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David Brown Mini Remastered Marshall Edition is amped-up

This year marks the 60th anniversary of British audio brand Marshall Amplification, and the company is celebrating with a special version of another British icon with the help of David Brown Automotive. The result is a limited run of David Brown's Mini Remastered Marshall Edition, packed to the gills with equipment and design references to the audio company. The Mini Remastered is painted entirely black, even most of the chrome trimmings. Gold accents such as the stripes, grille and wheel rims complete the Marshall look. The grille itself is also made to look like the grilles on Marshall speakers. The interior turns up the Marshall influence to 11. Even more gold accents appear from the stitching to the knurled control knobs and handles. The door panels feature fabric sections designed to match the speaker covers of Marshall amplifiers. The sound system features a Pioneer head unit, but all the speakers are from Marshall, including lower units with the signature white logos. Inside the glovebox is a pair of wireless Marshall headphones that sit atop a wireless charging point. And finishing it all off are the pedals with skip track (clutch), pause (brake) and play (gas) symbols. The trunk is the highlight of the car, though. It contains a Marshall guitar amplifier with its own power supply so that you can rock out wherever you park. A Marshall Bluetooth speaker is also packed into the back, in case you need tunes somewhere else. Only 60 Marshall Editions will be built. They all come with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder making 83 horsepower and 98 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission is a five-speed manual. Both left- and right-hand drive models are available. Pricing hasn't been announced, but part of the sales will go to a British charity called Music Venue Trust that has been providing concert venues funding during the pandemic. David Brown Automotive is taking reservations now, and deliveries will come later this year. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2020 Mini Cooper SE First Drive | Little range, big fun

The all-electric Mini Cooper has been a long time coming. The company’s first step toward electrics began in 2008 with the experimental Mini E, a car that used a powertrain co-developed with an outside company and that had some major compromises. It didn't have a back seat, there was even less cargo space than a regular Mini and it wasnÂ’t available to purchase, being offered in limited numbers for a short lease. More than a decade later, the 2020 Mini Cooper SE is available for purchase or lease to anyone, and offers the complete Mini experience, with in-house BMW-Mini technology and fewer compromises. ThatÂ’s also how Mini is marketing the Cooper SE: The S in the name is there to tell you it's as much fun to toss around as the grin-inducing Cooper S. The blunted performance from extra weight and limited range might say otherwise, but from behind the wheel, this is a Mini worthy of its S, and not some fun-challenged economy-mobile. The powertrain uses the same electric motor youÂ’ll find in a BMW i3. It makes 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, which is just 8 hp and 8 lb-ft less than the gas Cooper S. Weight is an issue for performance numbers, since the 3,153 lbs SE lugs around an extra 453 lbs compared with its gas sibling. That reduces its 0-60 mph time from 6.5 seconds to 6.9, and its top speed also drops to just 93 mph as a function of its single-speed transmission. But a half-second to 60 mph is less significant from behind the wheel. Simply put, the Mini Cooper SE feels sprightly. It has the electric motor trademark of instant throttle response, which is amplified by the more aggressive throttle setting in Sport mode. The other trademark is a big lump of torque, though not quite as much as the tire-torching Chevy Bolt EV or Hyundai Kona Electric. These characteristics make the Mini fun for squirting around town and for making passes on the highway. Power starts falling off if you keep your foot down, so on-ramps arenÂ’t as thrilling as the longer-legged gas Minis. Also impressive are the regenerative braking modes. The Cooper SE has a mild mode and an aggressive one, with the former feeling a bit like the engine braking in a manual-equipped gas car, and the heavy one making it easy to drive with one pedal. The extra weight doesnÂ’t hinder handling. In fact, there may be some incremental improvements, as the electric Mini has a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, better than the front biased gas Minis.

Mini Electric Pacesetter will lead Formula E, hints at future JCW cars

Just a few days ago, Mini teased a wild electric hatchback with pace car-style lights. And just as we expected, it's the new safety car for Formula E. It's called the Mini Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW, which is a mighty long name for such a little car. It looks like a blast, and although it's not exactly a production car or the direct forebear of a car that will be offered, it does hint that there will be high-performance electric Minis. Don't just take it from us, take it from the man in charge of Mini, Bernd Korber: "But it does reveal one of the directions we could take with the electrification of the JCW brand. For me, the message is clear: Electrification and John Cooper Works are a good fit." Mini made some major modifications to the Pacesetter to get it ready to lead race cars. It weighs 287 pounds less than the Mini Cooper SE that it's based on, giving it a total weight of 2,712 pounds. Much of that weight loss comes from the gutted interior, which now has a welded-in roll cage, race seats and six-point harnesses. While not particularly related to weight saving, the seats also have a neat 3D-printed material for the cushions that can be made in different colors and densities. The electric motor and battery are unchanged at 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, but the weight loss means that it hits 62 mph in 6.7 seconds, an improvement of 0.6 over the road car. Handling and braking are upgraded with racing coilovers that have adjustments for compression, rebound, camber and ride height, as well as four-piston brake calipers. Mini John Cooper Works GP forged four-spoke wheels are fitted with 245-mm Michelin Pilot Sport tires. The wider track from the wheels necessitated the unique 3D-printed carbon fiber fender flares. The rear wing, which is similar but not identical to the GP unit, is also made of 3D-printed carbon fiber material. Splitters, side skirts and a large rear diffuser round out the aerodynamic tweaks. The car will make its racing debut at the Formula E event in Rome on April 10. And we hope we won't have to wait too long for an electric John Cooper Works model to reach the public. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.