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| Mini
Cooper Convertible |
Broadcast
dates : 6th June 2004/10th June 2004 |
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 The
international launch for the Mini Cooper Convertible was held
in late May, and with a reported 300 sunny days guaranteed
each year on the French glamour coast, good weather was
assured.
The back streets of Marseilles provided the ideal setting for
Mini's chic, cheeky, topless model, with the famous beaches of
the Cote d Azur just an espresso or two away.
BMW gained control of the Mini brand through its rather
ill-fated association with Rover a few years ago.
Rover has gone on to home-grown success under British
management, but the new Mini, under BMW management, has
capitalised on all the fun-filled essence that made the
original from the 1960s such a family favourite.
The new Mini is an instantly recognisable brand, and it
retains the short stubby configuration of the first-generation
car, although it is in fact a much larger vehicle.
A couple of cult movies have also added to the legend. The
original Italian Job movie, featuring Michael Cane,
high-lighted the Mini’s fantastic road-holding and
performance.
This latest version has featured in a re-make of that
thirty-year-old classic, starring the incomparible Charlize
Theron.
There are those who say the new Mini came very close to
up-staging the South African-born Oscar winner, and that takes
some doing.
The unique heritage of the Mini sees it pull off a remarkable
double act, cutting across a large generation gap. The modern
Mini appeals to the young and the young at heart. Rebels with
a cause, you might say.
The Mini is such a natural for a top-down configuration that
the wonder of it all is why a convertible version has taken
this long to make its appearance.
Nevertheless, now that it is here, the parent company, BMW,
has made sure that it has been done in thorough fashion.
The top is made of fabric but, uniquely, it also contains a
sliding sunroof. This sunroof can be opened separately to
provide just a hint of fresh air motoring. But using the
button on the console for the fully electric operation, the
top folds away automatically and in ingenious fashion.
To lower the top completely, the sun roof section is first
opened. Then the entire soft roof opens and folds towards the
rear of the car. At the same time the roof pillars retract
into the bodywork, and the rear windows also slide down
completely into the body.
The roof is folded in a z configuration and settles firmly on
the rear of the car behind the rear passenger section. It
folds up so neatly that the designers felt it didn't need a
tonneaue to cover the folded roof, and this makes the folding
operation completely automatic. The whole process takes just
15 seconds.
The interior of the Mini Convertible matches the stunning
exterior of this example, painted in a new colour known as
"Hot Orange"
There is a nod to the retro look of the first-generation model
with some gauges housed in the centre of the dashboard. The
seats are dual-tone and have a racy bucket shape, and the
steering wheel is in Monte Carlo Rally style, a nod to the
Mini Cooper’s rally victories in the 1960s.
The boot is not exactly massive, but it does feature a
load-through facility to the rear seats. Legroom at the rear
of a Mini is of the optional variety, and it is no better in
the Convertible. So the rear seat will more likely be used as
a luggage compartment.
People who have driven the thoroughly modern Mini in closed
form will testify to its nippiness and extremely good,
chuckable road holding.
This car is at home threading through the back alleys of
Marseilles as it is winding up the mountain passes, and its
wide track, fat tyres and small diameter racing-style steering
wheel make it difficult to keep from grinning like a madman.
Standard wheels are 15-inch alloys, but both 16-inch and
17-inch alloys can be ordered as options.
The engine fitted to the Mini Cooper Convertible is the same
unit used in the closed roof cars available in South Africa
for the past two years.
The Cooper motor is a 1,6-litre four-cylinder engine,
originally developed by Chrysler. But in its Mini application
it is a feisty unit with a delightful, sporting exhaust note
and it develops eighty-five kilowatts at a rather raucous six
thousand rpm.
A five -speed manual gearbox is the only transmission offered
in the Mini Convertible, drive being through the front wheels.
However, an automatic gearbox is to be introduced towards the
end of this year and this will probably be available in South
Africa.
The right-hand-drive version will not be long in coming, as
the Mini is built in the UK and right-hand-drive markets are
very important to the Mini brand. So expect the Mini
Convertible to be available here well in time for the South
African summer holidays.
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