MINI Bytes – Brief Headlines from the World of MINI

Here's a rundown of recent MINI news, including links and images.

Do you own a MINI Clubman? If so, get ready – we’re about to give you another reason to love your ride. The Clubman never gets stolen. Well, almost never. A recent Yahoo! Autos story shows 0.7 Clubman auto theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles. Yahoo! does not speculate into what makes the Clubman so undesirable for “boosters.” With the added trunk space and rear split doors, it seems the perfect mixture of getaway car and jewel/money/contraband hauler.

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MINI has released photos of its new, MINI Monte Carlo Edition vehicle. Created to commemorate Mini’s storied success at the Monte Carlo Rally nearly 50 years ago, the limited edition Monte Carlo will feature some rally-inspired tweaks including, four front fog lights, rally-inspired racing stripes, “Monte Carlo” stitching in the interior and autographs (on the car) from former Monte Carlo winner Rauno Aaltonen. The Monte Carlo will be available with the option of a Cooper S or JCW engine. All of this can be yours for approximately $49,600, begging the question – who is going to buy this MINI?

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Richard ‘Hamster’ Hammond of Top Gear profiled a Mini Cooper S MkII, for his 'Hammond's Icons' piece in this month’s edition of Top Gear Magazine. The feature is brief, but Hammond does a wonderful job capturing the car’s simplicity and the joy derived from the diminutive British vehicle.

“I could linger forever over the details - the external door hinges, the shape of the bonnet, the fog lights - because this car gets to you, and you can only walk away from it wanting one”

Check it out here.

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THE MINI INTERNATIONAL magazine has announced the release of a new iPad App.

You can download it here