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60 Minis will race in the Silverstone Classic for Mini's 60th anniversary

It was just 60 short years ago when Mini established itself as a manufacturer of small cars as part of the British Motor Corporation. Over the years, the Mini became popular among the British people and beyond, not just as a car but as a cultural icon. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Mini is taking over Silverstone Circuit in England. The racetrack announced that 60 classic Minis will be racing in the Silverstone Classic outing, July 26-28. Back in May, Silverstone sought pre-1966 Mini Cooper S models to participate, and the APB received an overwhelming response but fell just short of the 60-car goal. But with the help of Motorsport UK, Britain's motorsport regulatory council, Silverstone was able to find two additional Mini Cooper S models to participate. "It only seems right and proper that we mark the Mini's 60th milestone with a 60-car grid, so we are really grateful to those at Motorsport UK and Masters Historic Racing, who are organizing these anniversary races, for securing this special permission," said Nick Wigley, Silverstone Classic's CEO. "As well as being a sixties fashion icon, the Mini's reputation was built on some wonderful motorsport successes, so there could neither be a better, nor more appropriate, way to celebrate its 60th anniversary than with an incredible 60-strong grid at the world's biggest classic motor racing festival." The Mini first received world recognition as champion of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally with Paddy Hopkirk and co-driver Henry Liddon. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Hopkirk will be present for 60-year Mini tribute and will be reunited with his original winning car, Cooper S #37 with license plate 33 EJB. Hopkirk will lead the Silverstone Classic's Diamond Anniversary track parade with his Cooper S. "I'm really flattered to have been asked to front this fantastic parade," Hopkirk said. "It's great that I'll be back in my old car, and I'm going to be bringing the Monte trophy along, too. It was presented to me by Princess Grace.The Classic is such a brilliant event and, oh my goodness, it will be absolutely amazing to see 60 Minis altogether on the track at the same time." All of the Mini Cooper S models invited are powered by the same race-prepped 1.275-liter inline-four, so it'll be an adorable and exciting race and a pure test of driver skill.

Mini bringing new 230-hp John Cooper Works to Detroit

Mini models may keep getting incrementally bigger, but then so do their engines. Or more powerful, anyway - especially when it comes to the John Cooper Works performance models. The JCW version of the first (post-revival) generation R50, which was really more of an upgraded Cooper S than its own model, packed a 1.6-liter supercharged four with 200 horsepower. The following R56 JCW upped that incrementally to 208 hp, but the next Works hatchback is now rumored to pack around 230 horses.
Tipped to be revealed in both three- and five-door body-styles at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show half a year from now, the F56-gen Mini John Cooper Works hatchback is expected to use the same 2.0-liter turbo four as the new Mini Cooper S, but increasing the output from 189 hp to approximately 230. That would mean it would be more powerful than either of the two previous John Cooper Works GP editions to make the new JCW the most powerful road-going Mini to date, backed by 285 pound-feet of torque driving through a six-speed manual or available automatic transmission to deliver what promises to be a blistering pace for the latest retro hatchback.

Mini Hardtop Four-Door Carbon Edition breaks cover [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Mini USA sent a announcement with official details and pricing for the Carbon Edition, which is available below. After an $850 destination charge, the models cost $37,100 with a manual gearbox. Mini doesn't offer the John Cooper Works trim on the Hardtop Four-Door, but a handful of US customers can now order the next-best thing. The new Carbon Edition satisfies the needs of enthusiasts wanting extra power to go with the two additional doors, but Mini will only offer 150 of them here. The Carbon Edition starts with the Hardtop Four-Door Cooper S and then layers on the John Cooper Works Pro Tuning Kit to create a 208-horsepower hot hatch. An upgraded exhaust with Sport and Track modes also comes with that package, according to MotoringFile. For extra style, they all wear a JCW body kit in Midnight Black, and there's a heap of carbon-fiber trim to fit the name. Matte black stripes amplify the menacing look and feature a little Carbon emblem cut into the ones on the sides. Additional improvements include LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, a navigation system, and JCW interior trim. The array of improvements don't quite take the Carbon Edition to the full 228 hp from the JCW Hardtop Two-Door, but Mini spokesperson Mariella Kapsaskis tells Autoblog that the US product team handpicked these parts to get as close as possible. If this limited-edition, four-door hot hatch intrigues you, get on the phone with a dealer soon. According to Kapsaskis, the first examples are already at dealers, and the Carbon Edition might not last long with just 150 of them on the road. Related Video: MINI Carbon Edition: The fastest, loudest, and most powerful MINI Hardtop 4 Door we make. The Carbon Edition combines the already powerful MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 Door model with the new John Cooper Works Pro Tuning Kit, valve exhaust system and high-grade carbon fiber accessories. The result is 208 horsepower and an ultra-aggressive exhaust note with Sport and Track Mode*. The exhaust flap is operated wirelessly via two clicks of the Bluetooth controller and unleashes devilish backfire pops and crackling sound on the overrun. Genuine carbon fiber mirror caps, air intake trim, and tailpipe finishers are offset against Midnight Black metallic paint and exclusive matte black sport and side stripes accented by a red pinstripe.