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The MINI Superleggera, which stunned visitors at the 2015 Villa d'Este concours d'elegance, has been greenlighted for production. The car will be part of BMW's efforts to concentrate the MINI line on fewer, better vehicles. With two seats, a soft-top and the MINI's standard all-wheel drive, the Superleggera is positioned to deliver the classic MINI experience in an agile, elegant package. But, what should we expect from the upcoming "super hero" car?

Atlantic Autowerks Ltd. specializes in BMWs and MINIs because we love the passion the manufacturers of those cars put into their engineering, and the joy you get when driving them. You can see on our Specials page that we reward those drivers who share our passion with discounts for parts and labor if you are a member of either the BMW or Mini Car Club of America. We thought we'd take this opportunity to explain why we do that.

Any motor that is running low on oil is a candidate for some major repairs. Some motors, like the 4.4 Liter V8 that is in a lot of BMW models, can sustain some damage but still continue to run--maybe not well, but nevertheless, still run. In a motor that is run low on oil, aerated oil may be flowing through all of the major engine oiling passages. Like the Mini Cooper, the BMW N62 (the 4.4 Liter V8) will suffer some major and expensive damage if not caught in time.

If you have a Mini Cooper that is a 2007 model or newer: listen up. The motors in these automobiles have the designation N12 and N14 with the N14 being the turbo motor.  These engines come equipped with oil level dip sticks. A lot of Mini Cooper owners do not realize that these motors use oil and that the level should be checked every other tank of fuel.

During extreme weathers, having the option to precondition your car is ideal. In the winter, you can step into your warm, ice-free car, and in the extreme heats, cool down the cabin and avoid burning yourself on the seats. In conventional, gas-powered vehicles, this is just a luxury.

However, in electric cars, including the BMW i3, preconditioning is both a luxury and a necessity in increasing your range and promoting a longer life for your battery.

It has recently come to our attention that the 3.5 liter Twin Turbo motors or N54 have an issue that should not be over-looked or it could cost you the MOTOR.

What is happening is the drive belt is getting saturated with oil from the oil filter adapter housing seals and causing the drive belt to fail.  

For Virginia Beach and Portsmouth families looking to purchase a new car, safety is almost certainly somewhere on the list of must-haves. Whether you're looking for a compact, medium-sized, or large vehicle, you'll be happy to learn there are safe and stylish options in each category. Most recently, the sleek Mini Cooper Countryman joined the elite group of safe compact cars by passing a crash test with flying colors.

The way to survive a crash is to avoid one altogether. You have a better chance of that when your car steps in and avoids the crash for you.

In ratings released May 29, based on tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the BMW 5 Series large luxury car and the BMW X5 midsize luxury SUV were among four vehicles that when equipped with certain safety options earned perfect scores for front crash preventions.