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Mini STRIP gets Paul Smith's help with graceful sustainability

For the 40th anniversary of the original Mini in 1999, British designer Paul Smith created a vintage two-door Mini overlaid with the multicolored stripes he's known for. You can buy still buy a set of his "Artist Stripe" Mini-Car Cufflinks at the Paul Smith site. For Mini's newest collaboration with the knighted Royal Designer for Industry, the partnership dropped the "e" from "stripe" to create the one-off Mini STRIP concept. Given the tagline "Sustainable design with a twist," if you wanted to show off the possibility of combining high design with unprocessed, renewable materials, the Mini STRIP is a sensational way to do it.  The project started with the steel bodyshell of a battery-electric Mini Cooper SE. Everything added to the shell needed to satisfy the themes of simplicity, transparency, and sustainability, which meant eliminating anything that could be eliminated, and rethinking the materials and forms of the rest. Outside, the STRIP bears its naked steel, complete with the grinding marks from the finishing process. There's naught but a layer of transparent paint to shield the metal against corrosion. The duller, contrasting hue in places like the front and rear apron and hood intake are from 3D-printed parts. The grille trim has been fashioned from recycled Perspex, same as the panoramic roof and the aero covers on the wheels. The silver screw heads in the black trim are intended to highlight and ease the process of dismantling the car when it's time for bits to be recycled. The only color outside is a splash of neon green that hides under the charging port cap. The cabin hardware is nothing but the indispensable, lightly trimmed. Smith insisted on painting the steel shell a vivid blue. The instrument panel is a single semi-transparent piece, a smartphone replacing Mini's usual large center gauge. The only switchgear consists of five toggles hanging above the area that's clearly missing its center tunnel. The dash and upper door pads, plus the sun visors, are made from recycled cork without any synthetic filler. The door pulls are wound climbing cord, the door openers made of milled, recyclable aluminum, same as the steering wheel spokes. The seat surfaces and piping are knitted fabric, tying in with mesh panels used on the lower doors, the airbags running along the roof, and the cover over the airbag in the steering wheel. That wheel is wrapped in bicycle tape, a nod to Smith's taste for cycling.

2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP appears to have its Nurburgring time on the dashboard

Details on the 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP hot hatch have been trickling out, and it sounds and looks impressive. It will have over 300 horsepower (probably at least 301 like the Clubman and Countryman), and it has wild bodywork like its concept. Mini has also been promising a fast Nurburgring lap time, with the only information given that it will be under 8 minutes. Before the company could announce it, someone found it on the dashboard of the car. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Twitter user Will Pierce shared a photo of the dash, and the time wasn't just on a piece of paper, it was molded into the plastic trim of the dashboard. Mini is really proud of it, but maybe they shouldn't be that proud because it's not a record, giving it the benefit of the doubt that it's front drive like past GPs. The time is 7:56.69. The current front-drive record holder is the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R at 7:40.1. That's over 16 seconds faster. It also edged out the Honda Civic Type R's old record of 7:43.8. Even the third-fastest front-driver, the VW GTI Clubsport, did a lap in 7:47.19. In the grand scheme of things, Nurburgring lap times aren't that important. They're a fun bragging right, but there's much more that's important about cars than raw times. We're just giving the Mini a hard time because, well, if you're going to throw a time in someone's face every time they hop in the car, maybe you should make sure it's truly impressive. But we're sure the GP will be a riot, and we can't wait for more details and the opportunity to drive one.

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