After yesterday's Baur-roofed BMW drew a 75% Nice Price vote, we thought it might be a good idea to keep the convertible vibe alive today with a Mini that also doesn't shun the sun, but may be a bit too twee for its own good.

When Alec Issigonis first designed the Mini, he felt that he had created the purest form of family transportation. Ads showed a family of four and enough luggage to choke a hippo that supposedly all fit inside the tiny car, all at the same time. Utilizing several clever packaging measures, such as side-mounted radiator and sump-sharing gearbox, the Mini managed to be microcar small without actually seeming so. Not only that, but it was powered by one of the best engines to ever come out of BMC - the A-series four cylinder, and its (at first rubber cone, then later Hydrolastic displacer) suspension makes the car flingable and easy to manage regardless of road condition. Add to that the security of front wheel drive and the Mini was positioned as the most advanced small car in the world.

One thing the Mini originally lacked at its launch was a variety of body styles. Eventually Clubman wagons, booted Riley Elfs and Italianate Innocentis plied the road, and then, somebody thought it would be a good idea to hack the roof off.

Today's car is presented as a 1970, but it isn't from that year. The choice of that year may be due to eBay's VIN number requirements, or perhaps a end-run around DOT and EPA requirements. Regardless, the car is equipped with the dual-point fuel injected Plus version of the long-serving 1275-cc A-series, which wasn't made available until 1991. The interior, filled with luxurious walnut burl and red-piped leather also belies the year, as that dash was introduced with the Mini Cooper 1.3i. Finally, this is one of 75 Lamm Autohaus Mini conversions done by a German Mini dealer prior to the official Rover Mini Cabriolet. The difference between the two cars is evident in the rear side windows- the Rover has wind-down glass, the Lamm cars have plastic windows sewn into what is reminiscent of a very poorly fitting Wrangler top. And, in fact with that top up, the car is woefully fugly, looking like a Mini that is wearing a poor-fitting toupee.

But that's not why you buy a convertible, you buy it for top-down driving enjoyment. And the Mini looks much better with the top stowed under the bustle-capping tonneau, although in a car this small, there's not much room for the folded hood, and it does lend the appearance of a shopping trolly when down. The Rover version sits even higher.

The Lamm conversion adds about 20-lbs to the Mini's weight, bringing it up to 1530-lbs. The 63-bhp engine will move that to sixty in about 12 ticks, and further, all the way up to its hood-up top speed of 92 mph.

The BRG over walnut and leather is a very appropriate color match for this littlest Brit, and the 32,000 miles showing on the clock fall somewhere in between it's a dried-up garage queen and somebody musta' unscrewed the speedo cable. And while that top is pretty hideous, it is one of only 75, and there's even fewer here in the U.S. than that. And it still has all that Mini goodness that all of Issigonis' offspring possess. Which brings us to the price. The seller of this micro-brute is asking $18,500 to drive it away. For that kind of scratch you could buy a whole bunch of less-rare drop-tops, including miatas, Mustangs, and even several of yesterday's Baur 318is. But just because there are options doesn't mean this isn't a valid choice. Mini ragtops are rare, the base car is fun, and what the hell, it's a good way to determine if you're gay or not- not that there's anything wrong with that.

So what do you vote for this $18,500 soft-top Mini? Do you swing Nice Price? Or, are you not curious yellow, and call the Crack Pipe?

You decide!

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Not only was it a Mini Cooper, it turned out to be a supercharged Mini Cooper S! The team members run a car salvage company and had all sorts of paperwork "proving" that their total outlay was under 500 bucks, but... no. Sure, they claimed to have started with a totaled rollover victim and sold off a lot of interior parts, but seeing this Englishman driving a German Mini instead of, say, a Triumph GT6 made us less than happy. Initially, we figured we'd give them 80,000 BS penalty laps, if only to protect them from the People's Curse, but then we hit upon the sacred-to-England value of 1,066 laps. Hey, they still get to race! They had a good sense of humor about the whole thing, and the drama of the inspection was quite entertaining to the Penalty Box hangers-on, so it was a win for all.

