Tag Archives | Cooper S

Review: 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4

By on May 1, 2012 in Reviews

If it looks like a Mini, sounds like a Mini and drives like a Mini, is it truly a Mini?  Last year, Autosavant tested this theory as implemented in the Mini Cooper S Countryman: the brand’s first true four-door crossover. Equipped with a six-speed manual, front-wheel drive and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Countryman proved a capable defender of the brand, albeit stretched several sizes. But could it stand up to its competitors that offer all-wheel drive and turn the focus to technology?

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The Mini Story, Part Two

By on September 15, 2008 in Features

Sweetness and Light—Mini dominates the 1960’s: the Cooper through British Leyland Merger

By J.S. Smith

09.15.2008

At the dawn of the 1960’s, the BMC Mini stood at the forefront of the world automotive scene and the company that made it was an industrial colossus. Recognized by auto scribes as the most advanced car in the world and by consumers as one of the most sensible and economical cars to drive, the Mini occupied a unique place. At the same time, it was beginning to gain the recognition of enthusiasts, including one John Cooper.

John Cooper was a racing man whose cars had won the Formula One championships in 1959 and 1960. Cooper also built cars for International Formula Junior racing, using BMC A-series engines for those cars. Thus, Cooper realized the performance potential of the A-series engine.

He also realized, along with other enthusiasts, that a stock Mini, with its wheels placed at the corners, would out-handle all but the most exotic sports cars of the day. The humble 848 cc engine, however dutifully it tackled the task of everyday transportation, was hardly poised to blaze a path through the salt flats at Bonneville.
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