MINI

The Mini Beachcomber Concept made its debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show today and made a big impression. Featuring an all-wheel drive powertrain, the Beachcomber is a throwback to the original Mini Moke sans doors and roof.

Some of you may remember the Moke (based on the ancient dialect name "donkey") or may even have driven one while on vacation in the Caribbean, where these cars are used as beach buggies. That said, the original design was for a lightweight military vehicle, but somehow key essentials like ground clearance and appropriate tires were missing from the equation. It was therefore relegated to work duty as as cheap, utility vehicle with production beginning in 1964 and running through 1993.

Back in April, Heineken took a page out of Bud Light's funny-book and created some pretty comical ads showing a comparison between a woman's fantasy closet filled with couture apparel and a guy's penultimate setup filled with beer. Taking things one step further, as a follow-up, massive cardboard boxes with the words 'Walk-in Fridge' were strewn around Amsterdam just before garbage day.

MINI recently hopped on the this bandwagon just after Christmas, strategically distributing massive cardboard cartons with torn gift wrapping in trash heaps all over the same Dutch city. Each box had a large diagram of the car with the words MINI COOPER across the top as if the car had been packaged inside. Naturally, people were intrigued with the ad campaign and their reactions were caught on video (after the jump).

Just yesterday, the MINI Coupe Concept was unveiled as a preview to its Frankfurt Motor Show official debut next month. We now have a bunch of b-roll video footage as well as a slew of new photos. To recap, Mini just celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 26th and revealed a new prototype after months of speculation.

The smart money was on either a coupe or a speedster and strangely enough, it turns out to be a little of both. Gone is the original Mini Coupe's upright windshield and simple fastback design, replaced with a completely reworked upper portion featuring sloping glass and a truncated roof-line with an integrated spoiler edge.

The special edition Mini Cooper John Cooper Works World Championship 50 first dropped on the scene at the 2009 Mini United Festival at Silverstone in May, but at that time there were no official press images or full details available. Fast forward a month and we now have the whole nine. This car is a direct tribute to the 50th anniversary of MINI's motorsports conquests, which kicked off in 1959 when sports car constructor John Cooper won his first Formula One Constructor's Championship title with Jack Brabham at the wheel (who also took home the F1 Driver's Championship.) A full complement of exterior and interior touches that symbolize the racing pedigree of this car are offered.

The MINI Cooper has been a runaway success. Recently, MINI came out with the highly anticipated Convertible (R57) which is taking on a life of its own. AC Schnitzer, one of the best all round BMW tuners in existence, has already put together modification packages for the MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper S Clubman. And so it wasn't too much of a stretch that AC Schnitzer would tune the new MINI Convertible, since they have been in lockstep with each new model release.

Since we're taking about AC Schnitzer, let's talk performance modifications first. The MINI Cooper S 1.6-liter engine gets a horsepower boost from the stock 175 hp up to 208 hp in Europe. For exports, meaning the US, we get the 226 hp version. Finally, we get something better! In addition, there is a new limited slip differential, sport silencer with racing tailpipe, stiffer spring kit, front aluminum strut braces, height-adjustable racing suspension and alloy wheels.

This year marked the third go-round of the MINI United Festival. This is an event that has reached legendary status after just a short period of time and has a tremendous draw. There were 25,000+ enthusiasts in attendance from over 40 countries who made the journey to the Formula One track at Silverstone, England between May 22nd and 24th. Throngs of German car clubs trekked across the continent, pushing their tricked out MINI Cooper rides to the venue. All told, more than 10,000 MINI models showed up.

The MINI United Festival was a great platform for the launch of the new Mayfair and Camden special edition models along with a host of one-off creations. MINI presented a truly unique version to Olivia Harrison and the Material World Charitable Foundation,  a reinterpretation of George Harrison's original outrageous model. In addition, Paul Smith, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Missoni and Alan Aldridge all showcased their own MINI designs. The original cars from The Italian Job and Austin Powers also made special appearances.