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Mini 60 Years Edition celebrates six decades since the original hit the streets

The original Mini launched in 1959, making this year the car's 60th anniversary. To celebrate, Mini is offering a special Mini 60 Years Edition car for the 2019 model year. Mini did a pretty awesome photo shoot for this limited-edition car, showing us how big the Mini is now compared to what it used to be in 1959. That might not have been the point, but man is it interesting to see the two chugging along next to each other. You can order the 60 Years Edition with either the three-door or five-door Mini — the larger Clubman and Countryman will not be getting this treatment. As for the changes from Mini, it's mostly aesthetic. The standard color is a British racing green, but you could choose among four other non-green colors, too. Mini will paint the roof either white or black, and the same goes for the exterior mirror caps. Plenty of stripes are already available for Minis, but this special edition has unique hood stripes — the 60 Years logo appears on just the left-hand hood stripe. That's just the beginning when it comes to anniversary stickers and logos. You'll see the designation on the door sills, interior trim, front headrests, steering wheel, and the logo is even projected onto the ground by LED light upon opening the door. Mini 60 Years Edition View 33 Photos A bunch of equipment is made standard in these 60 Year cars for a bit more luxury. Full LED lighting front and back comes with all of them. The interior trim is done in an exclusive dark maroon color — the sports seats and leather steering wheel will also be standard equipment. In the U.S. you'll be able to get either the normal Cooper or the Cooper S with this special edition package. This means either the 1.5-liter turbo or 2.0-liter turbo will be up for grabs with your 60 Years Edition Mini. These particular cars will be available in March this year, but Mini doesn't spell out pricing nor production numbers for them. Since the changes aren't necessarily drastic, we wouldn't expect an unruly price, but expect to pony up a bit more for the privilege of owning one of these. Related video: Featured Gallery Mini 60 Years Edition and original Mini View 58 Photos MINI Hatchback

Junkyard Gem: 2011 MINI Cooper Clubman

The original BMC Mini changed the automotive world forever in 1959, staying in production in essentially the same form all the way through 2000. Its innovative transverse-mounted engine and front-wheel-drive transaxle became the layout for most cars built in the world today, and its cheap price tag put millions of new drivers on wheels for the first time. Like the Volkswagen Beetle and Fiat 500, it was inevitable that the shape of such an iconic machine would be applied to a modern platform for the retro-ization craze of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and that's just what happened when BMW ended up owning the Rover Group. The BMW-built MINI Hardtop first appeared on our shores for the 2002 model year, and used-up examples of these cars are now extremely plentiful in self-service wrecking yards across the continent. The Cooper Clubman, which debuted here for the 2008 model year, has been a rare sight during my junkyard travels, and so I documented this one in Denver a few weeks ago. The Clubman wasn't quite as nimble and easy to park as the regular Cooper, but its increased cargo capacity and split rear doors made it a lot more useful for trips to the big-box store. It also offered more space for rear-seat passengers, and the right-side suicide rear door made it much easier to get into the back seat (on that side). The new MINI started out much larger than the clown-car-tiny old Mini, anyway. The added usefulness and more recent release of the Clubman have made it an uncommon sight in American car graveyards. This one was uncrashed and still had the original manuals inside, which suggests that some owners of first-generation (2008-2014) Clubmen are no longer willing to pay for major mechanical repairs when needed. We'll see how this sorts out during the next few years. As the owner of a 2000s wagon with a manual transmission, I applaud the original purchaser of this wagon for the choice of three-pedal setup. The interior looks to have been fairly tidy before junkyard shoppers tore it apart. The Colorado toll-road transponder suggests that this machine was a well-cared-for commuter for its decade on the road, but proved to be not worth repairing when some major component failed. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The future will look exactly like the MINI CLUBMANIA human-scale pinball machine. This content is hosted by a third party.

Mini Superleggera patent renderings suggest production prospects

Mini impressed us all when it revealed the Superleggera Vision concept at the Paris Motor Show a couple of months ago. But even before the little roadster concept debuted, there were already rumors of its production potential. And those rumors are only being further entrenched by the emergence of a series of patent renderings. Bearing much more than a passing resemblance to the concept, these images show what could be a revised, production version of the Superleggera, though not without its concessions to reality. For one thing, it looks like it's got a proper framed windshield, but it's hard to tell with the roof in place – something we never saw on the concept, either. It's also got more substantial wing mirrors, but the fin on the rear deck is still there, as are the extractor vents on the hood. We also note that the grille openings are the same shape as the concept's. Of course, the emergence of these images and their filing with the relevant authorities doesn't necessarily mean that Mini is moving ahead with the roadster's production. But if it did, it would likely ditch the concept's electric powertrain, and could stand to fill the void left by the discontinuation of the maligned, outgoing Mini Roadster that was essentially a scrunched Cabriolet with a cowling where the rear seats and stacked roof would be. Parent company BMW is likely taking into account that its rival Daimler didn't have much luck when it slotted a unique roadster of its own into the Smart lineup, so here's hoping that if it does give the Superleggera the green light, it'll have more success in the marketplace.