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August 22, 2007

This Week:

• Pebble Beach provided the stage for the all new Aston Martin DBS

• GEM Zero Emission Vehicles winner of for Clean Air Leadership

• Limited-edition of Lexus SC 430 made its debut at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

• Completely reworked Chevrolet Aveo will be presented in Frankfurt

• C5 Airscape Concept gives an outlook of future Citroen C5 design

• MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE, next season's MINI Challenge race car

• All-New 2008 Honda Accord combines dynamic performance with fuel efficiency

• Saab Enthusiasts met in Troy to celebrates Silver Jubilee

• Nissan will equip all future models with newly developed Fuel Efficiency Gauge

• 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan Minivans launched at New Chrysler’s Windsor Assembly Plant

• Honda's Marysville Auto Plant celebrates 25th anniversary

• China's emerging middle-class ignores small cars

• Chery to open 14 new overseas plants by 2010

• Chinese exec to head Fiat joint venture in China

• Volkswagen Group sets new record with 3.61 million car sales worldwide for first half year

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Apart from the teams themselves, for the first time ever other ambitious motorsport enthusiasts will also be able to acquire and race the new MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE.

With its outstanding performance and superior handling, this unique car is predestined from the start to show its rivals its tail lights on the track in series and individual events.

The new MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE will be delivered to customers in race trim, including all features essential for supreme performance and enhanced safety.

The performance and output figures of the new MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE have been improved once again not only over the regular production model, but also in comparison with the current racing version. A specially developed John Cooper Works performance engine tailored specifically to the requirements of motorsport will provide maximum output of 154 kW/210 hp.

And while this figure is the same as the current MINI CHALLENGE race car, optimised engine characteristics and an increase in torque from 260 to 280 Newton-metres (192–206 lb-ft) provided by overboost gives the driver everything he needs for even better performance and higher speeds on the track.

Further points are the reduction in starter weight by 30 kg to 1,150 kg/66 lb to 2,536 lb (including the driver), improved aerodynamics all round and numerous modifications to the chassis and suspension.

The new MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6.1 seconds. And thanks to its special brake system, the car takes just 3.1 seconds to come to a standstill from 100 km/h or 62 mph. Top speed, in turn, is 240 km/h or 149 mph. Another particular forte of the MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE is its outstanding lateral acceleration – the high speed coming into the bend is therefore also achievable when coming out onto the next straight. A limited-slip differential featured for the first time on a MINI CHALLENGE racing car, finally, helps the driver keep to the ideal line at an even higher speed when leaving a bend.

Now in its fourth year, the MINI CHALLENGE has become one of the most successful and popular Clubsport Series in the world. The races, which have been held in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Holland hit the headlines all over Europe, and at the same time the MINI CHALLENGE phenomenon is gaining significance also in other parts of the world: New Zealand is already holding a MINI CHALLENGE racing series and Australia will follow this example for the first time in 2008 with preparations currently under way to establish a national MINI CHALLENGE Series.

August 13, 2007

Photos: MINI/BMW