Aznom has created its own interpretation of the new MINI Clubman S called the MINI Chateau. There are no power upgrades or crazy aerodynamic packages here, however the limited production of 12 units will feature luxury with wood trims and a mini wine cellar with room for 6 bottles.

Inside the MINI Chateau gets aged leather and Alcantara trim to give a warm elegance feeling. The outside is painted in pearly-changeable brown with sand/gold metallic paint.

The MINI Chateau rides on 18-inch TSW ‘Pace’ alloy wheels and comes with a number plate to show the exclusivity of 12 units and the name of the owner. Our take? We would never buy this and don’t know anyone who really wood, we mean would, by it either.

Click through for more images and the press release.

MINI Chateau:

   

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Yes, that JCW MINI Clubman you see in the picture is right-hand-drive and that’s because it just made its way over from Geneva and is the only JCW Clubman in the world at the moment. And that JCW MINI Cooper there isn’t really a full production JCW but an accessoriesd Cooper.

Now, we did manage to get some pricing and launch details out of the MINI crew there. They say that MINI plans to have both full production John Cooper Works MINI and Clubman in the showrooms by July this summer. Pricing is expected to be $29,200 for the JCW Cooper and $31,450 for JCW Clubman (those are just supposed to “estimates”)

Both models are powered by a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection producing 207hp and a maximum torque of 207 lb-ft of torque. 0-62 for the MINI John Cooper Works comes in at 6.5 seconds while the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman does it in 6.8.

Click through for more photos from the 2008 New York Auto Show.

2008 John Cooper Works MINI and Clubman:

   

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This past weekend MINI announced that it will be debuting the 2008 MINI John Cooper Works and Mini John Cooper Works Clubman at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show next week. Now we’ve got a video showing the two models in action.

Both models are powered by a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection producing 207hp and a maximum torque of 207 lb-ft of torque. 0-62 for the MINI John Cooper Works comes in at 6.5 seconds while the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman does it in 6.8.

Click here to see the original post with all the images.

Follow the jump to check out the video.

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MINI has announced that it will hold the world premiere of the new MINI John Cooper Works and Mini John Cooper Works Clubman at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show next month. Both models will go on sale in August of 2008 in Germany starting at 27,700 Euros for the MINI and 29,500 Euros for the Clubman.

Both models are powered by a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger and petrol direct injection producing 207hp and a maximum torque of 207 lb-ft of torque. 0-62 for the MINI John Cooper Works comes in at 6.5 seconds while the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman does it in 6.8.

Even though both models are the highest-performing MINIs on the market, they provide remarkable fuel consumption figures. The MINI John Cooper Works gets a fuel-economy of 34mpg while the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman gets 33mpg. That’s pretty impressive seeing as the MINI Cooper S and the MINI Cooper S Clubman both get 34mpg with a 172hp engine.

US pricing and launch details have yet to be announced.

2008 John Cooper Works MINI and Clubman Gallery:

   

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By 2010 Mini will have 95 stores, up 13 from today. Mini’s sales in the US hav exceeded expectations and have overtaken German sales and are now second only to UK sales. In 2007 Mini sold 42,045 cars up 7.3 percent from 2006. 

Stating what is now the obvious, BMW AG board member in charge of sales and marketing, Stefan Krause said, “We initially believed it to be more of a European car, so naturally we were quite surprised to have such great success in the United States.”

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Sometimes when we write here, at eGMCarTech, we try to keep a ‘Clarkson’ tone in our mind. But as much as we try we can never be as blunt and brutally outspoken about the cars we write about. We’ll just leave it up to Mr. Clarkson himself. In his recent review of the MINI Clubman, Clarkson does not hesitate to say that “Unfortunately, after a week, I have decided it’s one of the worst cars in the world. About as desirable as a packet of dung or a can of worms. Truthfully? I’d rather have a goat.” Could it really be that bad?

We had the chance to catch the Clubman at the LA Auto Show, and were pretty impressed by the design and functionality BMW built into it. However, Clarkson does point out some very good points.

Click through to read his view on the Clubman.

