With the 2007 MINI being a new design with a new engine, will producers of MINI modification parts stop development for the current model and switch their efforts to the 2007 MINI? Can we expect to see new developments in parts for the current model or are we only going to see minor refinements of existing parts?

 

that will be hard to predict until the new model is out. Even then, it's kind of a crap shoot. Plus, there is the time to market (development) of the new products.

For example, for the longest time in the miata world, vendors continuted to heavily support the 94-7 cars, even a few years after the 99+ cars were out. Even when i really stopped paying attention about 6 months ago, the support for the 94-7 cars was still VERY strong. The 1.6 90-3 cars tend to have a little less support, but still some. No comment now that the 05 is out...

FWIW, a turbo car is typically easy to get some extra power out of. Open up the intake & exhaust, keep the wastegate shut a bit longer, tweak the fuel & timing: more power. So i image that you will see some tuning happen quick on the new cars.

My guess is that the current cars (can we call them Mark I yet?) are going to remain popular, esp as younger people buy them off lease & don't give a damn about warrantee issues. So i think that you will still see parts, but i hve no idea how much more new development.

Of course, Randy Webb seems to have really started to make his own parts, now that we are in the last model year!

-jac

 

I don't see us stopping our support and development of parts for the Mk I MINI's anytime soon. We've got at least a half a dozen products in development and at least that many in the intellectual hopper, and plenty of improvements on the way, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

It all comes down to demand and money.
We keep up the demand and vendors make money then development continues.
I have yet to see a good engine rebuild kit.
Sure you can get the pieces talking to scads of vendors but a 1 stop off the shelf solution, no.
The good part of this is that it indicates it's a pretty good little motor.

I'd also like to see a decent street cam and headers.