Polaris Outlaw 450 Mxr 525 525s Exhaust Pipe Muffler #56 08 on 2040-parts.com

MINI Paceman Adventure Concept – it’s a Countryman Pickup

It’s a MINI Pickup – the MINI Paceman Adventure It’s always hard to decide if a MINI concept – and they’re not exactly as rare as hens teeth – is a real one-off or a pointer to a future production MINI. A good example of that is MINI’s April Fool in 2012 for ‘Camping MINIs’ which turned in to a fully-blown official concept in 2013 as the MINI Clubvan Camper, Countryman All4 Camp & Cowley Caravan. Now we get the MINI Paceman Adventure Concept, a pickup based on the Pacemena (itself based on the Countryman) put together by BMW students and instructors at plants in Munich and Dingolfing and built as an exercise to show the skills and talent of the apprentice programme.

Chat live with AutoWeek executive editor Roger Hart on Friday

AutoWeek executive editor Roger Hart will field your questions at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Roger just got back from the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and he is editor of the CarLife section of the magazine.

Nissan backs radical DeltaWing racecar program

Nissan has announced its involvement in a radical new motorsport project, dubbed the DeltaWing, which will race at the Le Mans 24 Hours this summer using Nissan power. The car is the work of Ben Bowlby who originally designed the car as a proposal for the 2012 IndyCar racer, which has since found the attention of Nissan after its rejection by the American race championship. The headlines of the design are that it's half the weight and has half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racer and is therefore far more efficient.