MINI Officially Launches WRC Team, Unveils Countryman Racers

MINI's preparations for the brand's imminent return to the World Rally Championship have culminated with the official launch of the team less than a month ahead of its first WRC event, the Rally d'Italia Sardegna (May 5 - 8). At the company's plant in Oxford, England, the MINI WRC Team unveiled its two MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars, the driver/co-driver lineup and its plans for 2011.

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AC Schnitzer Offers First Batch of Goodies for MINI Countryman

German tuner AC Schnitzer has launched its first tuning package for the MINI Countryman . The focus is clearly on the wheels, as clients can choose between four different designs in two different sizes (18- or 19-inch) to go with the two-tone white and black exterior paint job. In fact, AC Schnitzer has just broken a personal record: in a company first, it has fitted a MINI with 19-inch rims. As for the interior, the tuning house offers an aluminum pedal set and gear knob or various knobs clad in leather with incorporated, digital gear display unit.

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2011 Detroit Motor Show: BMW Confirms MINI Paceman Concept for Production

At this year�s North American International Auto Show, MINI is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the brand�s revival and re-launch in the U.S. market. To mark the occasion, the automaker unveiled today the Paceman Concept, and also confirmed that it will spawn a production model in the very near future.

�I�m thrilled to tell you now, for the very first time, that there will be a seventh member of the MINI family � and we will base it on this concept�, said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, during MINI�s press conference at the Detroit motorshow.

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MINI Paceman Concept: Crossman Coupe Study Previewed Ahead of Detroit Show

In 2001, the BMW Group revived the concept of the original MINI creating a new brand from a single, three-door hatchback model. Fast forward to today, and the British automaker's range has exploded with the arrival of a number of models including the soft-top Convertible, the JCW specials, the Clubman estate and the Countryman crossover, while two two more vehicles, the Coupe and Speedster, which were shown in concept form last year, have already been confirmed for production.

But that doesn't seem to be enough for the BMW Group that has announced a new concept model called the MINI Paceman, which will make its debut at the Detroit motorshow in January, that will almost certainly spawn yet another production vehicle.

Based on the Countryman five-door crossover, the Paceman is described by the company as a Sports Activity Coup�. Think of it as something like a MINI flavored X6 with two doors.

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Paris Show: Mini Unveils Countryman WRC in Preparation for 2011 S2000 Rally Season

Working with Prodrive, Mini has officially re-entered the World Rally Championship after a decades-long hiatus. With its Countryman WRC, which made its world premiere in Paris today, Mini will be ready to compete in the 2011 season with a car driven by Kris Meeke.

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First Videos of MINI's Countryman WRC Testing in Portugal!

Thanks to a tip from ROAD CARS reader Rafael, we can now share with you the first video footage of MINI's new Countryman WRC prototype, which was caught testing earlier today (Tuesday) at Ponte de Lima in Portugal.

The Prodrive developed and built World Rallying Championship version of the Mini Countryman is powered by a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport to comply with the new Super2000 regulations. Like the road-going model, it also gets four-wheel drive.

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MINI Countryman Rally Car Passes First Round of WRC Tests

As previously reported, MINI is eager to get itself into the World Rally Car Championships with its Countryman crossover and reclaim some of the rallying glory its predecessor / inspiration had in the 1960s. And today, the British automaker released the first official picture of the Countryman WRC, which partner Prodrive has been busy testing at their Warwickshire proving grounds in rural England.

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MINI to Enter WRC with the Help of Prodrive, Aims to Win Title Within Three Years!

After a long break, MINI is making a comeback in the world of rallying starting from next season with a Prodrive built and developed Countryman crossover. The BMW Group said that MINI, whose Cooper model won the Monte Carlo Rally three times in the 1960s, was planning its racing involvement "for several years".

The Countryman WRC complies with the new Super2000 regulations and will be powered by a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport and have an all-wheel drive system. Prodrive, which ran Subaru's world championship-winning team until the Japanese automaker pulled out at the end of 2008, has been working on the development of the car since early 2009.

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New Photo Gallery of MINI's Fashion-Inspired 'Life Ball' Editions

We've already told you about this year's special-edition MINIs for the annual Life Ball AIDS research auction in Vienna, Austria, but the British automaker has just dropped some new pictures of all variants.

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