Again, I'm breaking my rule for modern cars, but dammit I've liked these since they were new. I should probably admit that I am sort of a sucker for "retro done right" if you will. Yes, the design of the R53 BMW Mini is modern, but clearly one can see the heritage that comes into play here. From the traditional grill and hood stripes, to the thin taillights and fold down "trunk", this new Mini really harks back to the early days of what Alec (Alexander) Issigonis created. He wanted a cheap, front wheel drive, lightweight, practical car for the masses, that could also be fun to drive. The original Mini seated 4 in comfort for a car of its size, and due to its low center of gravity, also became quite the popular car for motorsports, as evidenced by its success as a rally car.
With the rise of the retro craze booming in the later 1990s and early 2000s, BMW saw profit-- lots of it. It bought the much-loved Mini marque and its right from BMC in the mid-1990s, and quickly launched plans for a successor to the iconic car. In 2001, the Mini line was reborn as "MINI", in all capital letters. The cars for the US were the basic MINI Cooper, and much sportier MINI Cooper S. In 2005, a convertible was added to the lineup. However, in 2008, the lineup got its first redesign, and to me, lost all the character it had. The 2008s were bigger, and as a result, heavier. To then further dilute what little heritage the name had left, BMW went and released a Clubman, a vehicle which shits all of the name of the original. Then, to even further ruin the nameplate, an SUV (the Countryman) was released in 2010.
The car pictured above is exactly what I think of, when the term "new Mini" is thrown around; a perfect, tossable, fun little car that gets decent gas mileage while not looking the least bit dorky. Take that, Honda Civic.
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