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From MINI: Irresistible design and unstoppable progress – the MINI Countryman is winning over fresh target groups and attracting increasing numbers of fans among potential buyers of all-wheel drive automobiles. The latest evidence of this is its outstanding performance in the 2013 “Off Road Award”. A reader’s vote held by the car magazine “Off Road” has secured a place on the winner’s podium for the first MINI with four doors, a large tailgate and the optional all-wheel drive system ALL4. The MINI Countryman was ranked second in the subcompact SUV category.

Presented annually since 1982, the “Off Road Award” is one of the most tradition-steeped prizes in the automotive sector. This year there were a total of 128 current models to choose from in 13 categories.

MotoringFile has the full story and more photos here.

Liphook became host to a classic car show which formed part of the Jubilee weekend event there. On a rainy Sunday in June, a variety of Classic Cars paraded at the Deers Hut. Amongst the Triumphs, Ferrari’s and Fords were 10 Classic Minis. Some of them hidden beside the much larger vehicle next to them!

Of course with them being Minis, they were each very unique and you can see this for yourself with this link. (Scroll down, they start with the 65th Photo.)

I’ve never been before but thought it was a great little local show with plenty to offer, it’s just a shame the weather let it down this year. However, because it was raining, I was able to chat to some of the owners of the Minis there and was even photographed for the local newspaper with an owner I had just met two minutes before hand!

Mini Madness is a product of SammieeePhotography and Joe Steel Art and Photography. We bring Mini imaging from a range of Mini and classic car events.

From MINI Motorsport:Exciting, hard-fought wheel-to-wheel duels: the drivers of the Minis in the British Car Trophy (in fact a German racing series) really put their foot down and guarantee thrilling race action. Their uniquely popular appearance have always made them crowd favourites, no matter the racetrack. The race calendar is not to be sniffed at either: the series for British sports and touring cars visits circuits such as the Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch. As such, the venues are almost as steeped in history as the Minis themselves.

The BCT is divided into two classes: only Minis built between 1992 and 1996 are permitted in Group 1. The regulations guarantee that the runabouts are production-based, thus keeping a lid on costs. However, the fun the drivers have is by no means restricted.

Those wanting a little more speed line up in Group 2, the class for optimised classic Minis. Here, the participants can get the absolute maximum out of their cars. The only constraints are 150 hp and a total weight of 550 kg.

Read the full story at the MINI Motorsport site here.

Many of us dream of winning the lottery and picture what we would do with the money. But how would does a line up of seven MINIs sound to you? Yes, that’s one for everyday of the week! I’ve had in mind for a while now that if I were to ever win the lottery – I better start playing it first as you can’t win if you don’t play, that I would buy more MINIs so that I had one for everyday of the week.

More recently, I have put real thought into what they would look like and even what I would name them. (Maybe I should get out more.) I already have a MINI that I am extremely happy with and so of course she would already be a part of the group. Here is a photo example showing the six on my shopping list.

Sprint
A British Racing Green Cooper with white roof, white wing mirrors and white alloys to match.

Sky
An Electric Blue Cooper S again with white roof and white wing mirrors.

Squares
It’s not clear in that example image but it would have checked viper stripes and of course, a purple body.

Sting
A yellow Cooper with black roof and black wing mirrors to match. I would most probably also de chrome it and add some carbon fiber.

Spots
I couldn’t find a picture of one to clearly show the idea but it would have black leopard style spots over the red bodywork. Again, it would be a cooper with black roof and black wing mirrors.

Sharky
A JCW in grey metallic with black alloys, black roof and black wing mirrors. I would also de chrome this and add carbon fiber extras to it.

And finally, my beloved Stripes – exactly as the name suggests. But, that’s only my MINI seven, not my Mini seven which will probably be dreamed up shortly!

Mini Madness is a product of SammieeePhotography and Joe Steel Art and Photography. We bring Mini imaging from a range of Mini and classic car events.

For all of us there is one event on the show calendar we circle as soon as it’s announced; the event where you clear the weekend and politely point out to friends and family that you will be on unavoidable MINI-related duties that weekend. For me, the National MINI Cooper Day at Beaulieu is that event.

