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MINI

The new MINI Cabrio

R57 MINI Cooper S Cabrio

This is the new MINI Cabrio. Shown here in 128kW turbo Cooper S guise, the roofless MINI will strike a fashionable pose at your favourite café—if you’re into that sort of thing.

The R57 Cabrio will reach Australian shores in the second quarter of 2009. It features a completely redesigned rollover hoop system, and the slightly awkward rear hinges from the old model have been deleted, resulting in a cleaner design for the hatch compartment. In the unlikely event that you do decide to roll your new MINI Cabrio, the rollbars will activate in a mere 150 milliseconds. Providing you protection when you need it, and staying out of your vision when you don’t. Neat, huh.

The automatic soft top roof opens in 15 seconds and can be activated at speeds up to 30km/h. Other features include standard Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) across the range, hands-free Bluetooth  phone capability (including iPhone), MP3 player compatibility and, oddly enough, an automatic air conditioning system that adjusts accordingly even when your roof is down.

In an ever so MINI way, there is also an optional Always-Open Timer that sits next to the tachometer on the steering column. This little dial keep tally of the number of hours your MINI Cabrio’s roof has been down. Fair enough, I suppose.

More images and words after the jump.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI CHALLENGE – Round 7 wrap up

Last weekend’s MINI CHALLENGE racing at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains raceway had plenty of action at both ends of the field. Up front, former Tasmanian Paul Stokell had a dominant weekend winning all three races. However, at the back of the tightly packed field UBER-STAR driver Jason Akermanis got off to an eventful and rather embarrassing race debut by rolling his car on the warm up lap (see clip above).

Akermanis, often a human headline in the world of AFL, certainly attracted plenty of attention. Both he and Stuart Appleby had set solid qualifying times for Race 1, although both were starting from the rear of the grid. Appleby’s time was 1.3 seconds off pole, while ‘Aka’ was 1.5 seconds from the front. But Akermanis didn’t see any race action after his roll on the parade lap, although he did return for Sunday’s two races after a mammoth effort from the UBER-STAR team. The crew worked until 4am to have his car ready and to Akermanis’ credit he finished race 3 with his head held high, setting a best lap time of 1:03.7. His time compares well with the fastest lap from the race, of 1:02.9, set by former Bathurst winner Jason Bargwanna.

But it was Stokell creating all the headlines at the front of the pack, finally bringing an end to Bargwanna’s great run of consecutive victories by stringing together three of his own. Stokell’s success created the biggest impact on the series leader board as well, moving him into second position behind Neil McFadyen.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 7 Preview

Australian MINI Challenge - Jason Akermanis & Stuart Appleby

Round 7 of the inaugural Australian MINI CHALLENGE series takes place in Tasmania this weekend at Symmons Plains, south of Launceston. The UBER-STAR CARS will be filled by Western Bulldogs AFL star, and 2001 Brownlow Medallist, Jason Akermanis and eight time PGA Tour event winner Stuart Appleby.

Akermanis will be making his motor racing debut and knows he faces a huge challenge, “I’m excited about the opportunity, for sure,” he said. “In many respects, lining up on the grid is totally different to being on the MCG in front of 90,000 screaming fans, but there are similarities between racing and AFL, too.

“Both sports are about passion and dedication. I don’t think anyone has ever questioned the passion that I bring to anything that I’ve done in the past and I’m approaching this exactly the same.”

Stuart Appleby, however, has embraced his need for speed through competing in Targa Tasmania the last few years and building an enviable garage full of exotica (including the world’s only BMW M5 ute), but climbing aboard the MINI Challenge UBER-STAR CAR is an altogether different proposition. “I have fond memories of competing in Tasmania through the Targa event, so to return with MINI Challenge is going to be an absolute thrill!” Appleby enthused.

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MINI

MINI John Cooper Works – power and economy

MINI John Cooper Works

Most readers here will know AUSmotive is a fan of most things MINI, and the recently released John Cooper Works is no exception. When casting an eye over the spec sheet one thing that stands out is the combined fuel consumption figure of 6.9l/100km (40.9mpg). A nimble pocket rocket that is kind to the wallet and the planet. Well, within reason!

Sure, achieving such consumption figures can sometimes be counter productive to the JCW’s raison d’être. But this hasn’t stopped UK magazine Auto Express from seeing just how frugal the most powerful production MINI can be. They recently entered the the MINI John Cooper Works in a two-day economy run. The aim was simple, each car must have a crew of two and cover the 660km test route using as little fuel as possible.

So, how did they go? The overall consumption achieved was an indicated 49.4mpg (approx 5.7l/100km). Having owned an R53 MINI for some time now, I can say the on board computer’s reading is often on the optimistic side. Having said that, this is still mightily impressive result for the turbocharged MINI, even if you knock off around 10% for the generous computer reading.

