2004 Mini Cooper Manual Transmission In Excellent Mechanical Condition Recently on 2040-cars

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Mini Traveller MPV caught on flatbed with five-door Mini and convertible

With the next-gen Mini Cooper hardtop set for its big debut next week at the LA Auto Show, we're getting a good look at what will be coming next for the BMW brand. Mini will follow up the introduction of the Mini Cooper with the new convertible model, but our spy shooters have proof that a plus-sized model (rumored to be called Traveller or Spacebox) is coming along quite well.
There still isn't much information about the Traveller (shown above), which will be longer and wider than the Countryman, but we can tell that it takes dimensional cues from both the Countryman and Clubman to maximize passenger and cargo space. The face of this new model will definitely be closer to the 2015 Cooper, and it will have a split rear door setup like the Clubman. Like the more recent Countryman and Paceman designs, though, the Traveller will have horizontally positioned taillights instead of the Cooper's vertical lights. We have no indication as to when we'll be seeing the Traveller in production form, but this prototype seems to be in the final stages of development.
As for the Cooper, we've already spied the hardtop completely uncovered, and just recently we spotted the sportier Cooper S Convertible being transported on a flatbed. The dual center-outlet exhaust is the key tell that model was the S, which likely means that the droptop spotted here the base model.

2016 April Fools' Day: Morgan digs at Tesla, Mini's scissor doors, more

Every year automakers go out of their way to come up with gags for April Fools' Day. Sometimes the jokes fall flat, but occasionally a company really nails it with an idea that we'd actually love to see. Rather than scouring the Web for all of these stunts, you can find some of our favorites right here. Morgan MOGrod The Morgan Motor Company's MOGrod is one of our favorite April Fools' jokes so far this year because it's a car we wish could be real. The company says on Twitter that the retro hot rod uses a 3.7-liter Ford V6, and there are already 250,000 preorders, which is a play on the huge number of reservations for the Tesla Model 3. Morgan took the joke even further by sketching a landspeed record version for the Bonneville Salt Flats. Mini Scissor Doors The people at Mini apparently have a lot of free time because the company has two gags this year. The first is the scissor door option. The idea cleverly plays on the myriad ways customers can customize their Mini, but this solution doesn't look like anyone could easily enter the car due to the way these doors open. Mini Hipster Hatch There's also the Hipster Mini, which is a much funnier idea. This fictional hatchback would be perfect for fashionable Millennials thanks to features like Instagram-filter windows and a fixed-gear drivetrain, which limits the top speed to 25 miles per hour. The interior uses stonewash denim upholstery and packs a twin-deck cassette player. Skoda Dog Umbrella People love dogs, and owners know that a wet canine can be a mess. Skoda is ready to tackle this problem with an umbrella for your mutt. Made from unobtainium, the gadget hides in the door when not in use, but when raindrops start falling, people can keep their pup dry. Skoda Snowman Skoda's Facebook page also teases us with a very cool vehicle. The Snowman is a 396-horsepower plug-in hybrid snow machine. With its tracks, the company's newest model would never have to worry about getting stuck in the winter. Opel Adam C Sure, electricity and hydrogen are cleaner forms of fuel than gasoline or diesel, but Opel has a way to make your car even more environmentally friendly – muscle power. Wind up the crank at the rear for 15 minutes, and the Opel Adam C is good for 125 miles. GM's European division also claims that owners get a great workout because a full winding session burns 400 calories. You wouldn't feel guilty about picking up that pizza after cranking up this hatchback.

Mini getting serious with next Countryman SUV

With the core Hardtop and new Clubman already revealed, Mini is moving along with its plans to expand its model lineup around five "hero" models. Next down the pipeline will likely be the new Countryman, which Autocar projects will be larger and more rugged than the existing model. According to the British publication, the new Mini Countryman is set to take more of a proper SUV approach than the outgoing crossover. That means an even larger form, and more serious off-road chops to better take advantage of the connection with the X-Raid rally machine that has been dominating Dakar for the past four years. It's expected to be based on the same UKL front-drive architecture as the Hardtop, Clubman, and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, and offer the latter's all-wheel-drive system as well. Those underpinnings would still make it a crossover, strictly speaking, but with a more rugged approach. It could also emerge a good half-foot longer than the model it will replace, over a third of an inch wider, and offer considerably more cargo space. Although the existing Countryman was derided by many as a step too far for the Mini brand, it ended up accounting for a substantial share of the company's sales – making its replacement a no-brainer for the BMW Group. That's more than could be said for the quirky Paceman crossover coupe, which is not expected to follow this time around, however a slant-backed Countryman variant could be in the cards. The next question is what Mini might do next. Of the five core models it's anticipated to launch, the Countryman would be the third. The Superleggera roadster, a smaller hatchback like the Rocketman concept, and a larger minivan potentially to be dubbed the Traveller have all been rumored. Of course, whatever goes into production could be something else entirely. We'll just have to wait and see. Related Video: