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The Most Confusing Turn Signals In The Auto Industry Are Probably Here To Stay

The Mini Cooper’s Confusing Taillights Are Likely Here to Stay

When BMW brought Mini back in the early 2000s, the taillights on Frank Stephenson’s original design were triangular. They later filled out and got a bit more squarish, and have remained so for about a decade — but that looks to change starting next year. The upper and lower inner chunks of the clusters have been chipped away, making sideways trapezoids.

The entire unit has been subdivided into what I could only describe as pixels, but like pixels from an old-school LCD display. If I squint, it seems like the bars that would comprise the Union Jack are a bit lighter than the rest, and I bet those light up in similar fashion as the current Mini’s taillights.

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This would be a very smart move for Mini, because it’s getting so much attention over the flag lights from nerds like us. I’m willing to bet every person that directly follows a new Mini has noticed the design, and so long as they’ve ever seen 15 seconds of Austin Powers, they probably get the joke.

I have less to say about the rest of the upcoming Mini’s look. I mean, I’m still reminded of goatees or that one episode of The Powerpuff Girls when I study the front, and the headlights have these crossbars on their upper and lower portions that almost look like eyelids on a Family Guy character. I’m overflowing with cartoon character references.

There’s more to say about the interior, where Mini designers have seemingly ditched the small pill-shaped digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel in favor of a heads-up display. The dash is entirely clad in what looks to be canvas, with a big old circular panel affixed to the center dash. It’s like the essence of a Mini interior stripped down to its most iconographic parts, and it’s kind of soulless. I don’t love it coming from the current Mini’s fun and lighthearted cabin.

Supposedly this new Mini Cooper will be available in internal combustion and battery electric forms. If the manufacturer can squeeze roughly 50 more miles out of the SE while keeping the price around where it sits today — and the driving dynamics on point — it’ll be a pretty compelling bargain EV.

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Pick of the Day: 1995 BMW M3 sedan, all-original with crazy low mileage

Starting in 1992, BMW spiced up its E36 3-series to transform it into a veritable sports car available in coupe, convertible or sedan form. Its straight-six powerplant leveraged a cast-iron block, aluminum heads and variable-valve timing to produce what was at the time an impressive 240 horsepower.

Nearly 30 years later, most M3s of that era have long-since been used up and gone away, especially those in unmodified original form. So the Pick of the Day, a 1995 BMW M3 sedan, is something of a unicorn: a one-owner car with an exceptionally low 3,288 miles on its odometer and apparently a like-new all-original car.

“In perfect condition, a 1995 Alpine White BMW M3 with Dove Gray leather upholstery,” the private seller in Burlington, Wisconsin, says in the advertisement on ClassicCars.com. “This M3 is a time capsule with just under 4,000 miles. It resides with its original owner since purchase from the dealership.”

The base price on a new 1995 BMW M3 was $36,620. That comes out to an inflation-adjusted $65,599.54 in 2021. The seller offers this essentially “new” 1995 M3 for a price that’s inflated even more from the MSRP. That asking price is $75,000.

Yes, that’s a lot, but this is a highly unusual example of a great model. And as the saying goes among car collectors, “Try to find another one.”

The sheer existence of a sub-4,000-mile German high-performance sports coupe is remarkable enough to warrant a look at the pictures and description included in the listing. Speaking of which, keen BMW aficionados will note the red-and-blue checkerboard graphics affixed to the nose and rear of the car.

These decals were designated solely for a revered group (with a production run of just 126 examples) of E36 M3s called “Lightweights,” which were improved track-focused models that shed about 200 pounds when compared with stock models.

This M3 not a factory Lightweight, and the seller notes that thankfully, the decals can be removed by the new owner if desired. Aside from the faux graphic treatment, this M3 appears to retain its factory-spec configuration.

M3, Pick of the Day: 1995 BMW M3 sedan, all-original with crazy low mileage, ClassicCars.com Journal

“The vehicle has all-original body panels with VIN tags intact… always kept in a climate-controlled building with a factory BMW car cover,” the seller says, adding that best of all, it “still smells new.”

A fitted car cover is included with the sale. As fun as this M3 must be to drive, it will likely continue spend the rest of its life tucked away beneath it. In which case, this “ultimate driving machine” may be better referred to as an “ultimate museum artifact.”

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Mini’s Electric Hot Hatch Might Debut As A Formula E Safety Car

We’ve known that an electric Mini JCW hot hatchback is in the works from the Brit brand by BMW. It’s an exciting proposition, one many of us are looking forward to, and it gets more exciting as the day draws nearer. In a tweet on Wednesday, Mini released the above teaser image with the caption “Feels like it’s time for a boost. Watch this space… #ElectricThrillMaximised” Does that mean Mini will be pacing the field at future Formula E events?

The current Formula E safety car is this unique roofless BMW i8 with a giant wing. The hybrid i8 sports car has been serving in this role since season 1 way back in 2014 when the i8 was a brand new car. It makes sense that the company would want to replace the aging i8 as the face of safety in one of the most advanced and forward-looking series in the world of motorsport. Not least because the i8 will be ending production soon, but also because BMW will be leaving Formula E at the end of this season.

With BMW out, and Mini’s commitment to electrification, this swap would make perfect sense. You can see from the light bar on the roof of the Mini that it matches the one currently in use on the BMW. Therefore, one could infer that this is the specification which will continue onward into Mini’s tenure as safety car.

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I have high hopes for the electric JCW. The Mini Cooper SE electric is already considered one of the best handling electric cars on the market, so by extension the better handling JCW version should deliver more power and more on-track speed. Because Formula E tracks are typically quite tight, the Mini should be able to deliver on the job of safety car. Electric torque and nimble handling should be enough tools in the box for the effort.

Dammit, I’m going to have to buy one of these things, aren’t I?

With Mini almost sure to be running the Formula E safety car in the near future, how long will it be before Mini enters the sport as a manufacturer? While it’s certain that BMW is leaving FE, there’s nothing saying its compact car brand can’t pick up where it left off. It wouldn’t be the first time in this series, either, as Nissan’s FE program came out of Renault’s abandoning the sport.

I, for one, would love to see Mini racing in Formula E.