1959 Austin Mini - Fully Restored, Highly Correct, First Year, Classic Lhd Mini on 2040-cars

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Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).

2025 Mini Cooper four-door makes more room for the people in the back

There seems to be no end to the new Minis. The new compact range has dispensed from the Munich HQ like Pez since last September. Here's another one: the 2025 Mini Cooper four-door (or five-door, depending on where you live) with the internal combustion powertrain. This is the longer and more-doored version of the two-door Cooper and Cooper S revealed in February for our market. An additional 2.8 inches of wheelbase and 6.8 inches of length makes more room for second-row passengers and cargo room. The automaker says designers made the rear "noticeably wider" inside, giving three-up accommodations more room to swing their elbows. Using European measurements, cargo capacity stands at 9.7 cubic feet with the second row up, 32.7 cubic feet with the second row down. The U.S.-market Cooper S four-door gets a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, same as in the two-door, those numbers 21 hp and 15 lb-ft better than the outgoing Mini's turbo 2.0-liter. This trim is going to cost $34,195 after the $995 destination fee when it reaches dealers in about three months. Come January 2025, Mini will add a Cooper C trim with four doors. It will use the same engine as the S but with a lower output, and be priced under the S.  International markets will also get a turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the entry-level motor, that mill making 154 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The outgoing 1.5-liter three-cylinder in the base U.S.-market Mini makes 134 hp and 162 lb-ft, so buyers are in for improvements no matter what market they're in and which engines they get. The European trim step will be Essential, Classic, Favored, and JCW. Omitting the three-cylinder here, we'll enjoy Classic, Favored, and JCW in a choice of 11 body colors and three contrasting roof treatments; the Favoured theme includes the option of a multi-hued roof with a three-color gradient. If wheel sizing matches the two-door, U.S. buyers can choose from 17- and 18-inch aero wheels, but not the 16-inchers on sale elsewhere.  Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

John Cooper Works GP Pack transfers feisty visual cues to Mini JCW

Mini made just 3,000 examples of the 302-horsepower, $45,750 John Cooper Works GP. Now that they're all gone, Mini designers have put together a cosmetic kit called the John Cooper Works GP Pack that lends some of the genuine GP aura to the standard Mini John Cooper Works. The Racing Grey Metallic paint and contrasting Melting Silver Metallic roof, rear spoiler — in standard form as opposed to the lurid unit, and mirror caps are ported over. They're offset by the black engine scoop, door handles, and fuel filler door, red trim across the grille, and piano black headlight surrounds with black headlight and taillight inserts. The exterior Mini badges go all Johnny Cash black, too, and the 18-inch John Cooper Works Cup Spoke lightweight wheels show GP on their center caps to match the GP logos on the door sills.  The cockpit amps up its edge with JCW leather-trimmed Dinamica suede sport seats in front, bearing GP badges — the two-door keeps its four seats, though, unlike the two-seater JCW GP. A 3D-printed metal stripe marks 12 o'clock on the Walknappa leather-corvered steering wheel, Walknappa being a fancy BMW Group name for one of its Nappa leather finishes. Buyers that go the eight-speed automatic route will get 3D-printed shift paddles with more GP logos. Floor mats front and rear pop with red cross stitching, and yet more GP logos. As a look-fast instead of a go-fast package, nothing changes under the hood or under the skin, the JCW sticking with its 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with 228 hp and 236 pound-feet of torque. Mini hasn't coughed up a price yet, but we're told the John Cooper Works GP Pack will be available sometime next month. Related Video: