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funkcity · Oct 16th, 2002, 07:05 AM

Here's the article from the website

MINI Opens For Business
MINI's secret is out in the Open. At last we can bring you pictures of the official factory convertible version of Britain's most desirable small car after our sources managed to smuggle classified images out of a BMW internal presentation.

Stylists came up with a series of computer-aided design (CAD) images and it has been left to British engineers to try and get the finished car as close as possible to their ideal. The bright yellow Cooper you see on these pages is the first finished prototype.

So far, the car has had a busy life. The first task was to gain final approval of the styling from BMW top brass, so the tin-top was crudely removed and a dummy section added above the boot to show how the folded roof will look. As well as the chop, the Open has several other modifications which were being shown for the first time, including a wild new interior. The standard silver finish of the facia has been substituted with paint which matches the exterior's shade, while door and seat trims have also been colour co-ordinated.

With the project rubber-stamped by MINI's German masters, the car was then shipped to the UK, where it was stripped down to have the essential strengthening added to the bodyshell and the roof fitted. Extra metal has been included in the floorpan, door hinge panels and bulkhead to ensure the standard car's acclaimed handling is retained and safety is not compromised. All versions of the MINI, including the Cooper S shown in the CAD image in the magazine, will be available in Open form, and the picture reveals how the production car will have fixed roll hoops behind the rear seats rather than the prototype's central bar.

Another neat feature is the bootlid, which opens downwards as the classic Mini's did. Production versions will even have exaggerated dummy brackets to mimic the external hinges of the old model, and a third brake light will be incorporated over the rear number plate, as on BMW's drop-top 3-Series. Luggage space won't be too greatly affected by the loss of roof either, and the base of the fabric hood frame can be released and lifted up, allowing larger objects to be loaded easily.

Interior room has hardly been compromised by the conversion, as the hood stacks on to the rear shelf rather than folding underneath a flush cover.

Despite the finished appearance of the prototype, we will have to wait until March 2004 to see the car officially when it's set to be unveiled at that year's Geneva Motor Show. Tom Barnard

Oct 16th, 2002, 07:05 AM	#3
funkcity MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Burton upon Trent, Staffs Local Time: 10:48 PM Posts: 7 Offline	Here's the article from the website MINI Opens For Business MINI's secret is out in the Open. At last we can bring you pictures of the official factory convertible version of Britain's most desirable small car after our sources managed to smuggle classified images out of a BMW internal presentation. Stylists came up with a series of computer-aided design (CAD) images and it has been left to British engineers to try and get the finished car as close as possible to their ideal. The bright yellow Cooper you see on these pages is the first finished prototype. So far, the car has had a busy life. The first task was to gain final approval of the styling from BMW top brass, so the tin-top was crudely removed and a dummy section added above the boot to show how the folded roof will look. As well as the chop, the Open has several other modifications which were being shown for the first time, including a wild new interior. The standard silver finish of the facia has been substituted with paint which matches the exterior's shade, while door and seat trims have also been colour co-ordinated. With the project rubber-stamped by MINI's German masters, the car was then shipped to the UK, where it was stripped down to have the essential strengthening added to the bodyshell and the roof fitted. Extra metal has been included in the floorpan, door hinge panels and bulkhead to ensure the standard car's acclaimed handling is retained and safety is not compromised. All versions of the MINI, including the Cooper S shown in the CAD image in the magazine, will be available in Open form, and the picture reveals how the production car will have fixed roll hoops behind the rear seats rather than the prototype's central bar. Another neat feature is the bootlid, which opens downwards as the classic Mini's did. Production versions will even have exaggerated dummy brackets to mimic the external hinges of the old model, and a third brake light will be incorporated over the rear number plate, as on BMW's drop-top 3-Series. Luggage space won't be too greatly affected by the loss of roof either, and the base of the fabric hood frame can be released and lifted up, allowing larger objects to be loaded easily. Interior room has hardly been compromised by the conversion, as the hood stacks on to the rear shelf rather than folding underneath a flush cover. Despite the finished appearance of the prototype, we will have to wait until March 2004 to see the car officially when it's set to be unveiled at that year's Geneva Motor Show. Tom Barnard Attached Thumbnails