It’s video Friday here at MF and today we have a sneak peak at the R57 MINI convertible undergoing some hardcore Nurburgring testing. While this particular video dates back to late 2007, it’s probably worth a look if your a MINI convertible fan or just hearing screaching tires around the ‘Ring.

As we’ve reported previously, look for the new convertible to have a pop-up roll-bar system similar to those found in the current BMW 1 and 3 series models. Another new item (also previously on MF) will be the “always open” gauge somewhere on the dash (most likely next to the tach) that measures the percentage of the time each car has it’s top down.

The R57 (based on the R56) is expected to debut in the spring of 2009 throughout most of the world.

You can see a bit more of the R57 in this recent Car magazine article:

[ MINI Convertible Undisguised ] Car Magazine