Dea/ttpa A2327 Transmission Mount on 2040-parts.com

MINI celebrates 100 years of car production in Oxford

MINI will be celebrating a century of car production in Oxford on 28th March 2013, 100 years since the first Bullnose Morris Oxford was produced. It’s 100 years since the first Bullnose Morris Oxford rolled out on 28th March 1903, since when 11,655,000 cars have been built – with as many as 28,000 people employed in its heyday – and even Tiger Moth planes and Iron Lungs built alongside 80,000 repairs to Spitfires and Hurricanes during WWII. What is now MINI’s Plant Oxford was founded by William Morris – and Morris Motors kept control until 1952 – and has been owned and run by BMC, then British Motor Holdings (when Jaguar arrived), British Leyland (when Leyland Trucks, Triumph and Rover joined), nationalisation in the 1970s saw a variety of names, Rover Group arrived in 1986 and was subsequently privatised and sold in 1994 to BMW.

Bentley Crossover and Sport Hatch/Estate planned

Bentley are planning an 'Allroad' Estate type car and a two-door Shooting Brake hatch These rumours crop up from time to time – new entry-level models from prestige car makers – but perhaps we need to take some of them a bit more seriously now the world seems to be on a down-sizing path. So we thought it worth at least giving a nod to the rumour that Bentley are planning a pair of entry-level models to slot in below the Continental – in the £70k bracket. Especially as they come from the pen of Georg Kacher, a well-connected and well-respected car journo.

Autoweek in review: This week's wrap-up

--MotoGP's Marco Simoncelli died on Sunday in a crash on the second lap of the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, when his helmet came off and he was hit by other riders. Officials canceled the race. -- The Mazda Takeri concept will replace the Mazda 6 sedan within the next couple of years.