Forget the rumors of a new four-door MINI, or the Station Wagon variant. The latest version of the BMW baby certainly has four doors, but it won't be in a showroom near you any time soon. The newcomer is an almost twenty foot-long limo with seats for six plus jacuzzi-room in the rear for two more.

Based on a MINI Cooper S that has had the 'Works' tuning treatment from Britain's John Cooper Garages to handle the extra weight, the crazy car is the work of Ultra Limousines of Los Angeles. As might be expected from a limo, the MINI is fully equipped for passenger comfort and entertainment. There is a retractable flat-screen TV, a DVD player, CD and radio, air-con, a sunroof and a telephone that links the passengers in the rear with the driver. The highlight, however, is a rear-mounted whirlpool tub, big enough for two and with a detachable roof so that it can be covered when not in use and open to give the kind of extroverts who relish mobile bathing the exposure they crave. According to BMW's press material, emptying the bath "is a simple matter of pulling the plug to release the water." The procedure for filling is not covered, however.

In addition to the tuned engine, the additional weight also requires chassis modifications. They are simple, however. To cope with the extra weight of the extended body and the water in the bath, an extra axle has been grafted on at the rear, creating the world's first six-wheeled MINI.

The car, called the MINI XXL, will make its first public appearance in Athens for the opening of the Olympic Games. After that, it will undertake a tour of special events in Europe and Asia. -Ian Norris, The Car Connection

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