on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mini Seven Special Edition looks back to the days of Austin

Mini is back at the game of special editions with the Seven, the first of its kind for the third-generation Hardtop. Named after the original Austin Seven – one of the two original Mini models, alongside the Morris Mini Minor – the new style pack is available on both the two- and four-door and the Cooper and Cooper S models. But where past Mini special editions have been largely homogenous, the new Seven has a surprising array of options, especially as it relates to colors and upholsteries. Owners can choose from four different paint schemes – Lapisluxury Blue (shown above), Pepper White, Midnight Black, and British Racing Green. The options continue in the cabin, where owners can select the Seven-specific Diamond Malt Brown fabric/leather upholstery, or they can go with straight leather in Cross Punch Carbon Black, Lounge Satellite Grey, or MINI Yours Lounge Carbon Black. There are four dash trim options, too, with standard Piano Black, and optional Dark Cottonwood, Fibre Alloy, and Off-White. Below the trim strip, owners can have either a Malt Brown color line or Carbon Black. A set of 17-inch, two-tone alloys are standard, and regardless of which exterior paint you opt for, you're stuck with a Melting Silver roof. The decreasing-width stripes match the roof and have what Mini claims are Malt Brown rules, but we're seeing red trimmings in these photos. Heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, Comfort Access, a Harmon/Kardon stereo, park-distance control, power-folding, auto-dimming mirrors, and a 6.5-inch Mini Connected system are all standard features as part of the Seven package, while additional options will be available, like on any other Cooper or Cooper S. Mini's press release, for example, specifically calls out the larger 8.8-inch Mini Connected XL and adaptive dampers as available options. Mini will announce prices for the Seven package nearer to its late summer on-sale date. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mini delivers Paddy Hopkirk Edition car to the rally legend himself

Mini has given rally racing legend Patrick "Paddy" Hopkirk one of the first special edition Cooper S models inspired by his thrilling victory at the 1964 Rally Monte Carlo. The Paddy Hopkirk Limited Edition has a production run of just 100 units in the U.K., with "a few hundred" more coming to the U.S. Fifty-six years ago, the original Morris Mini Cooper S achieved the unthinkable with Hopkirk and navigator Henry Liddon behind the wheel of a Mk I. It won the Rally Monte Carlo overall. The race snaked through the French Alps and ended with laps around the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, but the Mini's nimbleness and tiny size and proved to be advantages in the snowy and narrow mountain roads. It was a tremendous feat against more powerful competitors from Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Volvo, Citroen and Ford's V8 Falcon. Hopkirk calls it a "David and Goliath" victory, especially with the money other automakers were spending on the event. "We were beaten by the big American cars down the straights, but we would beat them on the twisty bits!" he reminisced upon taking delivery. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Paddy Hopkirk Limited Edition sees no performance upgrades, keeping the turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder capable of 189 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. Both six-speed manuals and a 7-speed automatic are offered, but the thing that sets it apart are the Chili Red and white roof colorway with the number 37 on the doors, a tribute to the winning rally car's livery. An offset white hood stripe with the code "33 EJB" in it hearkens back to Hopkirk's car's registration number. "I’m so flattered to have a Mini named in my honor." Hopkirk said upon receiving the car. "Motorsport is long behind me now and for my win at the Monte Carlo Rally to be remembered in this way is a great thrill and honor." 2021 Mini Hardtop Cooper S View 15 Photos Related Video:

Last chance to order an R56 Mini Hardtop

Mini will be ending custom orders of the current R56 Cooper Hardtop ahead of the retooling process for the new F56 Mini. That means owners who aren't enamored with what they've seen of the model's new look but still want a personalized version of the tossable hot hatch had best get down to their local Mini dealership and submit their order post-haste.
According to Mini enthusiast site Motoringfile, all orders must be submitted by August 28 in order to get a custom build. Orders are also locked in after that, so if you do get one of the spots, make sure you're absolutely content with the car you order. This cutoff will affect all models of the Hardtop, including the John Cooper Works model.
After August 28, owners will need to wait for the new Hardtop to arrive, which Motoringfile estimates will be in March of 2014. If you miss out on this final allocation of hardtops, all is not lost, however. Mini will still accept personalized orders on other bodystyles, which won't be replaced by F56-based models for some time.