Paddy Hopkirk's "33EJB" Cooper S

Five years after its introduction, the Mini was already somewhat of a hit. In 1964 Paddy Hopkirk made it into a sensation when he won the Monte Carlo Rally. Hopkirk and navigator Henry Liddon beat a factory team of eight fire-breathing V-8 Ford Falcons headed by Graham Hill with a combination of good recon, excellent Mini handling, and the skills Hopkirk learned on the cobbles of his native Belfast (and some help from the handicap rules, but that's hardly important or particularly romantic). Suddenly Hopkirk was the kind of celebrity that couldn't get arrested in London, certainly a rarity for an Irishman in the Sixties, and the Mini was a performance icon, certainly something no one expected from a car Alec Issigonis designed to compete with German bubble-cars. Minis won the rally three more times until 1967, forever cementing their reputation as giant-killers.

Photo: BMW Group

Mini-Moke

"Moke" means "Donkey," and there's perhaps no better automotive equivalent of Eeyore than the Moke, which like the cartoon donkey, seems terribly unsuited for its intended role—this was going to be a military vehicle?— but also like its namesake it endures, despite everything. It's a lot, well, cuter than Eeyore, it must be said, and because it's so popular as a light-duty beach buggy, it spends a lot less time being bedraggled in the rain. Our advice to the folks using the Mini name now: Drop this silly new coupe stuff and give us one of these, changing as little as possible.

Photo: Getty Images

Mini Countryman Woody

Simply put, it's a Mini estate car with wood framing. Mechanically, it's nothing unusual, nor is it particularly remarkable from a woodworking standpoint. But the net effect is comfortable, rustic, and makes one want to go get a tweed gamekeeper's coat and wingshoot some grouse. You know we like it if we chose it over the Coutryman pickup or "Minimino." Recent reports say the Countryman name, if not the wood frame, will be brought back soon, which we consider something of a job half-done.

Photo: Wikipedia

Mark VII Mini

The last of the first, Rover's 1996 to 2000 edition of the Mini was still recognizably a Mini; it had gained a little weight, though not much, gained a little comfort, though not a lot, and gained a modest degree of power, although it never had much. The idea of a Mini with an airbag and some sound insulation seems almost wrong, but the Mark 7s are still highly desirable as the last "real" Mini.

Photo: Wikipedia

John Cooper Works New MINI

The "New MINI" is not without its problems, but it's still a blast to drive. The first-gen John Cooper Works GP MINIs are easily the biggest blast, especially because they offered a lot of supercharged, backseatless speed in a fairly affordable package. If you were lucky enough to get one of the couple thousand made, it's gained value for you, although if you were persistent enough to get one you shouldn't really care about that.

So all in all a good fifty years for the Mini. Let's hope cooler heads prevail at BMW, or whichever company eventually winds up with the name so we can look back on these five decades as merely a good start.

The test involves compressing a metal plate into the corner of the roof. Withstand four times your vehicle's weight before reaching five inches of crush and you earn a "good" rating (the Smart Fortwo did 5.4 times its weight). Withstand better than 3.25 times your weight and you earn an "acceptable" grade. This is where the Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mini Cooper, and Toyota yaris performed. The Aveo was a the bottom with a "marginal" rating, which means it had to do better than 2.5 times its weight.

Full details in the IIHS press release below the photos.

