With the debut of the 2007 MINI just months away, BMW engineers are busy putting the finishing touches on the final production version of the car. And that means more photos and less camouflage. This latest series of photos comes courtesy of AGSL and were taken on a French highway just days ago. (You can click on each photo for a larger look)

While there’s nothing ground breaking seen here that hasn’t been discussed previously on MotoringFile, here are a few observations based on the above photos:

  • The new MCS rear spoiler will have a middle support where the current third brake light is (the light will be moved to the upper part of the hatch behind the glass)
  • The rear side glass clearly is taped off to disguise the fact that it will not wrap-around to the back like the current car.
  • The side turn signals will integrate with the vent differently than the current car and will rest flush with the end of the clamshell hood.
  • Where the current MCS has two rear faux difusers, the new MCS in this pictures has one large difuser spanning the length of the rear bumper. No word on if it’s real or not.
  • The boot has been made slightly larger to improve rear storage space and potentially improve rear passenger crash protection. You can clearly see the subtle change in the second photo
  • The antenna base has been redesigned to look similar to the shark fin style seen on BMWs (and previous MINIs).
  • The windshield wipers have moved from the hood to the plastic cowl just below the windshield.
  • As stated many times previously and barely visible here, the headlights have been pushed to the corners and the taillights will grow wider and shorter.

    • Of course you can read much more in our full report on the 2007 MINI originally published almost exactly a year ago (and updated last month):

    [ The Next Generation MINI Revealed (updated) ] MotoringFile