2004 Mini Cooper S Hatchback 2-door 1.6l Super Low Reserve on 2040-cars

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Mini finally lands its full blackflip

French stuntman Guerlain Chicherit hit the ski slopes of Tignes, France over the weekend - not to enjoy the fresh snow but to perform the first-ever unassisted backlip in a car, which was teased last month.
The unassisted part of the stunt comes from the fact that he Chicherit, in a special rally-prepped Mini Countryman, uses a regular, solid ramp rather than any specially modified ramps that have been used in the past to pull off this stunt. Unfortunately, after 18 months of practice, you'd think the video would be more entertaining by showing more closeups or better angles of the stunt.
Either way, you can check out Chicherit and his Countryman nail the back flip in the video posted below, and Mini has provided a press release and some high-res shots for the stunt as well.

Ford Expedition, F-150 Limited and Cadillac V Series | Autoblog Podcast #583

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. First, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Ford Expedition, Ford F-150 Limited and the Mini Cooper JCW Knights Edition. Then they discuss the news, including Ian Callum stepping down from Jaguar, Cadillac's V cars and the latest in the saga between FCA and Renault. Autoblog Podcast #583 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: Ford Expedition Ford F-150 Limited Mini Cooper JCW Knights Edition Ian Callum resigns from Jaguar Cadillac V FCA backs down from Renault merger talks Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

2017 MINI Model Year Preview and Updates

The team at MINI, BMW's small car subsidiary, is taking its minimalist approach to motoring and – with the launch of the all-new Countryman (pictured above) – maximizing it. Built atop the same basic architecture as BMW's X1 crossover, the newest Countryman is larger in every dimension than its predecessor. And with the stretch, it becomes fully competitive in both space and performance (at least in Cooper S guise) with virtually all of its competition, including Audi's Q3, BMW's own X1 and Mercedes' GLA. Beyond the new crossover, for 2017 it's a proliferation of John Cooper Works performance models and the intro of Mini's first plug-in hybrid. It, too, plugs into the new Countryman, and is on showrooms in June, 2017. Finally, don't forget the countless ways you can personalize your Mini – or the countless costs when you've added that personalization to the window sticker. MINI HARDTOP: Mini's Media package is now standard on all Hardtops, while some packages previously standard – such as Mini Driving modes and Excitement lighting – are now optional within package groups. CLUBMAN: A high-performance John Cooper Works Clubman is where, according to MINI, 'race-inspired performance meets grown-up motoring'. It is also the first Mini to combine a JCW performance pack with Mini's ALL4 all-wheel drive. CONVERTIBLE: All-new in 2016, the new model year brings another application of John Cooper Works performance. This is the same 228 horsepower available in other JCW models; with the top dropped, however, it feels much faster. COUNTRYMAN: To hear Mini tell it, this is the biggest, most adventurous Mini ever. As noted, it's a stretched variant – in every direction – of its predecessor, and with the larger size comes more refinement. Also noteworthy: All trims and drivetrains include an expansive menu of standard equipment. Cooper and Cooper S versions are on showrooms in March 2017, while the plug-in hybrid – Mini's first in the US – arrives in June.