2010 Mini Cooper S 1 Owner- Steptronic Automatic on 2040-cars

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Meet the Mini Urbanaut concept: an autonomous Mini minivan

If car designers are to be believed, the future of fully-autonomous electric vehicles is the box. Whether it's squared-off or rounded, it seems many autonomous concept vehicles are vans meant to efficiently carry people and stuff, or be a new living space. And that's the case with the Mini Urbanaut concept, just on a smaller scale. The Urbanaut measures in at 14.6 feet long, which is a little more than 2 feet shorter than a Toyota Sienna. But if it were put into production, it would be the biggest Mini on sale at roughly half a foot longer than the Countryman, and easily as tall if not taller (Mini didn't provide an exact height). It takes the one-box shape close to its extremes, similar to a VW Bus, which itself is seeing an electric revival. At the front, an aluminum grille inspired by the current Mini grille hides LED lights for illumination and communication, and taillights get similar aluminum coverings. The wheels are translucent and illuminated. There are cutouts that are inspired by the Union Jack flag. The Urbanaut features two particularly unusual design choices, though. The first is that it has a single sliding door for interior access. The second is that one of the C-pillars is actually a sort of display case that can store a variety of souvenirs or other trinkets. Isn't that cute? The interior has seating for four, with a rear bench and conventional bucket seat at the front for the driver next to a sort of jump seat. The driver seat can swivel to face the front for manual driving, or to face the middle for parked or autonomous modes. In between the rows of seats is a table with a decorative plant as well as the main instrument display and infotainment interface. The screen is round, a callback to old Mini instruments and the current cars' center infotainment binnacle. The idea is that the Urbanaut would primarily be used in autonomous or parked modes with occupants facing toward the middle. There is, however, a secondary display that activates at the front when the car is in manual driving mode. The interior has a number of nifty party tricks. There's a ceiling section above the rear seats called the "Loop" that has animated illumination behind a fabric covering. The dashboard lowers at the front in the stationary mode to create a daybed. The windshield can open up, too, when parked. Different vehicle modes are accessed by placing the key fob, called the "Mini Token," in the corresponding slot.

Xcar takes the Mini Challenge, and it sounds awesome

The third-generation Mini is well and truly on sale in markets across the world. The new four-door model should be arriving soon, if it isn't already on sale in your neck of the woods, and the latest John Cooper Works model made its official debut just a few weeks ago at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. We aren't going to be talking about any of those right now, though. That's because our chums at Xcar took it upon themselves to sample the third-generation Mini Challenge racecar, a 275-horsepower, hardcore, fully committed competition version of the otherwise adorable Mini Cooper S. At roughly 30,000 British pounds (about $45,200 at today's rates) there's a lot to like about the Challenge car. Aside from a gutted cabin and aggressive aerodynamic kit, the racer has been fitted with slick tires, a Quaife sequential gearbox, adjustable dampers, Alcon brakes and a consequently lower curb weight – under 2,600 pounds with an average-sized driver. It's fair to say the Challenge driving experience figures to be unlike your typical road-going Mini. And considering that, we think the folks that built the car, Total Track, have fulfilled their promise of delivering a "touring car experience at a fraction of the cost." Have a look at the Xcar video and let us know what you think. Be sure to crank up your speakers, because the Challenge sounds excellent.

How Mini shacked up with John Cooper

The late Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, Alec Issignonis to his Internet friends, designed a car that was sold as the Morris Mini-Minor, the Austin Seven and later the Austin Mini. Go to the Mini USA website and check out the models, though, and every one of them is called a Cooper of some sort, e.g., Mini Cooper Paceman or Mini Cooper S Roadster. So who is Cooper?
It's probably obvious that it's the same Cooper we get in "John Cooper Works," those JCW Minis that always make up the top of the line. But many probably don't know that that John Cooper, founder of John Cooper Cars, is the same man who accidentally got the motorsports world to switch to rear-engined race cars and the same Formula One constructor who won two titles in 1959 and 1960 and who fielded drivers like Bruce McLaren and Stirling Moss.
On its way to driving the Mini John Cooper Works GP II, XCAR goes back to the beginning to find out when Alec met John, and how the first Mini Cooper came out in 1961, two years after the first Mini. You can watch the story and the car review in the video below.