EVO Picks Its Favorite Track Car for 2013

The videos uploaded by EVO, particularly in recent months, have been some of the more enjoyable ones to watch from a sea of clips that the internet has to offer. Now that they have uploaded a twenty three-minute-long video of their attempt to pick out 2013’s best track car, I cleared up twenty-three minutes in which I would do nothing else, in order to watch it.

Part of what made me stay until the end was their (British-biased) selection of candidates for the title: McLaren 12C GT Can-Am, Caterham Seven 620R, Radical RXC, BAC Mono, Litchfield Subaru BRZ Spec S (supercharged from 200 to 280 hp), Mini JCW GP, Ariel Atom 3.5 Supercharged  and Porsche Cayman S.

The track chosen to try out the cars on was Blyton Park, which seems to be placed on very flat ground with no features (it’s marginally better as a setting than Top Gear’s airfield). Still, the typically British overcast day probably made for some nice beauty shots.

I won’t tell you which they chose as their favorite, but I will tell you that it’s not the Porsche – it was severely outnumbered by Brits, and it was much more of a usable road car than pretty much all the other models, except, perhaps the Mini.

By Andrei Nedelea

VIDEO

Punk or Kinky? Wild Mini Coupe from Brazil is No Poster Child for Safety

The BMW Group's reborn MINI brand has made a name for itself, among other things, with its unconventional promotional methods, mainly targeted at a younger (in age or at heart) audience, some examples of which include the Life Ball specials, spicy tweets on social media channels and even a…peep-style corner show.

It's regional divisions also play a role in this, as is the case with this specially modified "punk" Coupé by MINI Brasil, which comes complete with a huge Mohawk, studs, spikes and…wait for it…a ring-style piercing.

Mini apparently took the punk (feel free to call it kinky) Coupe for a number rides across the South American country to get the attention of local consumers.

See the pictures in the gallery after the jump.

PHOTO GALLERY

New Mini Cooper S Hatch Shows its Glowing Eyes in Competition Video

As we're approaching the last corner of the race that is the world premiere of the new generation Mini hatchback on November 18, the BMW Group-owned British carmaker is intensifying its promotional efforts.

This week, it announced an online competition that will see three people each win a ticket for two to see the car in all three-debut cities, including London in the UK, Shanghai in China and Los Angeles in the United States. The release video included a photo of the new Mini Cooper S showing its LED lights.

For those of you interested, Mini's announcement reads:

"All good things come in threes. That’s why we’re sending three lucky people and their +1s to three exclusive launch events of the new MINI. This is your chance to fly to London, Los Angeles and Shanghai in one week. Just watch closely and answer the question at the end of the video for your chance to win big."

You can watch the three videos and if you wish, participate in the competition here.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO

A Virtual Take on the New 2015 Mini John Cooper Works Hot Hatch

Here's a computer generated version of what the spicy John Cooper Works (JCW) edition of the upcoming new Mini hatchback could look like, courtesy of Khalil Bouguerra from Virtuel-Car.

The top dog in Mini's range has been envisioned with a sporty aero package and detailing like the vented bumpers and hood, plus bigger wheels and the appropriate racing stripes.

Mini itself has lethargically been releasing tidbits of information and photos on its new premium hatchback in an attempt to draw as much as attention as it can on the car prior to its official unveiling on November 18 at simultaneous presentations at the Los Angeles and Tokyo motor shows.

It even told us that the new hatch will come with the BMW Group's new 1.5-liter 3-cylinder and 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged units, but without getting down to the nitty-gritties. However, it is possible that the JCW Mini will feature a version of the bigger turbo'd inline four with well over 200 horses.

Story References: Virtuel-car

PHOTO GALLERY

Mini Goes All Dark Knight with Limited Edition Countryman and Paceman

You could always cover your car in a matte black foil wrap if that's your thing, but in case you prefer something of a more permanent nature, Mini has is extending its program of exterior paint finishes for the five-door Countryman and its three-door sibling, the Paceman, with the addition of a Frozen Black metallic paint option.

The limited edition color that, in Mini's own words, features "a textured, shimmering matt finish", is available on the gasoline-powered Cooper S and John Cooper Works models, and the diesel-fueled Cooper SD versions of the two cars.

