can imagine our sad frowns with curled lower lips.

Twisting the dagger so good this day were the peerless conditions at the very tightly wound seven-tenths of a mile Wachauring, a track located in Melk, Austria, about an hour from Vienna. The combo of a demanding circuit and great weather really gave us the chance to work the Mini Coupe hard.

Continue reading 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe [w/video]

2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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