JCW

Forty-three years ago, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon. As he put his first foot on the ground, he made the historic declaration, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".

I was reminded of this small piece of history, by the memorial service held to mark the passing of Armstrong in Washington DC, yesterday. But I was also prompted by MINI's launch of its new Paceman.

The fastest road-registered MINI ever made will go on sale later this year in a limited run of just 2,000 cars. The car will be unveiled publicly for the first time this weekend at the MINI United festival in Le Castellet, France.