It’s not surprising to see that MINI UK was keen to make the most of the result, with a spokesman commenting, “You’ve proved this model is the UK’s greenest hot hatch. We believe this makes the JCW ideal for drivers who want to downsize, reduce fuel costs and environmental impact, but still own a sporting car.”

Read the full report on the Auto Express website now.

(Thanks to Chris for the tip.)

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Green Machines MINI

You and the MINI E – together in electric dreams

MINI E - The electric, zero emissions MINI

An electric MINI—with 150kW—pretty cool hey! Welcome to the MINI E, a lithium-ion battery powered zero emissions MINI with a top speed of 152km/h (limited). The car is capable of reaching 100km/h in 8.5 seconds, although repeated efforts will no doubt affect the car’s 240 kilometre range. The MINI E’s peak power is 22kW higher than a petrol powered Cooper S and the torque figure, too, is impressive at 220Nm—although slightly less than the Cooper S number of 240Nm (one may expect an electric powered car would have more torque than that?). Further comparison to the Cooper S shows that the petrol car is 1.4 seconds quicker in the 0-100 dash, however, battery power is not light and that explains the slower time for the MINI E. Tipping the scales at 1465kg the MINI E is some 260kg heavier than a standard Cooper S.

MINI will launch the MINI E as a 500-car pilot program available to private customers in three US states—California, New York and New Jersey. Customers will liaise with MINI giving reports on the car’s performance. Like the hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity, the MINI E will only be available on a lease and MINI will be restricting the lease period to 12 months, although an extension option will be available. Lease repayments will cover all maintenance costs, of course, the cost of recharging the car will be the owner’s responsibility. Recharging the car can be done using regular power sockets. Use of a specially designed wallbox, that allows higher amperage, can see the MINI E recharged from empty to full in just two and half hours. Every MINI E will be supplied with a wallbox, intended to be installed by MINI into owner’s garages.

There is a price to pay for your zero emissions lifestyle, and in the MINI E, that is the back seat. So this climate friendly commuter can only carry two people, and you could probably squeeze your dog in the boot. The electric motor is in the traditional position under the bonnet, with the battery in the back seats. The Dynamic Stability Control system and suspension have been tuned to suit the unique characteristics of the battery powered MINI. By using the motor as a generator the bulk of the car’s braking can be done by simply lifting off the accelerator pedal (quaintly referred to as the “gas pedal” in MINI’s press release).

The MINI E presents a great test bed for all electric powered cars. Sure, there are some compromises, but the 500 strong fleet should enable BMW to collect some fascinating and valuable data to aid their future development of battery powered technology.

MINI’s full release along with more images can be seen after the jump.

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MINI

MINI Crossover spied

MINI Crossover spy shots

NextAutos has some very good spy shots of the MINI Crossover (R60 model code). The latest MINI variant, due for release in 2010, will have a traditional four door and hatch layout. The Crossover concept made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show earlier in the month. The final name for the MINI SUV is yet to be revealed, but we do know it won’t be called the Crossman as earlier speculation suggested.

For more speculation and detail on the R60 Crossover make sure you check out MotoringFile.

Source: NextAutos

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI CHALLENGE – Round 6 wrap up

MINI CHALLENGE crash at Bathurst

Hard to go past the most spectacular imagery from this round, Ryan McLeod and Darren Berry’s accident. The incident has been covered here (including a MINI CHALLENGE press statement on Darren’s condition). The good news is, despite the horrific looking wreckage above, Darren Berry’s injuries will not be long term.

Back to the racing and it was the familiar story of Jason Bargwanna at the head of the field. His domination since joining the field full time seems to know no boundaries, even dual British Touring Car champion Matt Neal couldn’t match Bargs—who started from pole, scorching around the Mount Panorama circuit in 2:31.1762, some 1.25 seconds faster than Neal. The Brit grabbed his second place in the dying seconds of qualifying snatching a front row position from the other Team Bargwanna entry of Scott Bargwanna.

Jason Bargwanna felt his V8 Supercar experience at the track gave him an edge, “I came down the mountain at the end of the session and saw the 97 and 79 one and two on the scoring board, which was a very exciting thing to see! Although Matt pipped Scotty, it’s still a great result for us. Personally, the extra 50kg (success ballast) that I’m carrying definitely makes a difference under acceleration. I think the miles I’ve done around this place may have contributed to the result!”

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MINI Challenge

MINI CHALLENGE race cut short at Bathurst

The Australian MINI CHALLENGE had a great position in the television broadcast today. Race 3, the final race for Round 6, was to be beamed live into Australia’s lounge rooms as the last event before the Top 10 Shootout for the V8 Supercars. The first two races, both won by Jason Bargwanna, were tight and exciting, and after a few ups and downs for the series management this year the MINI CHALLENGE would really benefit from a full grid and a national live telecast.

