AC Schnitzer Claims to have Built the Fastest MINI with its New Eagle Concept

Is an impressive run around the Hockenheim Circuit enough to crown a car the fastest of its kind? Well, according to BMW Group tuning specialist AC Schnitzer, the answer to the above question is yes. The German company raced its John Cooper Works MINI-based Eagle Concept car at the Hockenheim Circuit recording a lap time of 1:13,341 minutes.

AC Schnitzer says the Eagle beat several thoroughbred sports cars such as the Ferrari California (1:13,5 minutes) and the Porsche 911 Turbo (1:14,6 minutes), and was left behind only by specially tuned or hardcore models like the KTM X-Bow and the BMW M3 Kompressor.

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Rough & Tough MINI DSQUARED² Glides Down the Catwalk in Vienna

The BMW Group’s Mini division continues to support the Life Ball gala, Europe’s largest annual charity event in the fight against HIV and AIDS, by commissioning designers to fashion up its cars and then offer them up for auction. For this year’s event in Vienna, Austria, brothers Dean and Dan Caten, who are better known as the Canadian designer duo DSQUARED², crafted the Red Mudder based on the three-door Mini Cooper S.

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One-off Mini Red Mudder to be Unveiled at Life Ball Event on May 21

In keeping with the tradition it started in 2001 by allowing famous fashion designers to play around with its vehicles for Europe’s biggest AIDS charity event, Life Ball, Mini will once again reveal a special one-off model at this year’s happening. After established names like Gianfranco Ferre, Donatella Versace, Diesel and Calvin Klein got their way with the MINI, this year the honor has been awarded to DSquared². Read more »

MINI Shows off New Rocketman at Milan Fashion Week [New Photos and Video]

Only a few days before its motor show debut at next week's Geneva Salon, the MINI Rocketman concept made its first public appearance at a special event on the sidelines of the Milan Fashion Week. The presentation was held at the Istituto Europeo di Design, which is a design school with a focus on automotive and product design.

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VIDEO: A MINI Cooper S Powered by a Helicopter Jet Engine

Rolls-Royce and MINI may have the same owner, but the two iconic British brands have never been intended to cross paths. That was until a Texas-based firm called BMP Design decided to squeeze a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20B jet engine sourced from a helicopter in the back of a MINI Cooper S. Yes, that's right, just behind the front seats.

The consequences of this action are easy to imagine: the 420-horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque RR engine drives the rear wheels, turning the MINI into a 4WD monster. Managing to drive the car is a major achievement, since the driver needs to balance the conventional controls with the separate levers that command the jet engine.

As you are about to see, the speed and the acceleration of this little rocket are mind-blowing. As is the noise coming from the turbine engine. Watch the videos after the break.

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MINI Brings its iQ Emulating, mini Rocketman Concept to the Geneva Salon [37 High-Res Photos]

When it was launched, many industry commentators complained that BMW’s New Mini was neither as compact nor as affordable as its illustrious predecessor had been. In a possible effort to address this (and no doubt to compete with the likes of the competitions smaller offerings), MINI will be showing the Rocketman Concept at the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show this March.

MINI describes the Rocketman Concept as a “3 + 1 seater” with exterior dimensions that closely emulate the original Mini of 1959. The one-off concept is 3,419 mm (11 ft. 3 in.) long, 1,907 mm (6 ft. 3 in.) wide and 1,398 mm(4 ft. 7 in.) tall. It sits on a carbon spaceframe underbody that is left visible in some parts of the exterior and cabin.

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MINI to Debut...Mini Concept at Geneva Motor Show

Carscoop has learned that Mini will lift the covers off a brand new concept model at the Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March. The three-door design study is said to hark back to the classic Mini in terms of its exterior dimensions while keeping up with the times in terms of safety requirements and occupant space.

The concept will measure a little over 3.4 meters in length, essentially splitting the difference between the current three-door hatchback (3,723 mm) and the original 1959 Mini (3,050 mm).

We also learned that Mini's study will sport a 3+1 seat configuration similar to that of the Toyota iQ and that its design and tech features, including a variety of weight saving tricks and components, will be applied to the next generation of Mini models.

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2011 Detroit Motor Show: BMW Confirms MINI Paceman Concept for Production

At this year’s North American International Auto Show, MINI is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the brand’s revival and re-launch in the U.S. market. To mark the occasion, the automaker unveiled today the Paceman Concept, and also confirmed that it will spawn a production model in the very near future.

“I’m thrilled to tell you now, for the very first time, that there will be a seventh member of the MINI family – and we will base it on this concept”, said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, during MINI’s press conference at the Detroit motorshow.