Certain exterior parts, including the model-specific front and rear aprons and the exterior mirror caps are finished separately in the paint finish Frozen Black metallic.

If you happen to opt for this color, which will be limited to a restricted number of cars worldwide, Mini says you have to be careful not to wax the body.

"The finish is completely weather resistant and car wash resistant; however, hand washing does require special care as spot cleaning of the surface using wax or polish can leave an unwanted gloss effect," says the company.

PHOTO GALLERY

Porsche Buyers Spend More on Options Than Anyone Else, UK Study Finds

It goes without saying, buyers of expensive cars can usually afford to add as many optional extras as they want, but if you were wondering who are the biggest spenders, a new study from the UK has the answers – at least in what concerns British consumers.

According to an analysis from HPI Spec Check, a valuation service providing factory fitted options data, Porsche buyers are most likely to spend big money on optional extras. Buyers of the Cayenne luxury SUV spend on average almost £10,000 ($15,950) on factory fitted options. With that money, they could buy a Dacia Duster and still have some change left.

Next on the big spenders’ list are BMW X5 buyers, who add extras worth £8,000 ($12,780) on average. Third place goes to Mercedes SLK drivers, who spend £6,290 ($10,050) on optional extras. Owners of the Audi R8 and A8 complete the top 5, with £5,351 and £5,338, respectively.

Porsche is also on top when all models from a brand are taken into account, with an average of £7,394 spent on options for each car sold. BMW is second with £3,892, followed by Mercedes-Benz with £3,510. Mini (£2,974) and Audi (£2,370) are fourth and fifth, respectively.

But don’t think only luxury car buyers are tempted by the long lists of additional equipment. The Vauxhall Insignia has a reasonable average spend on extras of over £1,400, followed by the VW Golf with a little over £1,000. Data includes factory fitted options in the UK from the last six months and worth £75 million, across 19 manufacturers from Alfa Romeo to Volvo.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

Mini Shows New 2014 Hatch's Interior Bits, Confirms Head-Up Display

With the unveiling of the all-new Mini hatch scheduled for November 18, the BMW-owned carmaker continues to tease its core model with new photos. This time Mini reveals photos of the interior and some of the driver assistance systems that the new model will be equipped with.

Mini says future models will benefit from a number of driver assist systems that will also use intelligent networking for the exchange of information between driver and vehicle. Until then, the 2014 Mini hatch will be equipped with a series of driver assist systems including the Mini head-up display, which displays information right in the driver’s line of vision.

However, the system is not the same from BMW, as information is not projected on the windshield, but on a transparent glass located behind the steering wheel – similar to the one used by Peugeot and Citroen.

The new Mini also features collision warning and pedestrian warning systems, including a city braking function, which help drivers avoid dangerous situations, especially in city traffic. Another feature for the city is the Mini parking-assist feature with reversing camera, which make searching and using parking spaces easier.

A video-based speed and distance control system will also be available on the new Mini hatch. The technology automatically keeps a safe distance from the vehicle in front, while the speed limit information system detects and displays speed limits of the current section of road. The system includes no passing display and traffic sign memory functions.

Finally, the digital headlight assist function helps visibility when driving at night by using the full range of headlight functions. Oncoming traffic and preceding vehicles are registered by a camera, with the system automatically switching to dimmed headlights.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

Classic Mini is Feeling Very Benzy

The baby Aston Martin carriage that is the Cygnet mini may have found its long lost ancestor in the face of this classic Mini with a Mercedes-Benz W114/W115 snout - in case you don't remember, that's the codename of the E-Class saloon of the late-1960s, which was built through the mid-1970s).

China Helps BMW Group Report 13.7% Increase in Profits and 8.3% in Sales in Q3

Thanks to growing revenues and sales in Asia and especially China, and to a lesser extent, North America, the BMW Group was able to offset a stagnant European market in the third quarter of the year.

MINI Introduces New Convertible Highgate Special Edition

Leave it to Mini to present a special edition model every two weeks. After the "Baker Street" and "Bayswater" hatchbacks, it's the convertible model's turn to gain a new moniker.
This one is called is called "Highgate" and is offered with four engine variants including the 122HP Cooper, 184HP Cooper S, and for those markets that get diesel versions, the 112HP Cooper D and 143HP Cooper SD.