Katy Perry's MINI
This pop star, Katy Perry ("I Kissed A Girl"),
has inspired MINI to make this Katy Perry Convertible MINI 
for this year's Life Ball HIV/AIDS Charity Event. [Source: Carscoop]
has inspired MINI to make this Katy Perry Convertible MINI for this year's Life Ball HIV/AIDS Charity Event. [Source: Carscoop]
MINI With A 2.0L Diesel Built At Oxford
According to MotoringFile, the first pre-production MINI with a BMW 2.0L diesel engine has been built at Oxford. It produces 200+ bhp and 45 mpg. Rumor has it that it may be coming to the US as a JCW-D.
Is This One Of The Reasons Chrysler Is Bankrupt?
Jalopnik thinks it is one of ten Chrysler vehicles that have led Chrysler to Chapter 11.
Bras for the Cause - Fundraiser
On May 9th, I'm participating in a 10K fundraising walk, complete with a bra-decorating contest, to raise money for the San Francisco Bay Area Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. For more than 20 years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs.
The Bras for the Cause Walk promises to be a very popular, high-energy event with hundreds of walkers, volunteers, and spectators. We are participating in a fun, and exciting walk with a very compelling purpose-to find a cure for breast cancer now. As a walker, I have been asked to raise money through fully tax-deductible pledges that will fund research and medical treatment for underinsured women in the Bay Area. All the money you give will go directly to the Komen Foundation and to Pleasanton's AXIS Community Health Center. Tri-Valley SOCKs (the walk organizers) are using corporate sponsorships and our registration fees to cover the insurance, printing, and other costs associated with the walk.
The Bras for the Cause Walk is an incredible, high-energy event with hundreds of walkers, volunteers, and spectators. Our walk is a unique and exciting event, with a very compelling purpose-to find a cure for breast cancer now.
Please help me raise money for Tri-Valley SOCKs, use the above link to donate. The website listed above is secure, fast and easy to use. At the website you will be able to choose an amount to donate and receive email confirmation of your donation.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Tami Paquette
Fastest Man Alive A Little Bit Slower Today
Olympic Gold Medalist sprinter 22 year old Usain Bolt is reported by Sky News to have flipped his BMW M3 while driving with an unindentified female passenger. Reports advise that they sustained minor injuries.
Kicking It With Andreas-Christoph
An exclusive MINI Space interview with Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, the Head of MINI Brand Communications -
What Would Your Bastard Child Look Like?
Curious what your kid would look like if you got Jessica Alba pregnant? Go to VW's RoutanBabyMaker 3000, load your picture and Jessica's, or for that matter any two pictures, and the RoutanBabyMaker will show you the offspring of your unholy tryst.
Audi E1 MINI Competitor Due 2011
The Audi E1 city car, according to TheCarConnection.com, will be the smallest car Audi has ever produced. It will come in a variety of powertrains, the most interesting being one powered by a lithium-polymer battery. The car will be front-wheel drive, a plug-in, and have a range of around 100 miles in city driving. There will also be a gas option that supposedly includes a 600cc two-cylinder turbo engine that gets 94 miles per gallon.The E1 will be available in the U.K. for about $17,700 but, so far, no plans have been announced for a US debut.
MINI John Cooper F1 Special Edition
MotoringFile announces that MINI will produce a very limited edition (50 to 100) JCW for the 50th anniversary of John Cooper's first F1 car. The car will have non-metallic British Racing Green exterior paint with a Pepper White roof and mirrors.
Votre Appartement Avec La Tesla
AutoMotto has found eco-friendly luxury apartments, just outside of Paris, that, if you move in, give you a Tesla Roadster!
Follow Your GPS For Gas Savings
According to this Naviteq press release at autobloggreen, if you follow your GPS' directions you will increase your vehicle's fuel efficiency by 12 percent. We always knew we were less gas efficient listening to the incomprehensible directions provided by our spouses in the passenger seat. Now we know by how much.
Hey Batter Batter
Here comes the NorCal MINIs' A's vs. Giants game on Saturday, June 13, 2009. We all want to show our Giants' colors and maintain that NorCal MINIs' affiliation. So is there any better shirt to wear than the NorCal MINIs' baseball jersey with black sleeves? It attractively offsets the orange of the MINI on the NorCal MINIs' logo. It says "Go Giants" with a NorCal MINIs' flair.
Navy-sleeved baseball jerseys are sold to stinkin' Dodger traitors only.