Smart Fortwo rates good for roof strength; test is designed 
to assess & compare occupant protection in rollover crashes
ARLINGTON, VA - The Smart Fortwo has the strongest roof and the Chevrolet Aveo has the weakest among 2009 micro and minicars recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Smart earns the highest rating of good compared with acceptable for the Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mini Cooper, and Toyota Yaris. The Aveo is rated marginal.
The rating system is based on Institute research showing that occupants in rollover crashes benefit from stronger roofs. Vehicles rated good must have roofs that are more than twice as strong as the current minimum federal safety standard requires. The ratings, products of the Institute's new roof strength testing program, add to consumer information tests that rate vehicles for front, side, and rear crashworthiness. The roof test is designed to help consumers pick vehicles that will help protect them in rollover crashes.
"We anticipate that our roof strength test will drive improved rollover crash protection the same way our frontal offset and side tests have led to better occupant protection in these kinds of crashes," says Institute president Adrian Lund.
Roofs have gotten stronger during the past few years, Institute research shows. Part of the reason is that automakers have made structural improvements to earn better front and side ratings in Institute tests. Strong A and B pillars help prevent intrusion in these types of crashes. They also help hold up the roof.
"Small cars should have an easier time with the roof strength test," Lund explains. "Their light weight means their roofs don't have to work as hard to keep the structure around the occupants intact in a rollover."
About 10,000 people a year are killed in rollovers. When vehicles roll, their roofs hit the ground, deform, and crush. Stronger roofs crush less, reducing the risk of injury from contact with the roof itself. Stronger roofs also can prevent people, especially those who aren't using safety belts, from being ejected through windows, windshields, or doors that have broken or opened because the roof deformed. Roofs that don't collapse help keep people inside vehicles as they roll.
The best protection is to keep vehicles from rolling in the first place. Electronic stability control is significantly reducing rollovers, especially fatal single-vehicle ones. When vehicles do roll, side curtain airbags help protect people. Belt use is essentiall

How roofs are evaluated: In the Institute's test, a metal plate is pushed against 1 side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating, a roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle's weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is poor.
"Compared with the current federal standard of 1.5, a strength-to-weight ratio of 4 reflects an estimated 50 percent reduction in the risk of serious or fatal injury in single-vehicle rollover crashes," Lund explains.
The Smart withstood a force of 5.4 times its weight. The Aveo withstood a force of just over 3 times its weight.
Cars have been built to meet the same roof crush standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216, since 1973. The rule was extended in 1994 to include all passenger vehicles up to a gross weight rating of 6,000 pounds. Many SUVs and pickup trucks are heavier, so they're exempt.
New federal requirements: In April the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ended numerous delays by unveiling a new rule that doubles the current roof strength requirement (strength-to-weight ratio of 1.5) for vehicles with weight ratings up to 6,000 pounds. Roofs on vehicles with weight ratings 6,000 to 10,000 pounds will be required to withstand a force equal to 1.5 times their unloaded weight. Another requirement is that roofs maintain sufficient headroom during testing. For the first time, the government also will require the same performance on both sides of the roof when tested sequentially. Phase-in begins in September 2012, and all vehicles must comply by September 2016.
"The federal government's leisurely phase-in of the new standard means roofs won't have to get stronger right away," Lund says, "so we plan to continue rating vehicle roof strength for the foreseeable future. We want to reward manufacturers who are ahead of their competition when it comes to providing protection in rollover crashes. We want to help consumers identify the safest vehicle choices."

Roof ratings added to award criteria:  A good roof strength rating will be a new requirement to earn the Institute's Top Safety Pick award for 2010. This is the second time criteria for this award have been tightened since the first winners were announced in 2005. Availability of electronic stability control became a requirement starting with 2007s.
"Adding roof strength to Top Safety Pick criteria means we're going to see fewer winners in 2010," Lund points out. A record 84 vehicles have qualified for the 2009 award so far."

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested the seven most popular small cars — the smart ForTwo, Chevy Aveo, Mini Cooper, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio — in four different low-speed tests: front bumper, front corner, rear bumper, rear corner. The cost of replacing the parts were used to determine whether the cars achieved high or low ratings. The worst performer was the Kia Rio with $9,380 worth of damage, earning it a "Poor" rating. Also earning a "Poor" rating were the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio. The Chevy Aveo did one better with a "Marginal" rating. The best vehicle was the Smart Fortwo with only $3,281 in total damage from the four tests, earning it an "Acceptable" rating. None scored "Good." Take a look at the damage below.

