2012 Mini Cooper S Clean Carfax, 6-spd Manual, 17" Alloy Wheels, Heat on 2040-cars

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Mini John Cooper Works wears a racing suit for the Nurburgring

Mini is returning to the Nurburgring 24 Hours, one of the most grueling races in the world, after a decade-long hiatus. The BMW-owned British firm is supporting a private team called Bulldog Racing that's entering a heavily-modified John Cooper Works Hardtop into the event. The track-bound hatchback doesn't look, sound, or feel like a standard John Cooper Works Hardtop. Several modifications were made to prepare it for the race, including fitting the turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine normally found in the Clubman and the Countryman. It develops 306 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque, and it spins the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with an integrated differential lock. For context, the standard John Cooper Works Hardtop is rated at 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. The engine slurps fuel from a bigger, 26-gallon tank and it exhales through a modified exhaust system. Dialing in more power wouldn't be much use without suspension and braking modifications to keep it in check. To that end, the Hardtop gains an adjustable suspension system, reinforced Uniball bearings for all moving chassis and suspension parts, and more powerful brakes from BMW M Performance. Bulldog Racing also installed a full body kit that looks like the one worn by the John Cooper Works GP, which is limited to 3,000 units. It includes a front splitter, flares over the wheel arches, an adjustable rear wing, and a rear diffuser. There's more than initially meets the eye: we're told that the underbody is completely covered as well. Makrolon windows replace the production car's glass units to reduce weight. Inside, you won't find many components that still carry a Mini parts number. Open the driver's door, which now features a carbon fiber panel, and hop over the full roll cage to settle into an OPM racing seat that faces a KMP quick-release steering wheel. The digital instrument cluster and, somewhat surprisingly, the infotainment system's screen remain, but the rear seats and most of the trim pieces have been removed. Bulldog Racing will continue to fine-tune the track-bound Hardtop in the coming weeks. Some tests will be performed on the Nurburgring, while others will take place on the private test track that BMW operates near Miramas, a town in the south of France. The hot hatch is scheduled to make its competition debut at the 50th edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours taking place in Germany from May 26 to 29.

Mini stretches its legs with new Clubman Vision Gran Turismo concept [w/video]

The Clubman may not be the first model you think of when it comes to sporty Minis, but with the next-generation wagon variant just around the corner, the Anglo-Saxon automaker is evidently keen to reshape the Clubman's image, using it as the basis for its Vision Gran Turismo concept. Designed entirely for the virtual reality of Gran Turismo 6, the Mini Clubman Vision Gran Turismo may not be as extreme as some of the creations dreamed up by other automakers. But as far as Minis go, it's pretty out there. Into its beefed-up, long-roof form it packs a powertrain of undisclosed dimensions but producing 395 horsepower (and evidently requiring six tailpipes – two on each side and two out the back). Exhaust tips aside, all that muscle – nearly twice what any road-going Mini has produced to date – drives through all four wheels to theoretically deliver it to 62 miles per hour in a scant 3.5 seconds. Throw in the track-tuned bodywork – including a proliferation of spoilers, added ventilation, a wider track and 22-inch rims – and you're looking at one very serious Mini indeed. But before you balk at the concept, consider that Mini has had some serious motorsport bragging rights over the years: it dominated the Monte Carlo Rally (among others) in the mid-1960s, and though it canceled its more recent World Rally Championship effort, it went on instead to win the Dakar Rally four years running now. What you're looking at here is the form it would likely take were Mini to shift its attention (as Citroen recently did) to touring cars instead. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. MINI goes Gran Turismo®6. From today gamers can enjoy driving the virtual MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo. 26.02.2015 Munich. Inspired by the brand's legendary motor racing success, the MINI Design Team has created the essence of a MINI to enable maximum racing performance in the game Gran Turismo®6 for PlayStation®3. "MINI has many highly emotional achievements to its name in motor racing. The MINI Clubman Vision Grand Turismo literally puts these onto the virtual race track in Gran Turismo 6. The image of a go-kart on the road has recurring appeal," says Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design. The 395 hp engine accelerates the MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds.

Mini goes zany with latest accessories catalog

Driving a Mini is most definitely an individualistic choice - one that not everyone would get on board with. So if you're going to go with such a fashion statement, you might as well give it your own sense of style. That's where Mini's new line of accessories come in.
Available for the new third-gen Mini hardtop, the accessories offer buyers the opportunity to customize their retro hatchback as best they see fit. There are roof graphics, accessory lighting, wheel upgrades and mirror caps (like the cartoonish ones pictured at right) just like you would have found in the parts catalog for previous iterations of the Mini, but now the brand is offering four appearance kits it's calling Mini Design Lines.
The kits are color coordinated in either Vivid Green, Speedwell Blue, John Cooper Works Pro (in black, red and grey) and Essential Black and include everything from the interior trim to exterior graphics. They might not be to everyone's taste, but that kinda strikes us as the point. Scope 'em out in the extensive high-res image gallery above and the details in the press release below.