What is it that makes the Life Ball so cool? Well, other than the fact that it takes place in beautiful Vienna, Austria and loads of influential celebrities and designers take part in the affair, there’s always some special edition of a MINI Cooper model up for auction to help raise money for the cause.

This year, that special MINI is a Paceman that has been given special treatment by the great Roberto Cavalli. Based on what we’ve seen in the sketch of the vehicle, we’re expecting the vehicle to be iridescent brown with Roberto Cavalli logos placed strategically around the car, with the structural design all unchanged. Honestly, the thing looks like it was recently touched by King Midas, so yes, it’s much different from the other MINI cars available at MINI dealerships here in Chicago, but definitely different in a good way.

It’s a great event for the end of May, but since only about 4,000 people end up finding their way into the event, and since it’s not easy for most folks to just pack up and head on over to Austria, we feel pretty confident that we won’t be there ourselves. We are glad, though, that this special Paceman will end up in the hands of one of the patrons. It’s a really cool vehicle being auctioned off as a really nice prize for a really excellent cause.

The answer to that question is, of course, very few of us, which is why it’s so great that Forbes.com recently put out a list of the fastest cars under $50,000. While none of the vehicles on the list top out at four-digit hp, all of them have plenty of muscle and plenty of speed. However, as far as we’re concerned, none of them are a better value than the 2013 MINI Cooper Coupe John Cooper Works.

We know that’s a really long name for a relatively small vehicle, but the MINI Cooper Coupe JCW isn’t your typical adorable MINI car. Thanks to a really impressive twin-turbo four-cylinder engine that produces up to 208 hp, this car is actually able to go from a complete stop to 60 mph in only 6.5 seconds.

As for the “under $50,000” part of that list, the Cooper Coupe JCW comes in way, way under that number. As any MINI dealership could point out, MSRP doesn’t even come close to $35,000—let alone $50,000—so not only is the power there, but the price is great, as well. For deliciously affordable speed and power, it’s hard to do better than this automobile, which is likely why Forbes.com put it on its list.

Yes, we’re serious.

With a new update to the MINI Connect system, drivers’ habits are tracked—the way they steer, the way the brake, the way they accelerate—and then those habits are cross-referenced with other single people that have the service in their MINI vehicles to see if you’ve got any driving matches.

Why is this an ideal way to pair up potential mates? Well, to be honest, there really is a direct correlation between the way someone treats their car and the way they treat their significant other. Plus, can you imagine how nice it would be to never have your spouse nag you about the way you were driving? Why would they when it’s been scientifically recorded that they drive the exact same way?

We MINI Cooper dealers know that this is a longshot for love, but we think that, at the very least, it’s a fun way to try and match up lonely MINI Cooper owners. We pride ourselves on being a fun auto dealer, and while our vehicles plays a big role in that, fun little extras like this one are what really make that possible. We just hope that in return, we can perhaps make love possible for you.

Glympse is a really cool app that allows a driver to broadcast his or her location to a person they’d like to have track their driving progress. The person on the other end can pull up a map that shows exactly where the car is and how much longer they’ve got until they reach their destination. How many parents of teenagers would’ve loved to have had something like this during those early days of their license ownership?

Of course, that’s the “info” side of infotainment. As far as “tainment” is concerned, Rhapsody and TuneIn both offer loads of music options for drivers, albeit in different ways. TuneIn is a more traditional radio service, with stations from all over the world, while Rhapsody consists of a collection of one’s own favorite albums and tracks.

Audible, meanwhile, is a service that offers tons of audiobooks for folks that would rather listen to a good story while driving.

The four apps together represent yet another step in the right direction for our MINI Cooper infotainment systems. They’re just going to get cooler as the years go on, and the apps are, too.

By taking a quick glance at the numbers, it’s easy to see where that surprise may have come from; our standard models aren’t necessarily known for massive, overwhelming horsepower. Compared to some of the more intense sports cars out on the market today, the vehicles sold at any MINI dealership may look ineffective by comparison, but one thing consumers can count on with one of our vehicles is unmitigated fun. If customers are gauging performance based on how enjoyable it is to actually drive the car, then it’s no wonder KBB was able to give us this particular award.

See? It’s not so crazy after all, is it?

With seven different models and plenty of variations within those offerings, we here at MINI of Chicago are able to offer more selection than ever before. With peppy engines, unique and sporty looks, and all that personality, we see no problem in calling the MINI Cooper and all its variations a top performer. Apparently, consumers are cool with the designation, as well.