The costliest design choices include the Mini Cooper's sloping hood, which wraps around the front car like a fender and thus has to be replaced in a low speed test. The numerous plastic pieces help keep the Smart on the cheaper end of repairs because the parts are easy to replace, saving the trouble of replacing an entire fascia. The Chevrolet Aveo received a "Marginal" rating, due in large part to its pre-painted fenders, which are cheaper to replace because there's no need to factor painting into the replacement cost.

Mini and microcar bumpers allow pricey damage;
none of the 7 tested rates good under new system

ARLINGTON, VA - Urban drivers often pick mini and microcars because they're affordable, fuel efficient, and easy to park on city streets. Fender-benders are hazards of urban driving, and just one of them can add up to thousands of dollars in repair costs because the bumpers don't adequately protect vehicles from damage. None of the bumpers on 7 mini and microcars the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested earns the top rating of good, and just 1, the Smart Fortwo, is acceptable. Five out of the 7 earn poor ratings and 1 earns a marginal.

The Institute evaluated results according to a new ratings protocol for low-speed tests that better represents the damage insurance claims centers assess daily. The worst performer is the Kia Rio with $9,380 total damage in the 4 tests, 2 full-width and 2 corner impacts, to earn a poor rating. The Rio's repair bill is worse than those of most other small and midsize cars and minivans the Institute has tested. This minicar racked up about $3,700 damage, or 30 percent of its purchase price, in the full-front test alone. The Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, and Mini Cooper also earn poor ratings for bumper performance (see table below).

The Smart Fortwo is best overall, with $3,281 total damage in 4 tests. Costs are relatively low for this microcar because its prepainted plastic body panels are dent-resistant, inexpensive, and easy to replace. The Chevrolet Aveo, a minicar, is next best, with $4,490 total damage.

"You should be able to drive your car home after a low-speed crash, but too often vehicles are sidelined by only minor impacts," says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. "Damage to sheet metal, air-conditioning condensers, and safety equipment like headlights should never happen when your car is bumped at just 3 to 6 miles an hour. Bad bumpers add up to one big headache for consumers."

New ratings system: These are the first bumper test results released under a new Institute ratings protocol that's based on repair costs averaged and weighted to reflect real-world damage patterns. These averaged and weighted repair costs determine each vehicle's overall rating of good, acceptable, marginal, or poor in 4 bumper tests representing full-width and corner crashes at low speeds. Weighted average repairs must be less than $500 for a good rating, less than $1,000 for acceptable, and less than $1,500 for marginal. Repairs of $1,500 or more earn bumpers a poor rating.

"Bumpers can be designed so there's no damage in these low-speed impacts. At a minimum, repairs should cost less than the typical insurance deductible for a collision, which is $500," Nolan explains. "This is why we set the benchmark for a good rating at less than $500. Damage at this level may be only cosmetic, so consumers may choose not to bother with repairs. Likewise, $1,000 is about the cost of a new bumper cover, reinforcement bar, and paint, while $1,500 includes replacing vehicle parts like grilles and headlights. When you reach $1,000 the bumper isn't doing its job, and anything $1,500 or higher is egregious."

No vehicle can earn a good or even an acceptable rating in the Institute's bumper tests if it's unsafe to drive afterward or can't be driven at all. Inoperable headlights or taillights, severely buckled hoods, or a compromised engine cooling system would prevent any vehicle from achieving the top 2 ratings. For instance, the Accent's hood buckled and its radiator hose kinked in the full-front test.

"If you decided to drive away after this, you'd be calling a tow truck in short order because of engine overheating," Nolan says.

Besides this group of minicars and a microcar, the Institute has tested 54 other vehicles under the new ratings protocol. The Smart Fortwo joins the Ford Focus and Scion xB as the only cars to earn acceptable ratings. The Aveo is 1 of 15 to rate marginal. Of the 61 cars the Institute has tested so far, 43 rate poor.

