All4 Suv 1.6l Cd 6 Speakers Am/fm Radio Am/fm/cd W/6 Speakers Mp3 Decoder on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mini Superleggera Vision is the all-electric roadster Mini needs to make

It could be argued that Mini has not built a pretty car since the R53, the first of the reborn Minis, was put out to pasture at the end of 2006. I've owned two R53s, so yes, I'm horribly biased. The styling situation in Oxford hasn't improved much for 2014, either, as the bigger, more frightened-looking Mini begins to arrive in dealerships, boasting a very un-Mini-like front overhang. This, though, this works.
It's called the Superleggera Vision, and straight away, we should point out that it's not designed by Mini. It's a product of Touring Superleggera, whose other creations include the stunning Disco Volante. It's a darn nice piece of design, and we're especially fond of its tiny, Jaguar D-type-like rear fin. It's also perfectly designed for it's debut location - the Concours d'Elegance at Italy's Villa d'Este.
Despite being a Mini, the Superleggera still boasts a traditional roadster layout, with a long hood and a shorter rear deck. The front end boasts a pair of traditionally styled Mini headlamps, which sit above a version of the new Cooper's gaping grille. The profile is brightened by a pair of character lines, the most noticeable of which runs from ahead and over the front wheel wells toward the back of the diminutive droptop. Of course, we can't not mention that amazing fin. It should be fitted to every Mini Roadster posthaste. The rear of the car, meanwhile, almost reminds us of an old Aston Martin Vanquish, thanks to the shape of its taillights and their rounded rectangular enclosure. And yes, those are union jacks inside the taillights. God save the queen.

BMW shuffles chairs in its design department

BMW Group has made some changes to its design team since August 1, and has shuffled top personnel to different positions at BMW Design, Mini Design and Rolls-Royce.
The BMW Design team led by Karim Habib (middle, right) gains a new head of Exterior Design in Domagoj Dukec (right), who has worked for the exterior design team since 2010 and shaped the Concept Active Tourer.
Oliver Heilmer (left), who has worked for BMW's interior design unit since 2000 and designed the 5 Series interior, replaces Marc Girard as head of Interior Design BMW Automobiles. Marc Girard goes to manage BMW's subsidiary design group, BMW DesignworksUSA.

Mini celebrates 60 years of Cooper with Anniversary Edition Hatch

Sir Alec Issigonis never seriously envisioned the original Mini as a performance car. It was a cheap and cheerful econobox developed as an alternative to the bubble cars that were wildly popular in post-WWII England. Race car engineer John Cooper played a significant role in revealing the Mini's sporty side, and the BMW-owned firm is celebrating the collaboration's 60th anniversary with a limited-edition variant of the Hatch that will be sold globally. Aptly named Anniversary Edition, the commemorative hatchback is available in British Racing Green, Midnight Black or Rebel Green (depending on the version). Regardless of the chosen paint color, the light bezels, the door mirror caps, the door handles and the roof are painted white, while most of the other exterior trim pieces are black. The number "74" appears on the hood and on the doors; it was chosen as a reference to the original Mini, which wore the same number when it earned its first win in a major race. Red accents add a finishing touch to the look. Open the door, and you'll spot edition-specific door sill plates with a Cooper logo. The same design appears on the three-spoke steering wheel, and there's a red ring on the passenger side of the dashboard that's a tribute to the original John Cooper logo. The signatures of John, Mike and Charlie Cooper appear next to the instrument cluster. Mini is not making any major mechanical changes to the Anniversary Edition. The package can be ordered with the standard Cooper, the hotter Cooper S or the spicy John Cooper Works model. In its most powerful configuration, the Hatch offers a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 228 horsepower. For context, the original Mini Cooper was powered by a 1.0-liter four-cylinder tuned to develop about 55 horsepower. It could reach a top speed of around 80 mph, and it gained disc brakes (the standard Mini initially settled for drums on both axles).  Only 740 units of the Anniversary Edition Hatch will be built globally. Pricing information hasn't been announced. And, while we know the model is America-bound, there's no word yet on how many will be sent to our shores. We've reached out to the brand, and we'll update this story if we learn more. Cooper's pre-Cooper models Mini launched its first Cooper-tuned model in September 1961, but the collaboration started earlier.