What makes this all even more flattering is that the KBB Brand Image awards are based on consumer surveys, so it’s really the buyers of new cars that dictate who receives this honor. MINI has some of the most loyal customers in the world, and we’re very happy to see them influence Kelley Blue Book’s decision to give MINI one of their top annual awards.

Also earlier this month, just a few days after the eleven-year anniversary of the MINI Cooper debuting in America, MINI as a brand sold its 500,000th automobile. That’s quite an impressive accomplishment, particularly when one considers the fact that sales seem to get better year over year. In year one, for example, MINI sold only 24,590 vehicles, but in the decade since, another 475,000+ transactions were closed, including over 66,000 in 2012 alone.

While the Cooper has been a big talisman for these great sales numbers, we’re inclined to think that the increasing selection of MINI cars has helped spur sales success for MINI here in the U.S. While the Hardtop is still the classic, variations like the Clubman, Countryman, and Paceman have helped extend the brand to loads of new customer bases, and we’re extremely excited to see what other variations may pop in the future to broaden things even more.

Half a million cars is nothing to sniff one’s nose at, and we’re really looking forward to getting those sales numbers into the seven-digit range.

You may remember hearing about the Clubvan about a year ago, as that’s when it debuted at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show. If you don’t remember hearing about it, allow us to fill you in: Take a MINI Cooper Clubman, remove the back seats, and then make a few interior alterations, and you’ve got yourself a Clubvan. With no rear seating, steel windowless side panels on the back half of the automobile, a flat-load floor, and a safety cage separating the front seat from the cargo area, this is everything a commercial vehicle needs to be, but with the style of a MINI vehicle and without the creepy air of those giant, boxy white vans.

Obviously, we’re not going to move hundreds of thousands of units here, but there absolutely is a niche market for this car and we’re excited to be entering it. Owning a small business shouldn’t mean you have to drive an ugly slow-poke of a vehicle, right? The MINI Clubvan is a way to get around that without sacrificing the utility and versatility you need.

The citation looks a heck of a lot like a parking ticket, but rather than lambasting you for parking in front of a fire hydrant or on a snow plow route on the wrong day, these citations are for doing positive things. Just fill the thing out and check one of the boxes, which include options like nice parking, wash me, sweet wheels, great bumper sticker, thanks for going topless (for convertibles, obviously), nice custom, nice mud, and have a nice day. Each of them is meant to give a fellow motorist a grin, especially once they read the thing after initially thinking it’s a real ticket.

It’s just one of the many fun things MINI tries to do to keep its customers enjoying the driving experience. This isn’t something you have to do, but it really could brighten someone’s day. So go ahead and print a few of these suckers off, and start handing out citations today!

Usually, this is about the time where we tell you to direct any questions you’ve got about JCW vehicles to your friendly neighborhood MINI Cooper dealers, and while you’re welcome to do precisely that, we’re pretty sure most of what you’re curious about can be found in the new John Cooper Works eBook, which lays out the entire history of the performance-heavy spin-off.

A quick summary: Michael Cooper, son of MINI creator John Cooper, founded John Cooper Works in 2000 (yes, it’s already been thirteen years) hoping to make really excellent MINI vehicles, but it was later purchased and transformed into its current iteration. There are many more details than that, so please do check out the eBook if you’re intrigued. It’s free, too, so give it a download and enjoy delving into the history of these remarkable automobiles. If nothing else, you can at least count on it being more enjoyable than the “Twilight” series, right?

• Cost: Go take a look at sticker prices for brand new vehicles that offer a manual transmission, then compare them to those that offer automatic ones. Almost without fail, the manual transmission car is going to have a lower starting price, and every penny you can keep in your pocket is a good thing, right? The reason behind this is that manual transmissions are less expensive to manufacture, but whatever the reasons, stick shift drivers have enjoyed the cost benefits to driving manual for years.
• Fuel Efficiency: You can save even more money at the gas pump, as cars that feature manual transmissions can be up to 15% more fuel efficient than their automatic counterparts. Beyond just the financial implications, however, are environmental ones. Better MPGs means a happier environment and a happier pocketbook.
• Driving Experience: Perhaps best of all, driving stick gives the driver more control over the car, creating more of a connection between man (or woman) and machine. Some people just really like being in control of shifting, and we absolutely want to cater to that demand.

MINI has a higher percentage of customers who opt for the manual than any other automaker in the industry, so that means 2013 MINI Cooper engineers are doing something right. We’ve got plenty of both transmission options, but our customers tend to love the manual, and we thought we’d take this opportunity to explain why.