The MINI Paceman has broken cover prior to its officially unveiling at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, adding the seventh vehicle to the British automaker’s lineup.

The MINI John Cooper Works Countryman enjoyed its world premiere back at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, boasting a turbocharged 1.6-liter with 218-hp under its hood.

Driving is a mundane task for some people, but for others it’s a sport, and there’s no better proving ground than a track.

Official spy photos of the Mini Paceman were released by the company recently which showed off the car sporting a bit of camo, but now we have full photos of the new three-door Countryman.

Despite the information leaking early, as it so often does, the MINI JCW GP was just officially released, confirming the specifications that leaked yesterday.

We have already seen the Mini JCW GP in the flesh, and now details have leaked revealing that the car will make 218 hp, and achieve a top speed of about 150 mph.

Hot on the heels of its public appearance at Pebble Beach, the MINI John Cooper Works GP is being described by its head designer in a new video.

Sitting among the collector cars, classics and one-offs this weekend was the upcoming MINI John Cooper Works GP.

The MINI John Cooper Works GP was unveiled back in May, flexing an impressive Nurburgring lap time of 8 minutes and 23 seconds. The British automaker figured it was time to show off the radical aerodynamics that helped achieve that time.

As the Official Automotive Partner to the 2012 London Olympic Games, the BMW Group has contributed an entire fleet of low-emissions vehicles to shuttle around athletes and officials within Olympic Park and the surrounding Games sites.

After details were divulged this morning on Mini‘s new Paceman, the company dropped some photos of the car onto its Facebook page, looking production ready, with just a tiny bit of camo on the back end.  

Preliminary specifications for the MINI Countryman Coupe or Paceman, whatever it’s going to be called, have been released after a media drive in Spain.

Setting an official time at the Nürburgring is a standard test for any car that would like to be considered a sports car, and Mini just released a video of its sportiest car, the John Cooper Works GP edition, setting its official lap time at the ‘Ring. 

In one of its many efforts to capture the nationalism market, MINI is playing up the Olympic spirit in a new commercial that targets a country you might not expect.

A vehicle appeal study of 2012 models has just been released by J.D. Power and Associates, and it shows that smaller cars are becoming more desirable for consumers. 

BMW has officially announced that it will be boosting MINI production numbers, and investing a hefty $388 million into the United Kingdom based operation. 

A lawsuit has been filed in Florida against MINI for a “manufacturing defect” in its continuously variable transmissions (CVT) that is allegedly causing Cooper models to experience premature transmission failure.

As strange as it may sound, it appears that MINI has cancelled its JCW GP Coupe model before it ever hit the streets and in the hands of buyers.

Sometime before the end of this year, MINI plans to unveil its next-generation three-door model, and noticeably missing from it will be the signature large central speedometer.

At the recent “ MINI Takes The States” road rally, its head of U.S. product strategy, Patrick McKenna, said that the British automaker is still considering a diesel model for the U.S. market.

Ahead of the 2012 London Olympics MINI is celebrating its heritage with a usually cheeky tribute to the athletes of Great Britain.

In celebration of a decade in America, MINI is kicking off it’s cross-country “MINI Takes The States” rally today in New York City, taking the opportunity to confirm that its seventh model will be called the Paceman.

If you couldn’t have guessed, setting the world record for parallell parking is no picnic — even for a professional like Han Yue.

Turbocharged vehicles are quickly becoming the answer to having a fuel-efficient vehicle, with exciting performance. They seem to all be geared towards the sensible enthusiast, offering sporty dynamics, while still getting solid fuel efficiency. 

Rumor had it that MINI was looking into creating a minivan to add some more versatility to its lineup, and today our spy photos confirm that MINI is working on an early protoype of the car to prepare it for production. 

Last month, we got confirmation that the MINI Clubvan was heading to production and would be coming to America by September of 2012.

The MINI Paceman concept, now known as the Countryman Coupe, will likely bow as a 2013 model year car, and be available in the first quarter of the same year. 

