OCTOBER 6, 2021

(Mini USA images)
Remember Mini? We sorta do. The first Mini with a Cooper badge debuted in 1961 and hit the racetrack soon after, capturing its first victory as an overlooked underdog. Sixty years later, MINI has announced a new special edition commemorating the brand’s motorsport pedigree called the MINI Anniversary Edition. (Catchy name, that.) This "exclusive, commemorative MINI will be offered in limited numbers, and honors three generations of Cooper heritage with elements reflecting John Cooper’s original high-performance creation alongside his son and grandson’s contributions to the John Cooper Works brand and vehicle design," according to company PR minions. The new Anniversary Edition harkens back to the appearance of classic Cooper Car Company and MINI Cooper cars. For the US market the MINI Anniversary Edition features several iconic design characteristics including: The US cars will exclusively be built in classic British Racing Green with white bonnet stripes and red outlines, derived from Cooper Car Company design motifs; the Cooper Car Company logo is featured on the Anniversary Edition’s door sills and side scuttles; and the number 74 is prominently placed on the hood of the Anniversary Edition as a tribute to the MINI Cooper’s first race, where the vehicle was given the number 74. (We have no idea why they show it on the doors too.) The MINI Anniversary Edition is available for the John Cooper Works Hardtop 2 Door, which has strong ties to the Cooper family’s work with MINI over the last six decades. To further signal the cooperation between the Cooper family and the MINI brand, the signatures of all three Cooper generations – John Cooper, John Michael Cooper and Charlie Cooper – are etched in the cockpit facia of all Anniversary Edition models. “The Cooper name shares a storied history with MINI, and this new Anniversary Edition reflects the Cooper performance heritage, offering a classic and sporty appearance,” said Patrick McKenna, Department Head of Marketing Product and Strategy, MINI USA. “John Cooper kicked off sixty years of performance innovation with the original Mini Cooper, and the Anniversary Edition honors the Cooper legacy that helped define MINI’s performance pedigree over the last six decades.” Now available to order from dealers, the MINI Anniversary Edition package includes white roof and mirror caps, a panoramic moonroof, touchscreen navigation, and several other features, at a total cost of $39,900 MSRP plus $850 destination and handling. Editor-in-Chief's Note: $40,000? Really? Why? -PMD

(Lexus Images)
Cars and Guitars? It never ends, apparently. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation’s (FMIC) ​​Fender Custom Shop (FCS) has announced the launch of a limited-edition Fender® Lexus LC Stratocaster® guitar, the newest custom-built piece from Principal Master Builder, Ron Thorn. Chosen for their passion for bold design, intuitive technology and Takumi craftsmanship, Fender’s alliance with Lexus brings to life the Fender® Lexus LC Stratocaster®. Fender Custom Shop™ will be releasing 100 team-built Fender® Lexus LC Stratocaster® guitars globally. The Stratocaster® guitar includes an omnidirectional Structural Blue finish, a spectral range that produces light metallic blue to deep midnight blue that was originally inspired by the Morpho butterfly. The paint on the Stratocaster® guitar is the same paint that was used on the Lexus LC 500 coupe and convertible Inspiration Series, of which only 200 total vehicles were produced for the US. Structural Blue paint brings to life the rich curvature of the LC 500 body, and now the guitar body. The paint does not contain any blue material — it looks blue only because of the interference of light. Layers of colorless materials come together to generate the ultimate color, hence the name “structural.” The neck is fashioned from beautiful 3A flame maple and finished in high-gloss urethane, imparting a hint of Fender® woodworking tradition in contrast with the instrument’s other advanced visual elements. The fingerboard is made of deep-blue polished Richlite, a composite material known for its tonal properties, structural stability and resistance to wear and moisture, and used by the Fender Custom Shop™ for the first time. The fingerboard has a flatter 12” radius and 22 medium-jumbo stainless steel frets. On darkened stages, the white Luminlay fingerboard inlays glow in vivid blue. Additionally, the fasteners on the pickguard are black button head machine screws that create a clean automotive appearance, while the pickups are Fender’s latest version of our Noiseless Single Coils, another first for the Fender Custom Shop™. To top it off, the headstock face is finished in Structural Blue with a chrome Fender® logo while the custom case is wrapped in carbon fiber textured vinyl, with black leather ends and the Lexus logo embroidered inside the lid. For technical specs, additional information on new Fender products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.fendercustomshop.com. 

(Honda images)
Development of the next-gen Civic Type R continues, with testing at the Nürburgring being the next step in the process. The all-new Civic Type R will be introduced in 2022.

(GM)
This is the first official photo of the new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 released on Instagram by GM. More details to come - including the flat-plane crank V8 - and you can see the wider rear fenders and enhanced side air intakes. This is basically the homologation special for the current GTLM Corvette racing car. The official unveiling happens at 12:00 p.m. ET on October 26th. Go to Chevy.com/Z06 for the unveiling.

The AE Song of the Week:

Well you know your time has come and you're sorry for what you've done
You should've never have been playing with a gun
In those Complicated Shadows
Well there's a line that you must toe
And it'll soon be time to go
But it's darker than you know in those Complicated Shadows

All you gangsters and rude clowns
Who were shooting up the town
When you should have found someone to put the blame on
Though the fury's hot and hard
I still see that cold graveyard
There's a solitary stone that's got your name on

You don't have to take it from me
But I know what I spake
You think you're like iron and steel
But iron and steel will bend and break
In those Complicated Shadows
Go!

Sometimes justice you will find
Is just dumb not colour-blind
And your poor shattered mind can't take it all in
All those phantoms and those shades
Should Jump up on Judgement Day
And say to the Almighty "I'm still stinking of sin"

But the jury was dismissed
Took his neck and they give it a twist
So you see you won't be missed in those Complicated Shadows
You can say just what you like in a voice like a John Ford film
Take the law into your hands
You will soon get tired of killing
In those Complicated Shadows
Complicated Shadows
Complicated Shadows
Complicated Shadows
Go!

"Complicated Shadows" by Elvis Costello & The Attractions, from the album "All This Useless Beauty" (1996). Written by Declan MacManus. Best remembered as part of the soundtrack for "The Sopranos" in 1999. Listen here.