How they're rated: The Institute puts bumpers through 4 crash tests including full front and rear into a barrier that mimics the front or back bumper on another vehicle plus front and rear corner impacts. The full-width impacts are run at 6 mph while the corner ones are at 3 mph. The shape of the barrier the Institute uses to test bumpers represents a typical vehicle bumper. It's set at 16 inches from the ground in the corner test and 18 inches from the ground in the full-width test.

Bumpers are supposed to absorb the energy of low-speed collisions and slow vehicles before there's damage to expensive-to-repair parts like grilles, hoods, and fenders. They also should extend to vehicle corners to protect costly lights and fenders.

Bumpers have to be tall enough to engage, and stay engaged with, the bumpers on other vehicles in collisions, even during emergency braking. Otherwise, the bumpers bypass each other when vehicles collide, overriding and underriding so crash energy is absorbed by body parts instead of bumpers.

For example, the front bumper of the Rio briefly engaged the barrier in the front full-width test before it underrode it, resulting in damage to its grille, hood, headlights, radiator, fender, and air-conditioning condenser, plus the bumper reinforcement bar. The Rio had the most expensive damage in this test, and the Accent had the second highest.

Five of the 7 cars in the full-front test underrode the barrier, and none sustained less than $1,000 damage. The 2 that engaged the barrier, the Aveo and Fit, have the lowest damage totals in this test. In the full-rear test, only the Mini Cooper fully engaged the barrier. It also has the highest bumper of the group and the second lowest damage total behind the Smart Fortwo's. The Mini's rear bumper is tall enough to do a reasonably good job in the full-width-rear test. Repairs cost $929, while the Smart's bill is $631. Damage to the Fit in the same test is $3,648, or 25 percent of this car's list price.

"Just about every panel and part on the back of the Fit had damage in the full-rear test," Nolan says. "The bumper isn't in the right place to protect the tailgate, rear panel, and taillights because it's mounted too low. It's built this way to allow easy cargo access through the tailgate. The trade-off is that in an everyday rear-ender, the other car will hit the tailgate instead of the bumper."

Pricey styling decisions: The Mini Cooper is the only car the Institute has tested with a hood that buckled in the front corner test. This is a pricey styling design on the manufacturer's part, Nolan points out. The minicar's hood wraps around the front of the car like a fender, so instead of replacing just a fender, the car needed an $810 new hood. Repairs total $2,637 in this test.

Minor impacts can cause lots of damage if the bars underneath bumper covers aren't long enough to protect car bodies out to the front and rear corners, compromising lights and other safety-related parts. Five of the 7 cars in the full-front test and 6 in the front corner test required headlight replacement.

In the rear corner test, the bumpers on the Aveo, Mini Cooper, Rio, and Yaris all engaged the barrier. Damage was limited to the bumper cover, a sign of a better bumper design.

"Bumpers are doing their job if the only damage is to the bumper cover. Bumpers aren't doing their job when headlights get knocked out or sheet metal crumples after a low-speed impact," Nolan says.

Smart's design saves on repairs: The Smart's plastic body parts easily can be replaced in sections. This makes repairs relatively affordable in comparison to other vehicles. For example, front and rear bumper covers come in 3 sections each (left, right, and center), so mechanics need to replace only the damaged parts instead of the entire plastic cover. Also keeping costs down is the fact that the bumper cover sections are prepainted. They cost roughly $160 for the center section and $180 each for the left or right fender sections.

This is the first car the Institute has tested that has prepainted body panels. In comparison, it costs $480, not including labor, to replace and paint a front bumper cover on the Aveo.

"With consumers watching every penny in this shaky economy, no one should have to shell out hundreds and even thousands of dollars to fix damage that shouldn't happen in the first place. That's not to mention the time that's wasted coordinating and waiting for repairs," Nolan says. "Our new bumper ratings should help streamline the buying process so consumers can zero in on vehicles with good bumpers. At the same time, the ratings should encourage automakers to make improvements that help move cars off their lots."

Better bumpers don't have to be complicated. Auto manufacturers already know how to make good ones. Longer and taller reinforcement bars and energy-absorbing material are key to reducing damage in low-speed collisions.