Caught sliding through corners at the very limits of its All4 all-wheel drive system, a selection of spy photos reveals the near-production MINI Countryman Coupe testing on the Nurburgring.

MINI has announced its changes to its 2013 model year lineup, most noticeably with Bluetooth coming standard on every model, which was originally a $500 option.

Recently as last January, we heard that the MINI Rocketman concept had been shelved, but a press release from the company is suggesting otherwise.

Brand fans might already know that the MINI Takes The States 2012 (MTTS) event is coming soon this summer, but what they might not know is there will be a chance to do something unique and entirely unrelated to cars.

Originally created in 1969, The Italian Job featured MINI Coopers in tight spaces racing through the streets of Italy. For those that are younger, the movie was redone in 2003 with the same premise, and now we have a short clip titled The Britalian Job that pays homage to the original classic.

In the world of automotive customizing, there isn’t much these days that can shock or surprise us. But Carlex Design’s MINI Countryman does just that, sporting a unique Steampunk theme that truly makes it one-of-a-kind.

Recent  spy photos of the 2014 MINI Cooper revealed the added length that will be tacked onto the car when it is unveiled to us, and now is has been reported that the MINI will sport a five-door variant. 

Put your Asian driving stereotypes aside as Chinese driver Han Yue has set a new record for the tightest parallel parking job in a MINI at the Beijing launch of the special edition Chinese Job MINI.

Earlier this week, BMW celebrated the grand opening of a new dealership on Avenue George-V, in Paris. The new location is a bit different than a traditional dealership in many ways, and marks a new direction for the brand.

Fuel efficiency is quickly becoming one of the most sought after elements in a new car. However finding a car with good fuel efficiency usually means you have to make a few compromises.

MINI is looking to capture more market share here in America with its next-generation model, rumored to feature a five-door hatch variant offering more practicality for a modern family.

The John Cooper Works (JCW) MINI lineup will all get a revised 1.6-liter engine based on its predecessor with performance numbers being the same at 208-hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.

MINI announced the  John Cooper Works version of its coupe last week, but if it is only performance you are after without the added paint and plastic, MINI will install the JCW engine kit on your existing MINI coupe or roadster.

Maybe you’ve been in this situation: stuck on the side of a road, a punctured tire needing to be changed out for the spare one in the trunk. You have a pair of options, do you choose to change the tire yourself, or do you call for roadside assistance. Both options can take a while to get you back on the road, especially if you’ve never changed a tire yourself before. And even if you have, sometimes it can take some serious elbow grease.

Even icons need to stay fresh, and for the 2014 model year a major redesign is coming to the classic look of the  MINI Cooper.

Painted and styled much like the JCW Countryman we saw in Geneva, MINI has announced its John Cooper Works GP today.

There are a lot of car stereotypes out there, like that Toyota builds dull appliances. While true on many fronts, the Japanese automaker does also make exciting sporty cars like the Scion FR-S, and Lexus LFA, both praised for their exhilarating rides, edgy styling and pulse-raising performance. But there’s another stereotype that needs to be dealt with.

Likely you’ve heard the phrase “German engineering” more than a few times in your life and there’s a popular misconception that it equals good reliability. German cars are well engineered, sometimes to be amazing performance machines and sometimes to be incredibly high-tech (and often both) but, Porsche aside, German cars don’t have the best track record for reliability.

Thanks to data from automotive research firm Polk, we were able to compile a list of the top 10 most popular automakers for buyers aged 18 to 34 – roughly the Gen Y set.

The MINI Paceman concept was revealed to us at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and will hit dealer showrooms in early 2013 badged as the Countryman Coupe. 

The oldest unrestored MINI in the world far exceeded Bonhams’ initial estimate of netting $19,000 to $24,000 on the auction block. Instead, it sold for $65,000 (£40,250) which undoubtedly makes it the most expensive, unrestored MINI in the world now.

Heading to an auction at the Royal Air Force Museum in England on April 30th, 2012 is a very rare 1959 Austin MINI Se7en De Luxe Saloon. What makes this MINI so special is that it’s believed to be the oldest surviving unrestored MINI in the world.