Visit our web store and get your baseball jersey today.
Make A Buck Off The Death Of Pontiac
Want to speculate on future historic classics that are presently relatively affordable? Get one of the Pontiacs discussed in this tribute to the best of Pontiac offered by Jalopnik.
How Is Your Car Safety Knowledge?
Take this Car Safety Quiz at HowStuffWorks and tell us how you did.
TopSpeed Sweepstakes
This week only TopSpeed will be giving away two Season 10 DVD's per day. You can enter by leaving a comment under the article on the TopSpeed website.
BMW and Mercedes Jointly Working On A Four Cylinder Engine For The US Market
According to TopSpeed and Jim McDonnell, BMW NA head honcho, the first four cylinders from this venture will be in the BMW 1 and 3 series lines and will include a turbocharger.
Tesla Model S To Appear on Letterman
edmunds Inside Line reveals that the Tesla Model S ($49,999) will appear on the Tonight Show on Wednesday, April 29, 2009.
BMW City Car May Not Be A MINI
MotoringFile writes that BMW will not be branding the “Mega City” urban vehicle as a MINI. Apparently the MINI won't get smaller than it already is.
$75K For A Ford Model A
This is not just any Ford Model A. According to AutoMotto, this is the Ford Model A that was hot rodded on the TV show Overhaulin'. It is now available on Craigslist.
Motor Trend To Go The Way Of Pontiac?
The Truth About Cars reports on the bankruptcy of Motor Trend, Automobile Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine and 71 other publications of publisher Source Interlink.
Video Of The 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este
Please, please send us all expenses paid to Lake Como for this event!!! We promise to write home about it.
Krispy Kreme MINI Donuts
Krispy Kreme is introducing a new mini donut and you can enter their sweepstakes. Don't click on the picture. CLICK HERE for a chance to win a new MINI.
It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A Telephone!!!
Gizmodo has the story about this "Superhero," "Telephone Car Guy," and his run-in with people who sit on the Telephone Car to have their pictures taken.
The 1932 Ford Model B
Check out this old video of a 1932 Ford Model B Advertisement, discovered at Jalopnik. Watch as is it scurries up Fish Ranch Road in the Oakland-Berkeley Hills.
MINI United
MotoringFile has the Official Release as Mini United "Returns To Its Roots" at the Silverstone Circuit, 30 miles outside of Oxford, UK, for the third edition of the world’s largest MINI fan event.
Can't Afford A Gumball Rally Car? How About The Shoe?
The Gumball 3000 rally special edition PUMA Racing Shoe. autoblog has the press release - "available exclusively at Journeys.com for $105 beginning on April 27th, just in time for the Gumball Rally fans to join in on the fun."
2009 MINI John Cooper Works at Laguna Seca
The cartech blog at cnet reviews the 2009 MINI JCW after a day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Looking for something to do this weekend ?
There are several events happening this weekend. The Central Valley Classic GM Show on Saturday at the Madera County Courthouse.The British Car Meet in Chico on Sunday from 10am to 3pm. The meet is being held at The Canyon Oaks Golf Club. And of course the Pacific Coast Dream Machines is going to return to the Half Moon Bay Airport. If you have not been to this event you must go at least once! There is everything from roadsters to aircraft and any other type of machine you can think of. Or you can help Larry paint his Mom's house.
Race Your Own Prancing Horse
Top Speed points out that Ferrari has a free download, the Ferrari Virtual Race, available here. In the game you can customize your Ferrari and race the famed Mugello Circuit or a northern Italy test track.
VA Paints WTF Lines To Slow Motorists
Looks like some government employees have nothing better to do than spend money on drawing squiggly lines on roadways. According to autoblog, VA these painted squiggles are supposed to cause motorists to slow down in heavy pedestrian areas by asking themselves "what the . . .?" as they navigate the series of lines that look like they were painted by a drunken sailor. Actually, we think they will increase accidents as drivers try to pay attention to the bizarre white line while pedestrians cross the street.
MCS Exhaust Split and Hitched
Spotted in Germany by worldcarfans is this new MCS mule with split rear exhaust pipes and a tow hitch where the exhaust pipes are on the MCS production models. Because of the centered location of the exhaust pipes there was no OEM tow hitch for the MCS. This OEM "test" hitch configuration may never make it to the US since it is uncertain whether it would be approved by the US Dept. of Transportation.
