Saab has reportedly been in talks with the World Rally Championship officials for some time now in hopes to jump start their Rally Racing.  If you remember, Mini will also be joining the hunt in 2011 for a few races and a full season for 2012. Saab will be running a similar schedule.  If Saab joins, they will be racing with either their 9-1 or 9-2 but nothing is solidified.  Rumors are that the WRC rally car will be heavily based off the 9-X Air BioHybrid concept . Hopefully sooner than later, we will be seeing some real photos or renditions of what the car will look like.

Photo Credit: Autoblog

Come 2011, MINI will be joining the World Rally Championship for a select few races and for 2012 they will be racing full force.  Prodrive is going to be doing the bulk of the build on the MINI that has a 1.6l turbo charged four cylinder engine.  MINI has not been in the WRC racing for over 40 years so they are looking to make a strong comeback into one of the hardest motorsports championships out there to date.  By the end of 2010 we should hopefully see the final result and have an idea of what races they will be participating in 2011.

Later this year the new face lifted MINI’s will be rolling out onto the roads.  Most of the changes are fairly minimal at best but ALL MINI’s will now have the option between two different diesel motors.  The MINI Cooper D will be the fastest out of the two doing 0-60 in a blistering 9.7 seconds with 112hp and 199 lb-ft of torque.  These numbers might not be too impressive but 74mpg surely is.  BMW AG built the motors out of aluminum to keep weight down and in turn make these cars handle and be very nimble.  The Clubman and Convertible have numbers below what the Cooper D has but it will be sure to sell well with 74mpg.

Another edition of EuroSunday and another great weekend for great cars, great photography and great company.  This EuroSunday we take it back to the Hallandale FL location were we meet up with a hot red Ferrari 250GTO? what the ff.. heck? Come to find out, it’s one of 7 replicas converted from a datsun 280zx. Wow, truly stunning rendition, right down to the wire wheels. At fifth glance you start to see traces of the datsun’s windshield; however, rolling down the road, all necks were snapping for a second look.

Other showings were a BT (that’s Big Turbo) Audi TT, Dinan edition Mini Cooper S, a super clean beemer, an M3 with all the carbon fiber goodies, a red hot hatch Vdub GTI with every bolt-on you can think of, a new C-class 350, my black A4 S-line, oh and our friendly neighborhood police officer’s Crown Vic.

After a few cups of coffee (thank you Starbucks) we headed out to find a sweet photo shoot location. The heat beat down on us like a new born phoenix… but we settled down under the shade of a local bridge overlooking the Miami skyline.  There were a few trolls down under, but they had nothing but admiration as our small caravan positioned ourselves for some great photography.

Enjoy!

Waking up in South Florida to a beautiful beach day is something else. Waking up on a Sunday in anticipation for EuroSunday is a beautiful day in an entirely different league. Once a month 15 to 20 fathers, sons, brothers, girlfriends, and plenty of car lovers, strap in and settle into their freshly cleaned European steed Sunday morning. Having washed the car the night before or waking up at the crack of dawn the day of, there is nothing more gratifying for an enthusiast than to turn the ignition and blip the throttle on a freshly cleaned euro-exotic. We’re ready for EuroSunday!

This past Memorial weekend, euro car enthusiasts made their way to the meet-up at the Miramar Starbucks. Audi, BMW, Porsche, Lotus, Volkswagen, and Mini were all represented. We’ve had more monikers show up before; however, there was substantial variety in the motley crew that was present.

A modified BMW E30 M3, BMW E36 M3, BMW E39 M5, BMW E46 M3 CSL Conversion, BMW Z4 M, BMW E90 330i, BMW E90 twin-turbo 335i, B5 Audi S4, B6 Audi S4, B7 Audi A4, VW MKI Jetta!!, a pair of VW MKV GTI, VW MKV Jetta, VW MKV Fahrenheit, VW MKV R32, hot red Lotus Elise, Dinan Mini and a Porsche 997 with plenty of GT3 goodies (hope I didn’t forget anyone). The turnout for the memorial weekend EuroSunday was surprisingly active. It was good to see some of you regulars, and even better to see new faces out there joining this pretty elite club.

The highlight of my day was Car of the Month, Jon Silverman’s very clean white E30 M3 with too-many-to-list modifications. I especially enjoyed reading up on this well-documented bimmer, including a few paragraphs on the history of BMW’s first M3.

The red Audi B5 S4 twin turbo is also worth mentioning. A brand new Brembo BBK (Big Brake Kit) with cross-drilled rotors was a new addition since the last time I saw this car. Champion Motorsport Porsche wheels with adaptors for fitment looked right at home on the Audi. Under the bonnet, carbon fiber engine covers and high pressure boost hoses adorned the engine bay. Finishing off the rear were the dual Milltek exhaust tips sitting like they were stock.

Lastly, I would like to mention the MKI “rat-style” Jetta with the best looking drop of the day. How often does one get to see an oldie but a goodie? This project car’s life has just begun…or not!?

Photo Gallery

The third installment of EuroSunday was yet again another success. Arriving at 5 minutes to 10 at the nearby gas station to full up, I have an encounter with my first Bimmer. Noticing the carbon fiber trunk, I immediately assume it is here for EuroSunday. After a short conversation with the owner, however, the encounter is purely coincidental–I asked if he, the owner, is here for EuroSunday. Instead of an enthusiastic YES!, I get a questioning look. “What’s EuroSunday?” With a big grin on my face, I fill him in on the event he happened to stumble upon. Excited, he lets me know he’d be back to check it out. Little did I know 3 quarters of the cars that would show up were bimmers! And mostly all M’s at that!

A modified E60 BMW M5, an E39 M5, a plethora of M3’s [no less than 9 of them all modified in one way or another], a white Z4 M Roadster and an M3 CSL conversion were just a few of the bimmers that showed up. It was almost as if this were a bimmer meet-up. Luckily, a pair of classic 70’s mint condition Triumphs, a few late model Audi’s, a Jaguar S-type R, a silver W210 Mercedes-Benz AMG E55, a white Porsche GT3, a Porsche Carrera convertible, and a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera sprinkled the field of Euro’s. What a sweet turnout! I immediately greeted the drivers and took out my camera to capture the moment. After a few hours of conversation and photography, low and behold the modified bimmer with the carbon fiber trunk showed up. The owner was pleasantly surprised that he stopped for gas that morning and pledged he’d be a regular at future EuroSunday’s.

The plan was to drive south to Speed Demons while along the way we would stop and meet-up with some Mini’s. Being that only a few had planned to go carting, the opportunity to hit the pit lanes at Homestead Miami Speedway seemed like a bit more fun. There was a Porsche/Mini event being held at the track which provided for some awesome photography. Look for some planned track events for EuroSunday in the near future. I, personally, can’t wait…

With the plethora of other events this past weekend, there were doubts about how many aficionados would show for EuroSunday’s second get together. Winter Music Conference on South Beach, the IRL race down in Homestead, the Ericcson Open on Key Biscayne, and a Mini rally (although sources say Mini’s get together every other day), were just a few of the events going on over the weekend. So should I have been surprised by the lack of any exotics? Probably not. But as the day progressed, I began to realize there were exotics here. I just had to open my eyes a little wider.

Yes, the Ferraris of the last meet were noticeably absent. The LP640 was probably cruising the beach, while the GT was looking for parking on Key Biscayne. What did show up took a bit of a detailed eye to notice there were exotics in the lot, but what exactly is an exotic? Does it have to be the latest version Porsche GT3? Does it have to be a Lamborghini? Or a Ferrari Enzo whose owner was invited to send his car back for Pininfarina to design a one-off body kit for? (ok well maybe that’s a bad example). The definition is purely based on perception, and I was enlightened to realize right in front of me was a car I would probably never see another like. A BMW Alpina B7Turbo. For a car that was over 20 years old, and a rarity back in its day, taking an in-depth look and seeing it drive down the highway was a pleasure.

Another exotic that showed was a DinanS Mini. This is a new one for me. Not Dinan as a company, but Dinan as applied to a Mini. I haven’t been a big fan of the Mini, but I am now. Other exotics that showed up: Mercedes Benz AMG CLK55 with Nitrous Injection!, A Black BMW M3 with painted black time attack Volk’s, an old skool original Alfa Romeo, and a white BMW M Roadster, Nice!

So in the face of a highly competitive weekend, and only the second get together for EuroSunday, it was an overall success. I took some great pictures, and had even better conversations with some die hard enthusiast for the Euro-exotics. Good times.