The MINI Cabrio… One Year and Counting

While Bridger.us/MINI has had about a dozen posts about the upcoming MINI Cabrio in the past 6 months I thought it might be time for another update of information that has been compiled thus far. If you'd like to read what's already been posted check out the this post from last June. Now onto the info…

According to current plans in a years time the MINI Cabrio should be either arriving at dealerships or already in the hands of eager owners. In general the car has been one of MINI's worst kept secrets. For instance we know that it will come in both MC and MCS flavors. We also know that it will be available in two new colors and have colored trim to match the exterior of the car. Don't be surprised to see other small modifications to the interior of the car as well.

On the exterior we know that the car will have a bottom hinged (tailgate style) boot similar to the classic MINI. The Cabrio will feature a revised antenna placed an inch or so behind the center of the windshield. With no stationary point above the belt-line I would imagine that the third tail-light placement could actually be within the rear chrome trim (blacked out on this photo) where you can see a slight bulge in the above photo.

The top itself will be a folding variety similar to the current Beetle convertible but should lay flatter and thus produce less of the dreaded rear hump seen on many drop-tops (including said Beetle). You can see the folded top clearly here. The Cabrio will also feature two roll protecting loops behind the rear passenger seats. They seem to be situated low enough to not become a dominant design attribute while still doing their intended job protecting the car's occupants.

In the drivetrain area the Cabrio will be the first Cooper to see the new Getrag 5-speed gearbox that will be standard on all 2005 Coopers. Other than that there shouldn't be too many changes mechanically to the cars. They will certainly be less agile and quick off the line due to the curb weight increasing and it will be interesting to see how the already super stiff MINI structure copes with no roof.

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p>Finally the MINI Cabrio (or should we call it the Open?) will be a fairly rare occurrence in the US. Word has it that all production will indeed come from the same Oxford plant that the current MINI is produced at. With that factory running at capacity already it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that this car will be produced in low numbers throughout the world. My guess would be to expect the Cabrio to be less than 15% of all MINIs sold in the US. One thing we know for certain – they will be a premium for at least the first six months. So if you want a drop-top MINI and aren't already on your dealers preliminary list I would recommend taking action soon.

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[Thanks Chris for the heads up on the top photo]