Mini Cooper 2003 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Mini Cooper snapped uncovered on the road

The third generation of reborn Mini is nearly upon us. Just look at the trail of breadcrumbs the Anglo-Saxon automaker has been leaving us.
First we saw the upcoming new Mini Cooper, spied from above at a photo shoot, which Mini was quick to point out was not its best angle. Then BMW's retro-hatch division showcased the Mini Vision concept, and followed up just yesterday with details of the new engines and chassis that will underpin the latest model. And now we have the clearest batch of spy shots we've seen yet.
Not only were these shots taken from a better angle, but also show the new Mini in the more tempting Cooper S trim - complete with hood scoop, split-spoke alloys, roof spoiler and twin central exhaust tips.

Despite Mini's woes, Clubman sales surging

The Mini Clubman has a polarizing design, but those who like it are snapping it up. According to Automotive News, the Clubman is on pace to become Mini USA's best selling model. Almost 1,700 vehicles were sold during the first quarter of 2016, and the vast majority – 1,037 units – were sold last month alone. These facts are made all the more noteworthy because Mini's sales fell 15 percent during the first quarter. The surging sales of Mini's newest model are especially good news for the brand's coffers. The Clubman is the most expensive non- John Cooper Works model you can get, aside from the upcoming Convertible. It doesn't sound like there are too many Clubman models going for the $24,950 starting price, either. According to Mini Dealer Council Chairman Michael Vadasz, dealers are doing solid business on customized orders, which, he tells AN, "is what Mini is all about." About one in four Minis built today are custom orders submitted by consumers, who love taking advantage of the Porsche-like breadth of a la carte options, no matter what it does to the final price. The fact that Mini is seeing so many custom Clubmans, then, is a very good thing. As for why the Clubman is doing so well, Mini USA Vice President David Duncan says it's because the car just isn't so Mini, moving the brand beyond its traditional subcompact class to the compact segment, where it can challenge cars like the Audi A3. "We see that as a fast growing segment, so having an entry in there gives us that opportunity," Duncan told Automotive News. "And then when you look at the car itself, it's got a premiumness about it that really takes us to the next level and allows us to compete against brands that we weren't typically competing against." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Spectre Type 10 is a 230-hp, $180,000 mid-engined Mini restomod

Restomodded classic Minis are nothing new, right? A number of reworks swap the original 1.3-liter engine, Honda's VTEC K20 four-cylinder being such a popular replacement that Mini Mania makes a complete swap kit, but the 1.0-liter Ford EcoBoost gets love, too. Some mods replace the engine and move it behind the front seats, a popular option when using the four-cylinder from a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. Some restomods don't do any of that, but just overhaul everything and charge a lot for it, like the David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered that costs around $100,000. As caught by Carscoops, Spectre Vehicle Design out of Vancouver, Canada has done all of the above with its Type 10 Mini restomod, raising the bar for conversions into another dimension. There will only be ten of the Launch Edition Type 10s, and about the only original part left from an original donor hatchback will be the bodyshell. These will be sourced in the same state as the buyer's residence in order to ease the process of vehicle registration. Into that bodyshell, the small Canadian team of enthusiasts has placed a Honda K20 mill with a Haltec engine management system behind the front seats. Shifted through a six-speed gearbox, we're told VTEC kicks in with 230 horsepower at the rear wheels, shunted through a limited-slip differential. In a vehicle reported to weigh 1,700 pounds wet, we're talking serious shove. Committed to keeping the Mini's ten-inch wheels, Spectre designed a new trailing arm suspension to make the package work. Those wheels are three-piece, six-inch-wide, CNC'd aluminum units with staggered offsets and directional spokes to usher hot air away from the four-piston disc brakes.  The cabin looks like a Japanese-infused Mid-Century modern living room, given a touch of carbon fiber and Monica Bellucci. Creative Director Marco Lii patterned the seating aesthetic off a genkan, the foyer area in a Japanese home where one removes ones shoes. The genkan floor is often recessed in relation to a home's main floor, and so it is here in the Type 10. There's a tatami-like mat on the cabin floor, the two interior seats placed on a dais a level above that. The copious light wood and leather interior with chrome accents is understated and gorgeous, everything so well integrated that it takes a moment to recognize the full-cabin roll cage wrapped in stitched leather. The padded center armrest on thin chromed legs looks like a piece in a high-end furniture store.