All was going well until a brutal accident on the first lap involving Darren Berry and Ryan McLeod. The crash happened towards the back of the field, on the downhill run, between the Dipper and Forest Elbow. McLeod’s MINI tagged the back of Berry’s Clipper Motor Yachts MINI and forced him head on into the wall. McLeod also slammed into the concrete, before parking on the in field just after Forest Elbow. The Safety Car was sent out, but race organisers stopped the race and declared it a no result. No points will be awarded.

The impact of Berry’s MINI into the wall was shocking. A statement from MINI CHALLENGE (shown below) reveals that Berry suffered a broken ankle and was complaining of back pain. He has been transferred to Orange Hospital where we hope he makes a quick start to a full recovery.

Berry’s accident comes on the back of Grant Denyer’s absence from the series after his incident at the NSW Monster Truck Championships last month.

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MINI

MotoringFile lifts the lid on 2009 MINI convertible

R57 MINI Convertible

Leading MINI website MotoringFile has revealed the first images of the new R57 MINI Convertible. Most styling cues are as to be expected with the removal of the rear bootlid hinges and rollover bars—replaced with a pop-up system—being the most obvious exterior changes. MotoringFile also reports that a John Cooper Works version of the convertible will be available from launch.

Check out MotoringFile for more.

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MINI Challenge Motorsports News

Grant Denyer monstered by big truck

Grant DenyerMINI CHALLENGE driver and Seven Network personality Grant Denyer recently suffered a back injury when a monster truck drive went, well, a bit wrong. Denyer has been driving the big rig for Clive Featherby for the last six months, just one of the many motoring events Denyer participates in. The incident happened at the NSW Monster Truck Championships held at the Dapto showgrounds last weekend. Fortunately, Grant Denyer’s crash was not serious and although he did spend a night in hospital under observation, he is expected to make a full recovery.

Speaking of the moments after the accident Featherby said, “At least Grant’s in one piece thank goodness. Even before the ambulance arrived he was telling me he wanted to drive the truck again when he got better.”

Denyer currently holds a slender lead in the inaugural series of the Australian MINI CHALLENGE. He has a heavy schedule planned at the next round of racing which coincides with the Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst on 12 October. We wish Grant a quick and speedy recovery.

Messages of support can be left for Grant at the Aussie MINI CHALLENGE Army on Facebook.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Thanks to Lee for sending this in.)

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 5 wrap up

2008 MINI Challenge - Round 5

Jason Bargwanna’s recent dominance of the 2008 MINI CHALLENGE continued in Round 5 with the former Bathurst champion taking a clean sweep of all three races. Bargwanna started Race 1 on pole and never looked back. Nathan Geier was equally as consistent starting the first race from P2 on the grid and finishing all three races in second place. Geier was desperately close to ending Jason Bargwanna’s dream run, finishing the last race less than two tenths of a second behind, in the closest finish of the series to date.

That left third place the only position changing hands throughout the meet. Todd Fiore was third in Race 1, ahead of brother Paul and Jason Bargwanna’s cousin Scott. Neil McFadyen crossed the line in position three for the second race, with the Fiore brothers close behind. The final podium place for Race 3 was claimed by Paul Fiore, with McFadyen and Paul Stokell finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

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MINI MINI Challenge News

Australian MINI CHALLENGE under new management

MINI CHALLENGEGood news from the world of the Australian MINI CHALLENGE today with confirmation of a new management team securing the future of the series. Toleman Motorsport has been given the seal of approval from MINI Australia and CAMS to act as Category Management Agency for the rest of the year. All racing dates and television schedules will remain as advertised. Further highlighting the future of the MINI CHALLENGE is word that plans for the 2009 calendar are in full swing with seven rounds already locked in as negotiations continue.

With the demise of Sherrin Motorsport, subsidary company Motorsport Event Management (MEM) was forced to put the management rights for the MINI CHALLENGE up for sale last May.

Toleman Motosport is headed by Ted Toleman who was the person responsible for giving Ayrton Senna his start in Formula 1. Toleman’s last Grand Prix was Australia’s first, Adelaide 1985. It’s great to see Australia’s MINI CHALLENGE series in good hands and I’m sure all fans of the series will be looking forward to racing this weekend for Round 5 at Phillip Island, including live action from Race 3 to be broadcast on Channel 7 on Sunday (check your local guides).

For the full details on the Toleman Motorsport news the press release from MINI CHALLENGE has been included below. Don’t forget, you can keep up to date with the series and its personalties by joining the Aussie MINI CHALLENGE Army on facebook.

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