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Mini is 50: a Mini celebration by CAR writers and readers

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 13 October 2009 12:45 Mini is 50 this year and we've published a 33-page Mini special in the new November issue of CAR Magazine – packed with memories, drives and analysis of and with the cars and people that made Mini great.  Here we've asked some of CAR's top writers to remember their personal highlights from the past five decades. Gavin Green explains why he recently drove across Australia in a modern Mini, while Anthony ffrench-Constant recalls why crashing a classic Mini caused him to start a lifelong nicotine habit. Click on the links below for our new Mini stories – and don't forget we want YOUR Mini memories too.

1957 Ferrari sells for record $12.1 million at auction

A 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa once again blew away the competition, setting a world record for cars sold at auction when it fetched an eye-popping $12.1 million on Sunday at an event on the grounds of the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy. The Testa Rossa was one of just 22 produced from 1957 to 1958, and the Scaglietti design is marked by prominent pontoon fenders. The cars also were successful racers, winning 10 of the 19 international races they entered from 1958 to 1961.

Understanding design for China

With the entire automotive world focusing on China at present, Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design (SD) has announced the creation of a new graduate program following that trend. The MDes Design Practices scheme will focus upon transportation design issues in China, as well as the growing economies of Asia. The ten month program aims to familiarize students with the emerging trends and issues that are directly impacting and influencing transport in the Peoples Republic.