Power Enhancement Recommendations
Before you plop your credit card on those headers, oil cooler, pulley, camshaft, turbocharger, cold air box, and fuel injectors you might want to check this new engine simulation software from ProRacing Sim - Dyno 5 Sim. According to Hemmings eWeekly:The basic program works like this: The user fills in fields in what looks like a typical tech sheet for an engine, with blanks for critical specs, including bore, stroke, compression, valve sizes, camshaft profile, and much more. Some fields provide a selection of typical choices for users who may not have specifics on their own combination, though the option to enter very specific figures is usually available. Once the data is entered, the “engine” can be effectively run through its theoretical power band using the DynoSim software, producing test results just as if the actual engine had been built and tested.
Color Changing MINIs
Special thanks to Ally for bringing this to our attention.designverb reports that MINI will debut its first color-morphing car, called the MINI Chameleon, in Singapore in June. The car will change color according to weather conditions.
More On The MINI Speedster
Auto Express claims to have a scoop on this highly anticipated two-seater. With distinctive roll hoops, a lower and wider stance, oversized wheel arches, split front grille, bonnet scoop, chrome-rimmed tail-lights and twin central exhausts, it is definitely a MINI Roadster.
Separated At Birth
This stolen gold-plated Porsche 911 and this gold-plated Porsche Cayenne.
Never Too Hot For Swag
Man, it has really been hot this week in NorCal. We recommend you buy the NorCal M!N!s' Beer Stein from our webstore and relax in the shade with a cold one.
In Car Entertainment Junkies Rejoice
Gizmodo comments on the new Panasonic CY-BB1000D, the first Blu-ray player for cars. Great - more driver distractions.
Confident In Our Ability To Patrol The Highways
Would you pull over? autoblog reports that this "police cruiser" has no back seat.
May 1 Is International Female Ride Day
Motoress.com announces the third International Female Ride Day in celebration of female enthusiasts of motorcycles in this press release posted at The Auto Channel.
The Aptera Is Here
Autopia at Wired drove the Aptera 2e around downtown San Francisco and literally stopped traffic. Check out their take on this
electric, 100 mile range, three-wheeled vehicle.
Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
No, it is not a MINI. It is China's Lifan Motors 320 which, according to Jalopnik, beats the "MINI in almost every way except for styling, quality, driving dynamics, fun-factor and heritage."
Ecovegetarian Automobilism
TG Daily brings us "the World's first fully sustainable racecar" made of potatoes and carrots with the ability to run on waste chocolate (we have heard of "waist chocolate," but is there such a thing as "waste chocolate"?) or vegetable oil at up to 140 mph. The seat in this Lola B05/30-based chassis is even designed using flax fiber shell, recycled polyester and soybean oil foam.
Remember The Wheelie Stand Drag School Bus?
Well, it is powered by a rear-mounted, alcohol-fueled, blown and injected big block Chevrolet engine which produces around 1000 HP! The power is transferred to the rear wheels through a GM 400 Turbo transmission, into a transfer case, then into a full floating rear-end. Unfortunately, the bus was recently crashed at the O'Reilly Thunder Jam at Edinburg International Raceway in Edinburg, Texas. Jalopnik has the story and here is the crash video -
MINI E Roll-Out Events Scheduled
MotoringFile advises that MINI USA is rolling out delivery of the MINI E in the US through a series of events and a website for lessees.The first event will be at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on May 5th. The next event is at the IAC building in New York City on May 12th.
Marty, It's Perfect! You're Just Not Thinking Fourth Dimensionally!
Marty: Wait a minute. Wait a minute Doc, uh, are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?
Doc Brown: The way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?
Auto Motto reports on a story at Jaunted that you may now rent a replica of the Delorean Time Machine from Back To The Future for that special party or occasion, or to go back to one to which you wish you had gone.
Doc Brown: The way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?
Auto Motto reports on a story at Jaunted that you may now rent a replica of the Delorean Time Machine from Back To The Future for that special party or occasion, or to go back to one to which you wish you had gone.
Saw The Pictures - Now, See The Video
MINI Space presents this video of the MINI and the surfer Airstream trailer designed by Fritz Hansen -
Is This How You Conserve Cash And Attract Customers In A Down Economy?
According to Left Lane BMW is spending about $300 million to refurbish and expand its 338 United States showrooms. Most of the funding will be invested in dealers’ used car businesses in an effort to boost residual values. Left Lane reports BMW lost about $2 billion last year because vehicles sold for less than predicted when their leases ended.
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