Yesterday saw a bit of new MINI fever as the following picture started doing the rounds on the internet, initially posted on North American Motoring.com by a clued
up MINI spotter, who noticed the new updated MINI (and a convertible) being filmed for a MINI USA Internet advert. The news soon spread and the photo has been seen on many MINI enthusiasts sites!

Unlike previous magazine “spy shots” many of you will have seen, the vehicle shown here actually does represent the new ‘05 MINI Cooper front end. As reported previously
on MINI2 (17th October 2003: MINI Range Due for Summer Shake-Up in 2004 and in some more detail here on 31st October 2003: More Rumours on the MINI 2004 Update & Convertible) the changes are quite subtle, and mainly affect the grill and “bumper” areas on the MINI One and Cooper in particular, where you lose the current chrome bumpers that hailed back the Classic Mini design.

What this photo doesn’t reveal is the interior, or rear end of the new MINI design. Well, MINI2 can help with the rear end at least. Shown below is an exclusive shot of the new’05 lamp cluster, which now includes an integrated reverse light. The rear fog light has been moved to the rear centre of the bumper. While I am a big fan of the current MINI rear light clusters, these have been described as “stunning” to see in the flesh, so that’s a positive sign!

As ever, we will keep our ear to the ground and post any more information and photographs of the revised ‘05 model year MINI as and when we can report anything more with a certain degree of confidence in it’s accuracy.