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Mini JCW Convertible spied looking cold

The Mini Convertible John Cooper Works has stripped off almost all of the camo it was wearing when we last saw it a few months back. There's not much left to the imagination anymore, and all that remains are some swirls to hide a little of the hood and rear. As expected, the entire front end, rear bumper, central exhausts and subtly flared wheel arches come directly from the JCW take on the two-door Hardtop. Except for the Convertible's repositioned antenna and lowering top, the two models are essentially the same on the outside. With the standard, third-gen Mini droptop not actually unveiled yet, all of the camouflage at the back is likely there to hide the way the roof folds down. Under the hood, expect the latest JCW 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. Of course, the Convertible also adds the thrill of tipping the throttle with the top down. Mini hasn't hinted at a reveal date for the latest Convertible yet. However, these shots suggest development is at a fairly advanced state, so an official debut is likely not too far off. Related Video:

Evo's Mini-focused tribute to Best Motoring is the best thing you'll see all day

Our friends at Jalopnik are absolutely spot on with their argument that "your life is shit" if you've never experienced Japan's outstanding Best Motoring. The show is easily one of the best car-related things on the Internet, taking the creme de la creme from what is now known as the Super GT series, as well as D1 drift and other disciplines, and plopping them in some of the finest cars of the 1990s and 2000s. Seriously, go and check it out. Back? Good. In honor of Best Motoring, Evo has put together its own tribute (some might call it a cover version) of the video series, assembling four drivers and four cars for an all-out track battle. The vehicles in question all sport the Mini badge, and they run the gamut from hot road cars to one-make racers. First, we have Andy Wallace and the best car of the bunch, a 2006 John Cooper Works GP (full disclosure: your author owns an R53 and will never be convinced that it isn't the finest example of the revived Mini, because supercharger). He'll be followed by Marino Franchitti in R56-based, 2013 John Cooper Works GP, while Dickie Meaden and Jethro Bovingdon are in the race-prepared, second-generation Mini Challenge JCW and third-generation Mini Challenge S275, respectively. Everything from the track action (which we won't spoil for you), to the camera work to the pre-race introductions is spot on, just like we'd expect from Best Motoring. It's outstanding, and you should be sure to take a look at it straight away.

Mini ditches four-seat Countryman

Mini is walking away from the rear bucket seats in its Countryman crossover. MotoringFile.com reports that starting in 2013, the CUV will no longer offer just two seats in the second row. Originally, Mini was forced to offer the buckets due to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rules governing the the minimum vehicle width for the allowance of three-wide seating. That rule was recently changed, which allowed Mini to offer the bench seat. Not surprisingly, few buyers have opted for the awkward bucket-and-rail configuration since. Moving forward, all Countryman models will also come with the vehicle's flat-load rear floor as well.
During our time with our long-term Countryman, we found the middle rail between the two buckets to be a bit gimmicky, especially given the fact that the cup holders were only large enough to accommodate a 12-ounce can.