Much as we love the Mini Clubman and its rear-hinged, passenger-side door, this would be an incredibly stupid idea. Functionality is one thing, but ruining the design of the fetching Mini Cooper hardtop would be a downright shame.
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 ye
Well, this certainly brings quite literal meaning to the word 'minivan'. According to Auto Motor und Sport, sources within BMW have reportedly confirmed that a new Mini-branded panel van – possibly dubbed Mini Cargo – will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Starting next March, Mini buyers will be able to grab a set of Recaro seats off the option list for their cars. The upmarket buckets will be available for all Mini models except the Countryman and Convertible.
The two millionth Mini has rolled off the line in Oxford, UK, a feat which took around ten years and sent Minis to 90-plus countries across the globe. According to Mini, if placed bumper-to-bumper, two million Minis would stretch 4,627 miles. Of course, two million Ford F-150s would stretch, um, further.
Sometimes, the key to a good lap time is to drive in such a way as to not lose the hard-fought momentum you've already gained. Such is the case when you don't have a lot of power underhood and you've got more road-holding grip than horsepower.
Driving a manual transmission is a dying art these days. More and more automakers are moving to faster-shifting dual-clutch transmissions for performance cars, and the high-volume best-sellers only offer stick-shifts on the very base models (if at all). Of course there's Porsche, an automaker that is currently putting the finishing touches on its Steven J. Ewing
Mini is rumored to be cooking up a special-edition version of the company's Clubman for this year's Geneva Motor Show. The hatch will be called the Hampton, and will come slathered in a new Reef Blue Metallic paint with Damson Red hood stripes and mirror caps. Mini is also said to be throwing in a slew of special badges and Bi-Xenon headlight
The Streetworker Mini by Schmidt Revoltion – Click above for high-res image gallery
Honda Element, one of AAA's best dog-friendly vehicles – Click above for high-res image gallery
Moto Guzzi V7 Clubman – Click above for high-res image gallery
Earlier this year, Mini USA Vice President of Marketing Jim McDowell was quoted as saying that we "shouldn't wait for a hybrid." Well, we're not exactly on pins and needles or anything, but it would seem that Mini is indeed working on hybrids of one kind or another.
2011 Mini Cooper and Clubman spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
BMW gave us the Mini Cooper, Mini Convertible and Mini Clubman. We've also seen the Mini Countryman, Michael Harley
