2006 Mini Cooper Base 2dr Convertible on 2040-cars

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Electric Mini tows a Boeing 777 airplane, because why not?

Car manufacturers seem to love hitching up to massive planes. Even Mini is getting onboard with the trend, and it's using a camouflaged version of the electric Mini on its way. Now, we saw the Mini Cooper S E completely uncovered a few days ago in spy photos, so make sure to check those out to see what the car will really look like. If it's the plane pulling you're after, watch the video above. Mini collaborated with Lufthansa on this one. The airliner provided a Boeing 777F freight aircraft for the stunt. That airplane has an unladen weight of approximately 150 tons, or just about 300,000 pounds. Needless to say, it's safely over whatever towing rating Mini is going to give its electric car. This Mini doesn't pull the airplane far, but it's enough to prove the brand's point: Electric equals lots of torque. Like we mentioned before, others have pulled off a similar stunt. A few notable examples include the Toyota Tundra towing the space shuttle for 12 miles, Porsche hauling an Airbus 380 with various Cayennes and then a Tesla Model X pulling a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The Model X is most like Mini's stunt, since it's also an electric vehicle. We'll note that the airplane towed by the Mini is also far lighter than that towed by the Tesla. Still, to have enough torque and traction to move a 300,000-pound airplane is impressive, and if nothing else, it's entertaining to watch. Reports have indicated that the new electric Mini will share the BMW i3's powertrain and battery pack, so that means it may have required only 168 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to pull this off.

Why the 2015 Detroit Auto Show will be the best since The Crisis

The Detroit Auto Show clearly has its swagger back, and the 2015 edition will be a veritable feast for the enthusiast senses. We're talking serious performance, and it will be exhibited in a variety of forms. Sports cars. Supercars. Muscle-bound luxury cars. They're all set for splashy debuts in January in the Motor City. It's another signpost that companies have recovered from the global economic crisis that gripped the industry from 2008-09. For a while, automakers played it safe at Detroit and other shows. Environmentally friendly cars were important, especially for General Motors and Chrysler that were living on loans from Uncle Sam. Ford, Toyota and other companies generally focused on their best-selling or core models. With a few notable exceptions, recent auto shows have been a bit more buttoned-down than in the past. Boring probably isn't the right word, but austerity has been reality. That's changing. Car companies are making money. Sales are up. Aside from the many nagging recalls – and they are notable – the industry now has the time and energy to make performance cars a priority. That will be offered in hard evidence in Detroit. A year from now when we look back at this auto show, we'll sum it up with one word: Horsepower. But make no mistake, this isn't frivolous. Sports and luxury cars are expensive. They're profitable. They boost images and highlight strengths. With that in mind, here are five significant performance-oriented reveals to watch for when the show kicks off in less than two weeks. 2016 Acura NSX Acura's reborn NSX is a strong bet to earn plenty of votes for our Editors' Choice awards. It's one of the most anticipated – and strung-out – reveals of the year. Think back: we actually saw an NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show, and Acura has spent the last three years teasing the car in a variety of ways. The slow burn, however, means we know a lot about the NSX. It's will use a mid-mounted twin-turbo hybrid powertrain and run with all-wheel drive. It will also wear an innovative zirconium e-coat paint, a new paint process that Honda says is more environmentally friendly. Honda has also said it will build the new NSX in Ohio, where a large part of the car's development work has been done. The original NSX was produced from 1990-2005 and helped establish Acura's performance credentials in the United States. It was a landmark car and a shot across the bow of Ferrari, Lamborghini and others.

Mini celebrates its first Monte-Carlo victory with Paddy Hopkirk Edition

Mini's newest special-edition model is a tribute to a victory that was as unexpected as it was significant. Northern Irish pilot Paddy Hopkirk won the 1964 edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally in a Cooper S, impressively beating far more powerful cars, and the two-door 2021 Hardtop Cooper S Paddy Hopkirk Edition celebrates this victory. Fittingly, every Paddy Hopkirk Edition is finished in Chili Red with a white roof, a combination that echoes Hopkirk's 1964 model (pictured below). 37 decals on both doors create another visual link between 2020 and 1964. Mini also added 17-inch alloy wheels, black trim all around, and a white hood stripe that served as a blank canvas. Look closely: it features 33 EJB graphics (the winning car's registration number) and Hopkirk's signature.  His signature also appears on the hatch, on the sill plates, and on the right side of the dashboard. LED headlights, keyless entry, black interior trim, and a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel come standard. There are no mechanical modifications, meaning the Paddy Hopkirk edition is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivers 189 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. It spins the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, though a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is offered at an extra cost. Mini dealers across the United States will begin receiving the Cooper S Paddy Hopkirk Edition in November 2020. It's one of two special-edition models joining the range for 2021; the second is the heritage-laced Coral Red Edition. Pricing hasn't been released yet. "Production is planned for November and December of this year," said a Mini spokesperson, "with a very limited number expected for the U.S. market. Only a few hundred." Victorious past Sir Alec Issigonis envisioned the original Mini as a practical, budget-friendly alternative to bubble cars, not as a rally-dominating machine, but the pocket-sized four-seater quickly proved its mettle on the track. Accomplished engineer John Cooper built the first Mini Cooper in 1959, the year the standard model was released in England, though it was a one-off prototype. Bolstered by a ballooning aftermarket scene, even amateur enthusiasts experimented with ways to extract more power out of the small four-cylinder and fine-tune the car's handling. It took less than a decade for the Mini to become a force to reckon with at races on both sides of the Atlantic.