BMW News

    As they say: If if you want people to buy something, tell them they can't have it. The latest example is the special edition Mini JCW Countryman to be announced at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

    A highly modified Mini has won the last two very tough Dakar Rallies—now staged in South America, where Al Qaeda has a much lower profile. (Since when did terrorists become militants, by the way?) The triumphant Mini entry has been driven by Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel and his co-driver, Jean-Paul Cottret, on both occasions. Their weapon of choice was the custom-built—and that's an understatement!—Mini ALL4 Racing, which is the hottest version of the Mini JCW Countryman sports crossover.

    In celebration of that success, Mini has built a special-edition JCW Countryman, in a subdued matte black with 1969 AMX Big Bad Green stripes (inside and out!) and the drivers' names on the side.  But here's the twist: Only 11 examples will be built, commemorating Peterhansel’s career-spanning 11 individual Dakar wins, and all units will be sold exclusively in the rally driver’s home country of France. Tant pis! as one might say.

    Since only two of Peterhansel's wins have been in Minis, I see also an opportunity for a special edition from  Yamaha, for his six wins on motorcycles (there might have been one, actually) and Mitsubishi for his first three wins in cars. I guess his two fourth places in BMWs, don't really merit a splash.

    Anyway, the real point of all this is that there will be only 11 examples of this package, and they'll only be sold in France. Which leaves the door wide open for a "tribute" clone in the U.S., if you ask me.

    Who'd know?––Paul Duchene