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Regardless of sticker price, cars that are rare, performance-minded, and fun to drive have the highest resale values industry-wide.

The 10 cars with the highest resale value share at least one thing in common, whether they cost $16,000 or $160,000: Most of them skew more toward fun than practicality.

The majority of vehicles on our previous ranking of the Top 10 Luxury Cars With the Highest Resale Value are the priciest, fastest, and least practical around. Opening up our new list to all cars — not just luxury vehicles — keeps a few pricey rides in play, but not as many as you might think.

Click through for the list of the Top 10 Vehicles with the Best Resale Value.

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We just brought you news earlier this week that the upcoming MINI SUV, CUV or SAV or whatever you want to call it, will be badged the ‘Crossman.’ In a recent conversation with Auto Motor und Sport, Mini’s CEO said that the Colorado is only the working title. When the next Mini variant hits the roads in 2010, it will carry the name ‘Crossman.’

Now we have some new information from MotoringFile (the guys that write only about MINIs) that the MINI Crossman will be largely based on the new Clubman and the BMW 1-Series while featuring some of the new all-wheel-drive components from MINI itself.

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So far we’ve known the upcoming Mini SUV, or SAV, as the Mini Colorado. However in a recent conversation with Auto Motor und Sport, Mini’s CEO said that the Colorado is only the working title. When the next Mini variant hits the roads in 2010, it may carry the name ‘Crossman.’

Engine sizes for the Mini SAV are expected to start at 1.4 liter and will go up to 1.6 liter. A 2.0 liter variant could also be in the works.

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Our friends over at CarMagazine have spotted the MINI SUV, or SAV, testing alongside the BMW X5 in Munich. Engine sizes for the MINI SAV are expected to start at 1.4 liter and up to 1.6 liter. A 2.0 liter variant could also be in the works.

So far what we know about the MINI Colorado is that it won’t have the off-roading qualities of the traditional SUVs. Instead, the car will cater to those shopping in the crossover segment. MINI is expected to have a special focus on the U.S. market where crossover sales have been pretty strong.

BMW will be outsourcing production of the vehicles to Magna International. The MINI Colorado is expected to hit the roads around 2010 with 80,000 units planned annually.

Spy Shots: MINI SUV (Colorado) Gallery:

   

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So now that MINI has released the MINI Clubman, we have a wagon MINI, a regular MINI and a convertible MINI. But now, based on what sources are telling Motoring File, it seems like BMW is already working on the next MINI variant; and it could be a little surprising as to what it might be.

While we thought that BMW may move the Isetta that we heard of recently to the MINI lineup, sources say that MINI’s next variant may be a coupe. When a ‘high-level source’ at MINI was asked what’s next for the company, he answered: “What if MINI instead produced a low-slung and sleek small coupe not unlike the ACV 30 concept car from 1997?”

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BMW today revealed their new MINI Cooper Clubman for the U.S. market at the 2007 LA Auto Show. The MINI Cooper Clubman will hit U.S. dealerships in February of 2008 with a starting price tag of $20,600. The MINI Cooper S Clubman will start at $24,100.

In the U.S. the MINI Cooper Clubman will come in two engine variants including the base 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 120 horsepower. The MINI Cooper S Clubman is powered by a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine with twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection and maximum output of 175 horsepower.

The MINI Cooper Clubman will offer buyers with more than 40 combinations of the exterior paintwork alone.

Click through for the press release live images from the 2007 LA Auto Show.

2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman Gallery:

   

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The first photos of the John Cooper Works MINI Clubman have hit the web! The JCW MINI Clubman will makes its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March of 2008 but here is the scoop from our friends at Fast Lane Daily.

Power for this JCW MINI is expected to come from a 1.6 liter turbocharged engine that will produce close to 215 horses with a torque of 200 lb-ft. Of course it’ll get all the hotness as other JCW Mini’s with an aggressive bodykit, 18-inch alloy wheels and hot red brake calipers.

Remember to subscribe to Fast Lane Daily’s YouTube Channel.

Click through to watch Jalopnik’s Ray Wert give us the scoop.

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