By Gary Anderson
Buyers may get in line for these cars
New Mini by BMW
So revolutionary it was named European Car of the Century, the original BMW Mini broke the mold in auto design. Its front-drive engine and wheels pushed to the corners established a pattern that would be copied by every “econobox” car built since. Best of all, it was just plain lovable.
Now BMW is introducing the new Mini, which incorporates every one of the original’s groundbreaking features, along with every new go-fast technology and safety protection component available on modern cars and will sell for around $20,000. It may be small - a Miata is longer and a Fiesta is taller - but it can still carry four adults in comfort.
The Mini Cooper, first of two U.S. performance models, will go on sale at selected BMW dealers in March. It will produce 115 horsepower and a top speed of 125 mph while out-”retroing” even the PT Cruiser.
Best of all, the new Mini should be the most lovable car on the road. Only 18,000 will be sold in the U.S. in the first year, so now is the time to get on the dealer’s list.
Ford Thunderbird
Two-seat roadsters capture the spirit of adventure and escape in all of us, and in Northern California, they’re actually a practical kind of car.
Ford gave its designers the challenge of creating a roadster in the spirit of the mid-1950s Thunderbirds, and dug into its parts bins to put proven components under the inspired design. The result is the car Ford should have built in the ’60s when, instead, its T-birds became more bloated by the year.
This roadster, at Ford dealers late this summer, will be built on the Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-Type chassis, be powered by a 252 horsepower 3.9 liter V-8, and sell for around $40,000.
This lovely two-seat roadster should be the American car to compete with the BMW Z3 and the Porsche Boxster.
Jaguar X-Type
The leaping cat, symbol of style and luxury, will appear this August on the hood of a car that revolutionizes Jaguar’s model line and breaks new technical ground in small performance sedans.
The X-Type has ground-gripping all-wheel drive, a five-speed manual transmission, and a choice of 194 or 231 horsepower housed in Jaguar’s sturdy AJ-V-6 engine. Add optional 17-inch wheels, competition seats, and Dynamic Stability Control and you have one hot car.
I think this taut little sedan will offer more driving satisfaction than any other small car on the road, while still conveying Jaguar’s traditions.
The new Jaguar sports sedan, ordered with the performance options and the larger engine, is expected to sell for less than $45,000.
Porsche Carrera GT
With each model year, a few cars become so popular so quickly that production can’t keep up with demand.
These hot wheels turn heads on the street, attract small crowds in the supermarket parking lot and mark their owners as among the automotive in-crowd.
Based on what we’ve seen at the auto shows this year, here are four cars that will be introduced soon that we think will be real winners.
If one of them strikes your fancy, better get to your dealer soon and put your deposit down. With a little luck, you’ll be turning heads as you cruise Main Street.
Although the press hasn’t had a chance to drive any of them yet, I am still confident that potential buyers will be very pleased with them.
At the pinnacle of the pyramid of desirable and rare performance cars is the Porsche Carrera GT prototype which was introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January and could go into production early next year.
Though street-practical, the stunning car will be capable of beating most purpose-built race cars.
Smooth aluminum skin is tightly wrapped around a 558 bhp, V-10, dry-sump mid-mounted engine. The car will have a maximum speed just above 200 mph and go 0-60 in less than 4 seconds.
The only catch is that Porsche management has announced it will put the car into production only after it has firm orders in hand for the entire run. So, if you want to own the best performance car on the road, and drive a car which won’t been seen around every corner, get to your Porsche dealer, but be prepared to pay $350,000.
Anderson is editor and publisher of British Car Magazine, published bimonthly and distributed internationally from offices in Los Altos (949-9680; www.britishcar.com).
