A licensed Bollywood remake of the classic 1969 Italian Job film made its debut on the big screen on January 6. Called Players, it features performances by Bollywood superstars Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.

Filming for the movie mostly took place in New Zealand.

Many parts of Wellington were closed off to allow scenes to be shot, with a spectacular chase scene filmed on the runway at the local airport.

It’s reckoned around 10 Minis were purchased for the film, with three transported to India for close-up shots and the others sold off.

The movie is mostly being shown in the London area, so many of us will have to wait for a DVD release to see how the film compares to the original.

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The organisers of the annual Italian Job charity Mini run are offering the chance for Mini owners to sample a spot of Continental driving with a one-day Step into France event on March 24 this year.

The run will involve a treasure hunt-style navigational rally together with a mix of sightseeing and socializing with like-minded enthusiasts.

The cost for each Mini with two occupants is only £79, and there’s also the option to stay overnight for a small extra cost.

An entry form can be found on the Italian Job website.

Meanwhile, the dates have been announced for the big one – the 2012 Italian Job Mini run. The famous across-Europe event will begin in Italy on October 24, before finishing in the UK on November 3.

Visit www.italianjob.com for more details.

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The Autosport International show at the NEC serves to promote all that’s new and exciting in the world of motorsport.

Yet, if this year’s event was anything to go by, the humble classic Mini is still a vital part of the scene even in the company of WRC and Formula One cars.

It might be over 50 years old, but the raft of technical innovations involving the Mini shows no sign of slowing up.

Providing ample evidence was Knight Motorsport, who wowed the considerable crowds with its front-engined Hayabusa turbo-powered Clubman.

Several performance parts companies also had some tasty Mini products on show, including the likes of Image Wheels, Tarox brakes and Specialist Components.

Meanwhile, the historic competition disciplines were also well represented. Nick Swift’s awesome new Willow Green pre-1966 racer made a star appearance on the Kent Cams stand, while just opposite sat 33 EJB, Paddy Hopkirk’s famous 1964 Rally Monte Carlo winning Cooper S.

Over on the Mountune stand, Mini fans were delighted by the presence of tuning legend David Vizard and another of the contributors to his famous Tuning the A-Series Engine bible, Dave Mountain.

Make sure you keep an eye on www.autosportinternational.com for details of next year’s event.

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Congratulations to Michał Knyziak for winning our 2011 Mini Magazine ‘Mini of the Year’ award with his bold supercharged, MPi Clubman. Featured in our December 2011 issue (193), Michał’s car is a superb example of how Mini enthusiasts continue to push the boundaries of innovation and experimentation.

The car features a unique Eaton M24 supercharger taken from Volkswagen latest TSI engines, which features stepped up internal gearing to really help it punch above its weight. The result is 112bhp and 125lb/ft of torque despite the use of a largely standard MPi engine, allowing for driveability as well as power.

The rest of the car is pretty impressive too, with its retina-busting Renault orange paint, bulky weld-in roll cage, Cobra seats, coilover suspension and chunky matt black alloys.

In addition to its unique engine conversion, Michał’s car also marks another first for Mini Magazine. It’s the first Polish-built car ever to be featured on our pages, and serves to confirm the strength and appeal of the Mini scene all over the world.

What’s more, Michał built this groundbreaking car by himself in just a single month. Impressive stuff, and a worthy winner of or Mini of the Year 2011.

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Features this month include…

• Sprint to Victory: Nicolas Pinon’s stunning Mini Sprint.
• Savage Screamer: A Yamaha R1-engined Mini that was deemed too extreme by the original owner’s wife!
• Double VTEC Heart Transplant: A matching pair of VTEC Minis for a Mini-loving couple..
• What’s your Flavour? A Mini Pick-up saved from a pub basement.
• A Star Reborn: 24 PK, an ultimate Works-spec rally privateer from the 60s.
• The Millionth Mini? Joroen Booij investigates the millionth Mini, or not as the case may be…

In addition, you’ll find unrivalled show coverage, together with tech articles including how to weld on a new front wing, fitting a replacement tie-rod, and how to recomission your Mini to the road. Mini guru, Keith Calver, has listed the entire fixings, bolts, set screws, nuts and washers ever used in the A-Series engine for a complete guide – unmissable!

Get your copy from the shops or download online at Apple’s Newsstand for iPad, iPhone or any computer with (free) Apple iTunes software. It’s becoming increasingly popular each month, saves you money over a regular magazine and you don’t even need to leave your sofa!

To subscribe and have your Mini Magazine delivered straight to your door while saving up to 25% on the cover price, visit www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/MINP16.

Bookings for the IMM 2012 in Hungary look set to gain a boost with the news that the organsiers have persuaded the campsite management to allow pets on site.

This means that canine-loving Mini owners can now get involved with the fun! See www.imm2012.hu for all the details.

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Silverstone Auctions is putting a very special twin-engined Cooper S up for grabs during its February auction, which provides one of the main attractions of the Race Retro International Historic Motorsport Show on February 24-26.

Built by Neil Preston, the Almond Green example was created as a tribute to the pair of ‘Twini’ Coopers originally built by BMC’s Experimental Department in the early 1960s.

This road-going interpretation is based on a genuine 65 S, and features two 1275cc engines.

Silverstone Auctions has estimated the car at £20,000-25,000, but don’t be surprised to see it go for more.

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Ade Wildsmith, who is the long-term owner of a famous Special Tuning-developed Clubman rally car, will be the 1275 GT registrar, while Garry Dickens, who owns a 1961 Austin Super Seven, has already been appointed as registrar for his marque.

“This is an exciting move for us,” says Robert Young, chairman of the Mini Cooper Register.

“Both models have a close affinity to the Cooper range – the 1275 GT was billed by BL as the successor to the Cooper S and the Mini Super was launched by BMC alongside the original Mini Cooper.

We hope that by encompassing these new models we will further broaden the club’s appeal”.

Visit www.minicooper.org for details.

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Sunday December 4 saw an estimated 80 Minis, 100 boxes of donuts, and one very cold-looking camera crew from Sky TV (in a convertible Audi) make the annual LSMOC Donut Run down to Brighton’s Madeira Drive seafront.

The usual suspects were in attendance, along with an unusual looking Mini in the form of Matthew Wright’s recently restored, wheelchair-accessible high-top Clubman Estate. On arrival in Brighton, the day was given over to tinsel, tea, silly hats and lots of donuts. After a quick walk on the pier, it was back to the cars to warm up, eat more donuts and head home.

The club’s attention now turns to its flagship London to Brighton Run, which takes place on May 20.

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The requirement for an annual renewal of a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) declaration for vehicles that are not in use is to be scrapped, the Department for Transport announced on December 15.

The move, which will meet with approval among Mini enthusiasts, means that once drivers have notified the DVLA that their vehicle is SORN, they will no longer have the burden of annual SORN paperwork. It’s a change that comes about as part of the Road Transport Red Tape Challenge – an initiative to release drivers from unnecessary and overcomplicated regulation.

Also announced is the scrapping of paper counterpart driving licences by 2015 and removing the need to hold a hard-copy insurance certificate. These are just a few of the 142 road and transport regulations set to be scrapped or improved.

Official clarification of how the SORN changes will work once the declared keeper is changed on the V5C (logbook) is as yet unclear, and at the time of going to press there was no announcement as to when the changes will come into force. We’ll bring you news of any developments as soon as they become available.

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