MINI IN 2011: MORE POWER, MORE SPORTINESS, MORE INDIVIDUALITY.

• John Cooper Works Package for the MINI Hardtop and MINI Convertible
• MINI Yours presents the Hampton package for the MINI Clubman

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – February 2, 2011… Just a few months after the market launch of the new MINI family and the MINI Countryman, the start of 2011 has brought another wave of driving fun and individuality in the premium brand’s hallmark style.

Motorsport enthusiasts will welcome the new John Cooper Works Pack option for the MINI Hardtop and MINI Convertible. Furthermore, the customary selection of personalization options available for drivers to configure their MINI in their own image has taken on even greater proportions. The newly developed MINI Yours product range offers a host of extremely attractive customization options. The first ambassador of the exclusive and innovative MINI Yours style will be the MINI Clubman Hampton special edition.

The John Cooper Works Package for the MINI Hardtop and MINI Convertible.

While MINI offers complete models and accessory options under the John Cooper Works product brand, a John Cooper Works Package has now been developed for the 2011 MINI Hardtop and Convertible vehicles, giving customers everything they need to express their passion for racing and give their cars a head-turning sporting allure – both technically and stylistically. The model-specific interior and exterior components optimize the handling of the MINI and ensure it delivers an impressive visual impact. The John Cooper Works Pack is due to be available from the second quarter of 2011 as a factory option.

Cars fitted with the John Cooper Works Pack include the John Cooper Works aero kit, which gives the vehicles their aggressive appearance and lends the front, rear and flanks of the MINI Hardtop and MINI Convertible an undeniably sporting flavor.

Up front, the deep lower chin spoiler directs airflow to the lower grille opening and to the intercooler for optimum engine performance. In addition, the functional brake ducts direct cooling air to the front brake rotors for more repeatable brake performance. The side skirts continue the look of the MINI Challenge race car by curving inward and terminating with a stylized opening at the rear. The rear bumper cover includes prominent openings on the rear, mimicking the sporting look of the front.

The 17-inch wheels, previously exclusive to John Cooper Works models, are also a part of the package. The Challenge Spoke weight-optimized aluminum alloy wheels ensure the best possible contact with the road. In addition, the John Cooper Works Package will include Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) as well as EDLC (Electronic Differential Lock Control.) These two features are on top of the already-standard stability system, DSC (Dynamic Stability Control.)

DTC mode, which is activated at the touch of a button, raises the intervention thresholds of the stability control system, making it easier to pull away on loose sand or snow with a degree of wheel spin. The system also allows controllable slip through the driven wheels under sporty cornering and acceleration.

The EDLC system assists a sporty driving style when accelerating out of corners and sharp bends. In tight corners, it brakes a spinning driven wheel as required to enhance the car’s traction without adversely affecting its self-steering properties. And that allows the driver to feed the car through corners more smoothly, as well as at greater speed.

The interior components included in the John Cooper Works Pack also play their part in creating a full-blooded driving experience. These include John Cooper Works door entry sills and the John Cooper Works sports leather steering wheel with red stitching. Cars with a manual gearbox are also fitted with a John Cooper Works gearshift knob with red shift pattern lettering and a leather shift boot with red contrast stitching. Manual gearbox owners will also find the handbrake boot featuring red contrast stitching.

The John Cooper Works Package is available for the MINI Cooper and Cooper S Hardtop and the MINI Cooper and Cooper S Convertible, and can be combined with eight body colors. The John Cooper Works aero kit is also available separately as a stand-alone option for all of the aforementioned models.

Exclusive to the MINI Cooper S: John Cooper Works Tuning Kit.

The selection of John Cooper Works retrofit options will also welcome some attractive new additions in spring 2011. Customers keen to sample the sporting driving experience in the MINI Cooper S Hardtop, MINI Cooper S Clubman or MINI Cooper S Convertible will be able to order their cars with the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit.

Performance-optimized engine management and a specifically designed air filter system enable the twin-scroll turbo engine to develop even greater power. The maximum output of the four-cylinder unit rises another 11 horsepower to 195. Plus, the driver can call on maximum torque of 184 lb-ft between 1,250 and 5,000 rpm when some serious acceleration is required – and this can be raised to as much as 199 lb-ft between 1,800 and 5,000 rpm courtesy of the Overboost function.

The John Cooper Works Tuning Kit includes a model-specific sports silencer with polished tailpipes, which optimizes the exhaust gas discharge and gives the engine sound a particularly sporting note. It is available for retrofitting on all relevant models with manual gearbox produced since August 2010 (model year 2011.) It meets the MINI brand’s high standards of quality and safety in terms of both design and engineering and is retrofitted, like all John Cooper Works accessories components, by authorized MINI Dealers. This means that the new vehicle warranty will also cover the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit, if it purchased with the vehicle when new. Pricing and availability will be confirmed shortly.

Another new addition to the John Cooper Works accessories range is the 18-inch Cross Spoke Red Stripe light-alloy wheel, which will also be available beginning in the spring of 2011. The black wheel features the innovative addition of a red trim stripe on the wheel rim. This high-quality marking is produced by means of a special painting process, and the color tone is identical to the red of the Brembo brake calipers on factory John Cooper Works models.

MINI Yours launches the Hampton Package for the MINI Clubman

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original “Other MINI” (the 1961 Morris Mini Traveller), the new Hampton Package is a special-edition Clubman that embodies the character of MINI Yours, MINI’s in-house exclusive vehicle program. The Hampton name references both the brand’s British heritage and is inspired by the historic southwest suburb of the same name in London.

The Hampton Package is offered in Reef Blue metallic, which was developed specially for this model. The roof and surrounds for the special edition’s rear doors are silver, as are the wheels and the Color Line. The exterior colors Pepper White, Midnight Black and Eclipse Grey can also be specified as an option, while Black and Reef Blue are available as contrast colors for the roof and C-pillars.

The Hampton’s unique 17-inch Twin Spoke alloy wheels can be ordered in either silver or black with a dark red trim ring. The xenon headlights come with black housings and “Hampton” lettering on the B-pillar, door entry sills, side scuttles and radiator grille provide subtle references to the car’s exclusive status.

The interior of the MINI Clubman with the Hampton Package also boasts a very distinctive style. Identifying features of the Black Lounge Leather seats include an “H” on the seat tags, red edging and contrast stitching in orange. The anthracite headliner, and anthracite gauge faces also contribute to the model’s special ambience. The central speedometer is bordered by a trim ring in matt dark red, like that on the wheels.

This exclusive special edition will be available for the MINI Cooper Clubman and MINI Cooper S Clubman. Production of the MINI Clubman Hampton will be limited to one year.