Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Mini Works unveiled

By Ben Barry Motor Shows 08 March 2007 01:29 Three new Minis shown at Geneva BMW unveiled several world-firsts at Geneva 2007: a Works kit for the new Mini, the entry-level One, and the new Mini Cooper D. The new Works option is an aftermarket job for the new Mini; it increases power of the Cooper S to 192bhp and adds numerous styling tweaks. A more powerful Works version, which will be built on the production line and boast more than 210bhp, will be added later, officials promised.

We ride in the Icon Thriftmaster

If you don't know, a stock 1950 Chevrolet "drives like s--t," says Jonathan Ward, the CEO of Icon, who actually met his wife Jamie while restoring a Chevrolet pickup. "Archaic. I restored a few back in the day, back when I was still calling it a hobby." That's why Ward doesn't build stock 1950 Chevrolets.

MINI Countryman Cooper & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD

The MINI Countryman Cooper (pictured) & Paceman Cooper get ALL4 4WD We always find it astonishing that car makers ‘ration’ the availability of four wheel drive platforms in their cars, usually citing a ‘lack of demand’. But that lack of demand is usually predicated on the lack of supply, and increasing the supply of 4WD cars would see more sold, especially after a series of harsh winters where many motorists struggled to keep their cars in a straight line. So the decision by BMW to extend the availability of their ALL4 4WD setup to a wider range of MINIs is welcome, with the petrol Countryman Cooper and Paceman Cooper now getting the ALL4 option too.