The 2012 London Summer Olympics are around the corner and BMW has unveiled its complete fleet made up of a variety of fuel efficient vehicles designed to meet the The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games’ standards.

We first saw the MINI Clubvan at the Geneva Motor Show, where it d ebuted as a concept, and now we can tell you that it will go into production and be available for purchase here in America.

The Clubvan is based on the MINI Clubman, and will have the same dimensions and exterior style, but that’s where the similarities end.

As if right on cue,  MINI has released not one, but two special edition packages for its Cooper and Clubman models. Dubbed Hyde Park and Green Park, both packages pay homage to the Royal Parks in the heart of London.

First came rumors of the return of the MINI Cooper JCW GP, then came the spy photos. Now it would appear as though MINI is also planning a GP version of its new Coupe model.

The extravagant  MINI Goodwood sports an  exorbitant price tag and is now on display at Harrods in London.

London’s world famous department store will have a MINI Goodwood on display from April 8 to April 22, celebrating the delivery of the first customer cars. Co-developed by the infamous  Rolls-Royce design team, the car features luxurious amenities that would normally be seen in a Rolls-Royce.

Tease up those bangs, put on your neon legwarmers, throw in a couple extra shoulder pads and get ready for the ‘80s-inspired MINI Ray.

The MINI Cooper S JCW GP is getting updated, and will debut at the Mini United 2012 event in La Castellet, France this May. This new John Cooper Works GP MINI promises to be the brands most sports focused model yet.

We have already caught a glimpse of the new car thanks to some spy photos, and it will be getting a new lowered suspension system, a large rear spoiler, a new front bumper, 18-inch wheels and a new rear diffuser.

To get people excited about the new, topless Roadster, MINI has opened up a live peep show on Hollywood Blvd, just a block away from the Kodak and Chinese Theatres.

It says a lot about the creations that come from MINI, when the British automaker presents their “Cowley Caravan and Swindon Roof Top Tent” and we’re not sure if it’s an elaborate April Fools Joke or if it’s serious, as it was released on April 1st.

It turns out that the results are pretty interesting when you combine a  MINI Countryman JCW and a man in a flying squirrel suit. 

To show off the capabilities of the John Cooper Works Edition MINI Countryman, the creative ad people over at MINI attached a man in a wing suit to the roof, and we all get to enjoy the heart racing stunts that ensue.

Watching a man double up as a flying squirrel is pretty impressive, even more so when he releases his tow and shoots out over a cliff to fly.

Crazy ads are nothing new for the British marque , but that doesn’t seemed to have stemmed enthusiasm to shoot more.

Watch the MINI Countryman JCW commercial below. It’s a re-hashed version of something we ran earlier this month, but there’s a lot more flying squirrel suit footage in this version.

This year marks Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee, and to celebrate, a gathering of sixty rare and beautiful cars will be brought together at the quadrangle in Windsor Castle in England. 

Only cars of the highest caliber have been invited to the event, and will be arriving at the castle from all over the world. One car from every year starting from 1952 will be featured, representing every year since the Queen was inaugurated. The earliest car featured is a 1952 Bentley R Type(54′ R Type Shown Above), and the newest car will be a 2011 Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF or a Porsche 991.

Most of the cars have already been selected, but an open casting call is out right now for owners of specific cars to volunteer to bring their fine machines to the Castle to be displayed for the Queen.

We have to wonder how much the Queen really likes cars? Hopefully she appreciates what she is getting, as this will undoubtedly be one of the nicest gatherings of rare luxury cars ever.

Below is a list of the cars that will be featured at the event. Some of them have been found already, and some haven’t. If you are the owner of one of the cars on the list and would like to participate, click here for more information.

The newest generation MINI Cooper is getting a boost with the addition of the John Cooper Works GP edition. Our photographers grabbed some spy photo‘s of the almost completely uncamouflaged car, giving a great look at how the production JCW MINI will look.