2007 Mini Cooper S Hatchback 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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The original Mini Cooper still has universal appeal

It sold over five million units. It was voted the second most influential car of the last century, bested only by the pioneering Ford Model T. It counted among its owners Steve McQueen, Enzo Ferrari and Peter Sellers. It is the classic Mini.
The tiny, two-box, four-seat hatch is an automotive icon of the first order and it's high time it featured in an episode of Petrolicious. Of course, the video gurus did it right, filming this handsome 1971 Mini, which has been modified to accommodate the 1,275-cc four-cylinder from the Mini Cooper S of the time.
Its owner, Sumner Norman, describes life with his right-hand-drive, UK-spec Mini. Naturally, he points out some of the idiosyncrasies inherent with a car built under the guise of British Leyland, including some of well known reliability woes, which he says is the car "going British." Mostly, though, he just seems to have a good time with the little hatch.

NHTSA, IIHS, and 20 automakers to make auto braking standard by 2022

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and virtually every automaker in the US domestic market have announced a pact to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022. Here's the full rundown of companies involved: BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo (not to mention the brands that fall under each automaker's respective umbrella). Like we reported yesterday, AEB will be as ubiquitous in the future as traction and stability control are today. But the thing to note here is that this is not a governmental mandate. It's truly an agreement between automakers and the government, a fact that NHTSA claims will lead to widespread adoption three years sooner than a formal rule. That fact in itself should prevent up to 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries. The agreement will come into effect in two waves. For the majority of vehicles on the road – those with gross vehicle weights below 8,500 pounds – AEB will need to be standard equipment by September 1, 2022. Vehicles between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds will have an extra three years to offer AEB. "It's an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives," said Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in an official statement. "It's a win for safety and a win for consumers." Read on for the official press release from NHTSA. Related Video: U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles McLEAN, Va. – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA's 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.

Spectre Type 10 is a 230-hp, $180,000 mid-engined Mini restomod

Restomodded classic Minis are nothing new, right? A number of reworks swap the original 1.3-liter engine, Honda's VTEC K20 four-cylinder being such a popular replacement that Mini Mania makes a complete swap kit, but the 1.0-liter Ford EcoBoost gets love, too. Some mods replace the engine and move it behind the front seats, a popular option when using the four-cylinder from a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. Some restomods don't do any of that, but just overhaul everything and charge a lot for it, like the David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered that costs around $100,000. As caught by Carscoops, Spectre Vehicle Design out of Vancouver, Canada has done all of the above with its Type 10 Mini restomod, raising the bar for conversions into another dimension. There will only be ten of the Launch Edition Type 10s, and about the only original part left from an original donor hatchback will be the bodyshell. These will be sourced in the same state as the buyer's residence in order to ease the process of vehicle registration. Into that bodyshell, the small Canadian team of enthusiasts has placed a Honda K20 mill with a Haltec engine management system behind the front seats. Shifted through a six-speed gearbox, we're told VTEC kicks in with 230 horsepower at the rear wheels, shunted through a limited-slip differential. In a vehicle reported to weigh 1,700 pounds wet, we're talking serious shove. Committed to keeping the Mini's ten-inch wheels, Spectre designed a new trailing arm suspension to make the package work. Those wheels are three-piece, six-inch-wide, CNC'd aluminum units with staggered offsets and directional spokes to usher hot air away from the four-piston disc brakes.  The cabin looks like a Japanese-infused Mid-Century modern living room, given a touch of carbon fiber and Monica Bellucci. Creative Director Marco Lii patterned the seating aesthetic off a genkan, the foyer area in a Japanese home where one removes ones shoes. The genkan floor is often recessed in relation to a home's main floor, and so it is here in the Type 10. There's a tatami-like mat on the cabin floor, the two interior seats placed on a dais a level above that. The copious light wood and leather interior with chrome accents is understated and gorgeous, everything so well integrated that it takes a moment to recognize the full-cabin roll cage wrapped in stitched leather. The padded center armrest on thin chromed legs looks like a piece in a high-end furniture store.