When I first got my MINI in 2005, Beaulieu show was the first organised event I attended. I’ve been at every show since and I can safely say that this may have been the best ever. After appalling weather the last two years, this event was blessed with the perfect combination of warm sunshine and a gentle cooling breeze. Plus, there were more cars there than ever before and I got to meet the legendary Paddy Hopkirk. What more could any mad MINI fan want?

You can enjoy a full gallery of photos here.

From MotoringFile: In September 2013 the flag-bearer of the German sports car fraternity, the Porsche 911, will celebrate its 50th birthday. And among the hoards of well-wishers will be MINI, not least because its model history also includes – in the classic Mini – a similarly compelling work of art characterised by a similar reluctance to abandon the exuberance of youth.

It may be the fundamental differences between the two cars (e.g. the Mini has its engine in the front, the 911 at the rear) that dominate at first glance. But there are also a number of factors – over and above their shared cult status – that lend particular empathy to MINI’s birthday greetings.Both models made their name with an eye-catching turn of speed. At the end of the austere 1950s Mini was the ground-breaking new kid on the block, generating sales figures that mimicked the upward curve of its acceleration. The 911, as the successor to the Porsche 356, was born with speed in its blood.

Only a handful of cars can claim to have endured over such lengthy time spans, retaining their unmistakable identities despite all the nips, tucks and updates along the way.

MotoringFile has the full story and more photos here.

From MINI Motorsport: Vaclav Pech’s rally CV is a unique success story. You have to go way back to the early stages of his career to find any rallies, in which the 36-year-old Czech finished outside the top ten. In 2011 and 2012 he ended every race in the top five. Since Vaclav’s debut in the MINI in October 2011, he has only failed to make it onto the podium at two of the many events he has successfully completed.

Ever since embarking on his rally career in 1996, Vaclav has formed a formidable partnership with his co-driver Petr Uhel. Their latest success came in the form of a win at the Rally Ceský Krumlov in the Czech Rally Championship, having previously triumphed at the Rally Sumava Klatovy with the EuroOil Invelt team. “The MINI ran perfectly and the team prepared it very well for the difficult conditions it would face during the rally. This allowed me to focus fully on my performance out on the route,” said Vaclav.

Read the full story at the MINI Motorsport site here.

On Friday May 31st I accompanied other members of Portsmouth and Southampton Mini Club to MINI Plant Oxford. There has been car production on this site for exactly 100 years; from Morris Motors, through BMC, British Leyland all the way through to today’s hugely successful MINI facility. Nothing underlined that success more than the huge amount of building work taking place onsite to prepare for the manufacture of the next generation of MINI hatch due next year.

As ever, the tour began and ended at the MINI exhibition which has also been extensively revamped and expanded and now even includes a little shop! Despite this being a state-of-the-art modern car plant, proper respect to the lineage of the plant and the cars it has produced for a century was evident everywhere.

You can enjoy a full gallery of photos here.

From MotoringFile: Our man on the the Vienna streets Kurt Heiden gives us an inside look at the Roberto Cavalli MINI Paceman. It’s a one-off design that features some ultra exclusive treatments that making this MINI incredibly unique. And the best part of course is that it’s a car that is auctioned off for AIDS charities. Check out the full press release and our own photo gallery after the break.`

MotoringFile has additional details and a link to lots more photos here.

From MINI Space: Life Ball has once again made waves in Vienna. And in 2013, it has left in its legacy a truly animalistic and elegant designer MINI – all in the name of celebrating life and fighting AIDS. From the moment Roberto Cavalli unveiled his Life Ball MINI in Vienna’s historical city centre to the moment that same day when it was auctioned off for an outstanding 150,000€ in the name of charity – we knew this was a designer MINI for the books.

MINI has been the official vehicle of Life Ball for the past 13 consecutive years, each time collaborating with a renowned designer on a custom car. Roberto Cavalli, however, is the first to leave his signature style on the brand new MINI Paceman. In Cavalli’s design, the MINI family’s first Sport Activity Coupé model has been given an elegant patina of iridescent paint for a dazzling effect, shimmering at one moment black and another brown. Cavalli says of his MINI Paceman, whose distinctive roof is emblazoned with the fashion house’s ornate logo, “I loved everything about creating and designing it, transforming the cult of MINI into the incredible Cavalli MINI, complete with…Cavalli-style interiors, which are really an incredible surprise to discover.”

MINI Space has the full story and more great photos here
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