[Source: IIHS]

In what might be the first time the German auto market ever gets screwed over for the states, AC Scnitzer is providing their interpretation of the MINI Cooper S at 208 HP for the domestic market and bumping things up to 226 HP for export. Weird. Aside from the tuned engine, the car gets Schnitzerized bodywork, custom exhaust, adjustable-height suspension and modified interior baubles.

The R60 platform-based 2012 MINI Cooper borrows heavily from the MINI Crossman Concept in the styling department, which should also transcend to the production MINI Crossman. The jumbo shrimp 2012 MINI will grow in size from the outgoing model and will likely mature in the power department, as well. While details are somewhat slim at this point in the game, we like what we see and could possibly even overlook the lack of a gimmicky clam shell hood.

We're expecting to see a concept version of the R60-based 2012 MINI Cooper some time next year, while the production MINI Crossman will likely be shown this fall. Given the source of this info we're still treating it with skepticism.

UPDATE: Our skepticism has been rewarded as it turns out, according to the company, these are totally bogus.

[via vinceburlap]

We've seen more than our share of trippy, kinky Coopers in our day and the ones collected are no different. Joining the JCW MINI in the photogallery from BMW are at least two, one old and one new, off-road-style MINIs on giant tires.

MINI UNITED - A MAGNET FOR FANS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE 25,000 Enthusiasts from more than 40 Countries Converged on Silverstone to Wish MINI a Happy 50th Birthday

Woodcliff Lake, NJ/Silverstone U.K. - May 26, 2009... The third edition of what has already become the legendary MINI United Festival was held this year from May 22nd - May 24th in glorious sunshine at the Formula One track in Silverstone, England. Some 25,000 fans from more than 40 countries made the pilgrimage to the world's premier gather of its kind. They arrived in over 10,000 MINI models, most of them lovingly individualized. Numerous German fan clubs made their way to the venue, mostly setting out by car on the long journey to the UK. Even for participants from as far afield as Russia, the USA and South Africa, no effort or cost was too great to ensure they could pay personal tribute to the British classic on its 50th birthday. Likewise determined not to miss out on this winning mix of racing action, music festival and lifestyle spectacular were a whole raft of celebrities.

As part of the world premiere for the new Mayfair and Camden special models, the now 75-year old Mary Quant – British style icon and inventor of the mini-skirt – disclosed a long-guarded secret: the designation "mini-skirt" is not derived from the celebrated brevity of the garment; it was her much-loved car that inspired her to choose the name.

To mark the 50th anniversary, MINI also took the wraps off a reinterpretation of George Harrison's flamboyant model. This one-off, presented to Olivia Harrison on Saturday night, fully met the precise design brief of the Beatles' widow. She accepted the MINI on behalf of the Material World Charitable Foundation, a charity which George Harrison founded in 1973. The car will be auctioned this year to raise funds for the foundation. "George was a huge MINI fan and he would have enjoyed this new version. The fact that the 50th anniversary celebrations for MINI will also benefit our foundation has made it an enjoyable as well as meaningful collaboration," said Olivia Harrison.

But there were plenty more unique models to get pulses racing among the fans. British fashion designer Paul Smith again presented the model created by him, while the designs by David Bowie, Kate Moss, Missoni and the acclaimed illustrator and graphic designer Alan Aldridge were also on display. Similarly drawing approving looks were the original cars from films like "The Italian Job" and "Austin Powers."

The major highlight of the MINI United Festival was the appearance of "modfother" Paul Weller, former front man of the two legendary bands The Jam and The Style Council and now a long-standing and highly successful solo artist. "As I've been driving MINI all my life, I was delighted to be able to join in the 50th birthday celebrations," said Weller. As a tribute to the British artist, the band Twisted Wheel performed a cover version at the festival of one of his classic numbers, "That's Entertainment." The track will be exclusively available from the MINI website: www.minispace.com.