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MINI Paceman Concept: Crossman Coupe Study Previewed Ahead of Detroit Show

In 2001, the BMW Group revived the concept of the original MINI creating a new brand from a single, three-door hatchback model. Fast forward to today, and the British automaker's range has exploded with the arrival of a number of models including the soft-top Convertible, the JCW specials, the Clubman estate and the Countryman crossover, while two two more vehicles, the Coupe and Speedster, which were shown in concept form last year, have already been confirmed for production.

But that doesn't seem to be enough for the BMW Group that has announced a new concept model called the MINI Paceman, which will make its debut at the Detroit motorshow in January, that will almost certainly spawn yet another production vehicle.

Based on the Countryman five-door crossover, the Paceman is described by the company as a Sports Activity Coupé. Think of it as something like a MINI flavored X6 with two doors.

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AC Schnitzer Turns All-Electric MINI E into a Police Car [with Video]

In support of the German Automobile Tuner Association’s “Tune it! Safe!” campaign, AC Schnitzer built the MINI E Police Look Concept, which is being showcased at the 2010 Essen Motor Show. The idea behind the campaign is to create a car that can satisfy tuning aficionados and also meet safety standards.

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VIDEO: All-Electric MINI 'E' Laps the Nurburgring Circuit in Under 10 Minutes

A lightly modified race-spec version of the all-electric MINI 'E' completed a lap of the legendary 20.8 km-long "Green Hell" in a time of 09:51.45 minutes recording a top speed of 187 km/h or 116mph, the BMW Group announced today. At the wheel of the electric racer for the hot lap was former DTM racing driver Thomas Jäger from Munich.

It goes without saying that the folks from the BMW Group didn't bring the MINI E to the notorious Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit to break any records but to show that their all-electric test vehicle can manage a respectable lap time on the 'Ring.

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MINI Beachcomber Concept Live from the Detroit Auto Show

BMW Group's MINI brand brought along a new concept, or rather a new variant of the concept model that previews its forthcoming Crossover model, to the Detroit motor show. The all-wheel drive, open-body Beachcomber study was designed to capture the spirit of the original Mini Moke of the 1960s.

The Beachcomber gets a new all-wheel drive system called ALL4, as well as an elevated seating position with the British brand supporting that it can be driven without doors and a conventional roof. However, just to be on the safe side -in theory of course- it comes with a soft top and lightweight doors made out of plastic material.

The concept model is supposed to provide us with new clues about the MINI Crossover will be available in Europe later this year and in the US in early 2011. The Crossover will be the first production MINI to have all-wheel-drive, four doors, four full-size seats and measure around four meters in length.

MINI E: All-Electric Plug-In MINI Cooper with 204HP Revealed!

(Updated) These are the first official photos of the MINI E, an all-electric version of the MINI Cooper that will make its first public appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November. What's so important about this MINI -aside from its technical specs- is that over the next year or so, BMW will produce around 500 units which will be leased to selected private and corporate customers in the U.S. states of California, New York and New Jersey, giving the Bavarian automaker the chance to evaluate the viability of a full-scale production EV. MINI said that it also considering the possibility of leasing the vehicle in Europe.

The MINI Es will be built at the firm's Oxford plant in the U.K. without engines and transmissions, then shipped to BMW's headquarters in Munich, Germany where they will be fitted with an electric powertrain. The electric motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery that has been placed in the position of the rear seat bench - yep, it's is a two-seater. -Continued

The battery can be fully charged through a standard outlet in about eight hours. However, MINI will offer each buyer a wallbox with higher amperage that will be installed in the customer's garage enabling a full recharge in just 2 1/2 hours. The MINI E also features a brake regeneration system that transforms kinetic energy to electricity replenishing the battery. According to BMW Group officials, the lithium battery offers the MINI E a driving range of more than 240km or 150 miles.

Weighing at 1,456 kg or 3,230 lbs, the MINI E is now lightweight champion. However, the electric motor compensates for the extra weight by producicng an impressive output of 204HP (150kW) and a peak torque of 220Nm which is good enough to accelerate the "electrifying MINI" from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in 8,5 seconds. The vehicle's top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h (95mph).

On the outside and apart from the absence of an exhaust pipe(s), the MINI E is distinguished by the bright yellow decals on the rooftop and a stylish logo depiciting an electric plug that makes its appearance on the hood, the roof, the fuel-cap which now hosts an electric socket, and on the rear door.

The two-tone grey-yellow color scheme is continued in the vehicle's interior. The only differences between the 'E' and its conventional siblings in the cabin is the battery level indicator behind the steering wheel that replaces the MINI's rev counter and the absence of the rear seat bench.