2012 Mini Cooper Countryman S All4 Navi Pano Xenon Repairable Salvage 22k Miles on 2040-cars

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500-hp Acura V6 turns this classic 1974 Mini into a mid-engined sleeper

Originally designed on a napkin, the world-famous Mini launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959 was envisioned as a cheap, practical city car for families on a budget. Now, 61 years later, it's a sought-after classic that many aftermarket companies hail as the ideal foundation on which to build their wildest dreams. Gildred Racing thought further out of the box than most by turning a Mini into a mid-engined, 500-horsepower sleeper. Starting with a 1974 model, the California-based firm removed the original four-cylinder engine (and the four-speed manual transmission bolted right under it, where you'd normally expect to find the oil sump) and completely stripped the interior. Only the front seats ended up going back in; the space occupied by the tiny rear bench is now home to a 3.2-liter V6 that started life under the hood of an Acura CL Type S from the early 2000s. It's mounted transversely, and it spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Acura quoted the six's output at 260 horsepower, which would be a healthy upgrade for the little Brit, but Gildred tuned it to 500 horses and 383 pound-feet of torque by making a long list of modifications (including, significantly, adding a supercharger). That's a 466-horse increase compared to a stock 1974 Mini 850, so the scope of chassis upgrades is long. It includes bigger brakes made by Wilwood, and a fully redesigned suspension. And, although packaging a V6 in a small, front-wheel drive car like the Mini was as challenging as it sounds, Gildred pulled it off admirably. The engine bay is now home to the fuel tank and the radiator, while opening the trunk reveals a huge exhaust. The trade-off, of course, is that there's no longer a trunk, but it's a sacrifice we'd happily make. Performance specifications haven't been released yet. Gildred simply said its 1,400-pound Super Cooper is "quite impressive," which we believe. The original wasn't; it took 34 seconds to reach 62 mph from a stop. Gildred also made several changes in the name of modernity. It added a 9.7-inch iPad where you'd expect to find a touchscreen for the infotainment system in a modern car, an Alpine sound system, a push-button ignition, power locks and windows, LED headlights, plus automatic A/C. We imagine the whole cabin gets hot when the V6 works up a sweat. The passengers sit on leather- and suede-upholstered Recaro bucket seats that are heated and cooled.

Mini Vision Next 100 Concept: It's the autonomy, stupid

The concepts that Mini and Rolls-Royce showed off today – the Vision Next 100 Concept and 103EX, respectively – are all about autonomy. The Rolls-Royce doesn't even have a place for a "driver." And even though both are very much blue sky concepts, corporate parent BMW thinks it will make fully-autonomous cars within the next five years. That's according to Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, MINI, BMW Motorrad, Rolls-Royce, and Aftersales BMW Group, who also told us that both cars, at least in concept, are fully electric. The Rolls-Royce has dual-drive, 250kw motors mounted fore-and aft, on front and rear axles. While the Rolls is clearly a luxury concept for the monied few, the Mini is very much focused on a shared economy. Holger Hampf, Head of User Experience, BMW Group, said the chief design challenge of a car-sharing world is producing a car that could in theory mean different things to different borrowers. You get exclusivity because each car would morph according to the borrower's desires. BMW/Mini already have a car-sharing program in London called DriveNow, and a pilot program in Seattle called ReachNow, focused on the idea of shared exclusivity. ReachNow, which allows Mini/BMW owners to lend their cars out in an AirBnB-type scheme or to borrow "fleet-style cars," are immutable – however the car that was ordered is what the borrower or the owner will get. That's great if you're the owner, but it's also challenging for both anyone who'd buy that car used or for anyone borrowing the car. And if the future of most cars is a shared model (Ford is now offering multi-person leases among up to six buyers in a pilot program in Austin, Texas), customization is impossible. The result is what Schwarzenbauer derogatorily calls "normed." He says carmakers have to relearn to brand for a world where ownership is devalued but customization is key. To that end the MINI VISION NEXT 100 is "skinned." We've seen this before with the BMW NEXT concept that was revealed at the NY Auto Show this past spring, and the idea is to use the exterior of the car as a canvass that changes according to setting. Indeed Mini envisions that in a multi-driver household, the vehicle's customization could easily include changing colors according to driver preference – automatically. Dr.

Mini takes center stage on the Sphere in Las Vegas

When media theorist Marshall McLuhan famously said that “the medium is the message,” he wasnÂ’t referring to The Sphere in Las Vegas, but it would have fit perfectly into his philosophy. For example, thereÂ’s this: to introduce its advertising campaign for the new 2025 Countryman Electric model, the folks at Mini will employ the 366-foot-tall and 516-foot-wide out-of-this-world Sphere to debut creative images and videos “revealing” the new vehicle. “We wanted to think of this campaign as an art piece, not as an ad,” said Rob Lambrechts, Chief Creative Officer at Pereira OÂ’Dell, MiniÂ’s ad agency on the project. “People are coming to Sphere to have fun and be entertained, so we needed to integrate MINI in the least intrusive way possible.” Least intrusive? McLuhan mightÂ’ve asked whether the idea would draw more attention to the medium or would it amplify the intended message. At any rate, the car rendered on the Sphere is pretty nifty. In Vegas, a town not lacking in spectacular landmarks, the free-standing Sphere has dominated the visual landscape since it opened in September. The structure was funded in part by James Dolan, who oversees a family empire that includes Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, the Knicks and the Rangers. DolanÂ’s over-the-top investment, with its 700,000 square feet of programmable video screens, cost $2.3 billion to build. As for the new Countryman, the all-electric SUV will start at $46,195, including destination of $995, when it goes on sale. Output is rated at 313 horsepower and 363 pound-feet of torque. Range on a single charge is estimated at 245 miles, and the 0-60 time is 5.6 seconds. It can be reserved now. The Countryman S All4 and JCW are expected to begin reaching dealers in the spring with the electric versions coming a few months later. Mini's takeover of Sphere will run until December 2, with a special four-hour takeover on December 1. McLuhan, to finish the thought, believed that people should observe not only the media itself but "the ways in which each new medium disrupts tradition and reshapes social life." Viva Las Vegas. Related video: Video Marketing/Advertising MINI Crossover SUV Electric