[Source: BMW]

The MINI John Cooper Works F1 is outfitted with the JCW turbocharged powertrain capable of 211-horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque, special JCW F1 badging, a unique aero kit, blacked out headlights and a British Racing Green with white roof paintjob. Only 250 of this special edition will be produced worldwide, but it's still unconfirmed whether we'll get a few on this side of the pond. Head on over to Motoring File for more on-site images from the MINI United Festival. (Hat tip to Fiver Driver!)

[via motoringfile]

Both the MINI 50 Camden (white) and MINI 50 Mayfair (brown) feature unique styling treatments including blacked-out headlights and special 50th anniversary badges throughout as well as a new feature that MINI's dubbed "Mission Control." This new system is supposed to revolutionize the way the vehicle interacts and interprets the driver's inputs. The car will have certain "dialogues" with the driver to let him/her know to buckle their seat belt, current temperature and the current fuel level among other things. Weird. (Hat tip to Fiver Driver!)

[via motoringfile]

L'Automobile also claims to have received a spy photo of the upcoming MINI's interior as well, but as we've believed all along, our suspicions about the French have been true. The MINI-obsessed folks at MotoringFile have uncovered that the interior image that L'Automobile has "acquired" is simply a Photoshopped version of a development mule for the current 2nd generation MINI, which makes us question the whole story.

But, if what they're saying is true — this single exterior photograph is that we're looking at an early clay or foam design mock up for the next generation R60 platform-based 2012 MINI Cooper. It's also entirely possible that this is a mock up for the upcoming production MINI Crossman which has been spied wearing trippy acid brown camo as of late. Regardless of which specific model it is since its fairly hard to tell from this single photograph, the design details such as the slightly less round headlights and more conventional hood will be shared between the two models.

The production version of the MINI Crossman is expected to be shown this fall with a concept version of the R60-based MINI Cooper bowing a little less than a year later. [theswitchback, motoringfile via L'Automobile]

Get it? Sight gags. Those darn nine-year-olds and their bad attitudes are ruining otherwise precious family photos. Darn them and their rebellious ways. Only in the ad-world, would this happen. Everyone else knows from experience those kids would be stuffed into collared shirts and cardigans under threat of life-ending bodily harm in real life.

What was previously just a rumor has now grown some legs according to the MotoringFile. They're reporting that the new limited edition was spotted on the Oxford Plant line this past week in pre-production form. The MINI JCW F1 SE will feature such distinguishing features as a non-metallic British Racing Green painted exterior with a Pepper White roof and matching mirrors along with the aforementioned badging and aerokit.

At this point, we're not sure if we'll receive the MINI JCW F1 SE in the States, but if we do, it'll likely be in extremely limited numbers as there are only expected to be 50-100 built for the entire world. Expectation is we'll see this new special edition unveiled at the MINI United event at the end of next month. [via MotoringFile]

Was the '78 the best Mini built during the first couple of decades of production? Raymond Baxter claims that's the case in this British Leyland dealer-training video, with the "fashionable matte black grille" and backup lights as standard equipment, to name just two improvements. Of course, others had ripped off the Mini's innovative front-drive/transverse-engine design by then, but Baxter shows that the Fiesta and Renault 5 just couldn't compete.

My Mini-identification skills aren't so good, but I'm guessing that this car is an 80s or 90s model, no doubt imported through a terrifying bureaucratic obstacle course. Any of you deranged devoted Mini zealots fanciers who'd like to give us your read on this car, please do. I'm not quite sure what the combo of Welsh dragon hood ornament and English flag-painted roof symbolizes, other than "Hooray for British cars!" Is this the American equivalent of having a big ol' GMC pickup adorned with a Confederate flag and an "I ♥ NY" bumper sticker in Britain?

Created by Plantage Berlin, these ads were inspired by films like Ben Hur, Kill Bill and The Blues Brothers. Well, sorta anyway. In addition to the interesting concept and humor, the commercials have no dialogue and thus will work in any country where MINI does business. The commercial above is called "Duel" and the rest are below.

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