http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cars/index.blog?entry_id=1423664

Quote :

"BMW held its annual press gala this year on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show along the edge of Lake Geneva. What caught a lot of attention after the usual spiel of company executive speeches was the world premier of its limited edition JCW Mini, which the company says is its fastest Mini yet. The new Mini owes its power and speed to a 218-horsepower engine, a more aerodynamically-designed front end and 88 pounds of less vehicle weight compared to its predecessor. With an acceleration of zero to 62 mph in six seconds, the JCW Mini's maximum speed tops out at 150 mph. Look for it in the [b/United States later this year for $30,000, but unfortunately only 2,000 units will be produced and half of those are already sold[/b], BMW executives said."

2/27/2006 7:39:23 PM

maybe 6.9 secs

218hp is not much to work with

and 88lbs off of how much? 2800lbs?

2/27/2006 7:48:43 PM

^ you talk as if you were part of the design group from bmw?

2/27/2006 8:00:57 PM

they did a great job of shoots photos of it

2/27/2006 8:16:35 PM

it's just a wired blog of a contributer at the geneva convention, no historical reference intended

i'm sure there are probably better pics out there somewhere

2/27/2006 8:20:23 PM

218hp would be a blast in a car that light/small. if 0-62 is 6 sec., 0-60 times are likely high 5's. not fast, but not bad at all for what it is. however, the 30k price tag is a joke.

2/27/2006 8:28:35 PM

curb weight stock: ~2700 lbs

and it doesnt look any smaller than some civic if you ask me

but 218hp in that thing would be fun, yes

2/27/2006 8:35:04 PM

2700ish is a pretty good weight these days. This sounds like a pretty good car, except for that rediculous price tag

2/28/2006 12:57:10 AM

Quote :

"BMW's Fastest Mini Yet-28hp, 0-62 in 6secs, $30k"

wow 28 horsepower
thats fast

2/28/2006 11:50:30 AM

for $30k i could buy two used bmws and crash them into each other

2/28/2006 11:51:52 AM

Give me the new Civic Si.

2/28/2006 1:04:24 PM

^ ugliest thing i ever have seen...

+ for its price its not even thaaaat fast.

all these quick hondas are so over rated people are spending more on them than they do on cars that actually have power... not to mention they don't feel like a honda inside either.

2/28/2006 1:10:05 PM

i'd still take the solstice

2/28/2006 1:11:39 PM

^^^unfortunately, the new Si would get smoked.

Quote :

"2700ish is a pretty good weight these days."

Not really. Have you seen the size of the car?!? It should weigh less.

$30k for something like that? Hell no I'll pass.

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 1:16 PM. Reason : ^^]

[Edited on February 28, 2006 at 1:16 PM. Reason : s]

2/28/2006 1:15:50 PM

^yea, but it's 10K less.

2/28/2006 1:19:07 PM

Quote :

"Not really. Have you seen the size of the car?!? It should weigh less."

some people want all the creature comfort and safety features
for what that car comes with, thats a good weight

2/28/2006 2:12:17 PM

ONLY 28 HP?!?!?!

2/28/2006 2:40:22 PM

with all the safety b.s. now i think we'll be seeing the end of sub 3000lb cars here soon.

2/28/2006 2:44:26 PM

There's another production Mini out there that's rated at 275hp. Meh.

2/28/2006 3:57:57 PM

They are fun little cars and I wouldn't mind owning this one, but the price just puts it into a category that it can't compete in IMO.

In that range I could get an STi or a Evo that would stomp it from a performance perspective.

For a fun people hauler it has to compete with the Acura TSX, Mercedes C230, BMW 325, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting. I guess it's just another niche market car and the fact that all 2000 of them are already sold is a pretty good indicator that its a strong niche.

2/28/2006 4:49:24 PM

No thanks.

Mini Cooper sounds too much like Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years. That girl was a bitch.

3/1/2006 2:01:15 PM

Quote :

"they did a great job of shoots photos of it"

here you go. some really amazing pictures here:

http://www.streetdream.de/cars/mini/coopers_works_gp.html

http://www.seriouswheels.com/top-2006-Mini-Cooper-John-Cooper-Works-GP-Tuning-Kit.htm

3/9/2006 9:06:10 PM

Cobalt SS
0-60 5.9
205 hp (thats what GM says)
weight is ~2900lbs
cost is a ~$8,000 less
and its bigger.
tops out at 148mph
sooo why should anyone buy this mini?
hell, for 30k, thats and evo or an sti

dont forget about srt4 at ~24k?! another better option

[Edited on March 9, 2006 at 9:17 PM. Reason : .]

3/9/2006 9:16:43 PM

what was supposed to be impressive about this?

3/9/2006 9:47:01 PM

yeah and they all suck.... moving on now....

3/9/2006 9:52:50 PM

^^^because the Mini outhandles a cobalt in every possible aspect.

The Cobalt is a worthless car on the track.

3/9/2006 11:29:18 PM

no thanks, I don't like having to totally take my eyes away from the road to check the speedometer.

3/10/2006 2:09:41 PM

Did you just throw a chevy out for comparison?

3/10/2006 2:14:10 PM

HEY I GUESS I'LL TAKE THE CHEVY
ahaha

3/10/2006 3:37:09 PM

Quote :

"Did you just throw a chevy out for comparison?"

3/10/2006 4:09:49 PM

Quote :

"no thanks, I don't like having to totally take my eyes away from the road to check the speedometer."

because you don't have to do that with every car on the road today already... oh wait.

3/10/2006 4:33:42 PM

the speedometer is still in the "eye triangle"

3/10/2006 4:34:23 PM