Rover Group’s original Mini Cabriolet was introduced in June 1993, following a previously successful UK trial of the Mini Lamm Cabriolet in 1991. During the trial, German-based Lamm Autohaus removed the roof of the vehicle prior to sale in the UK and it became an instant hit with each of the 75 models selling immediately. Interestingly, as one of the rarest Minis ever produced, it is also among the most valuable in classic car terms.
At its launch, the Mini Cabriolet cost almost double that of the 1993 Classic Mini and was available in just two colours, Caribbean Blue with a grey roof and Nightfire Red with matching red hood. Both featured new 12-inch diameter Revolution wheels as well as chrome sill kick-strips. The car also featured a specially strengthened body shell to accommodate the loss of understandable integrity from lopping-off its metal lid. While the Mini Cabriolet’s mechanical components were identical to the Cooper 1.3i of the time, the interior was luxuriously finished with a burr walnut dashboard, a black leather steering wheel and colour-coded seat belts.
By comparison, BMW’s Oxford-built Mini Convertible was launched to the world’s motoring media at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. The four-seater car was available in three variants: One Convertible, Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible. The three new models were available in 10 exterior paint colours and featured redesigned front and rear bumpers.
Since then, the Mini Convertible has sold over 89,000 examples in the UK alone, with the Cooper Convertible proving to be the most popular, accounting for over 43% of the registrations. Pepper White has been the most popular exterior paint colour chosen by UK customers, while 86% of the cars have been fitted with a manual gearbox.
In 2009, another unique twist was added to the Convertible, with the introduction of the ‘Openometer’. Originally a physical dial on the dashboard, this feature allowed owners to track how many hours they had driven with the roof down. Now called the ‘Always Open Timer’, this functionality is still built into today’s Convertible and is a digital display in the car’s Visual Boost screen instead.
A Rain Warning function also sets the Mini Convertible apart from its possible rivals. Available since 2016, this feature monitors the weather forecast in the car’s vicinity and, if the risk of rain is high and the car is being driven with its roof down, the on-board computer will alert the driver, instructing him, or her, to close the roof before the inclement weather arrives.
In early-2018, a revised Mini Convertible was launched in the UK that featured fresh design and technology upgrades. Every Mini Convertible includes a fully-electric roof, front and rear LED lights, Rear Parking Distance Control (PDC), 6.5” colour infotainment screen, Intelligent emergency call (E-call), DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and much more as its standard specification.
Yet, as a measure of its important birthday, Mini UK has launched a special 25th Anniversary Edition of the Convertible. Complete with anniversary tread plates and plaque, along with an exclusive combination of Lounge leather upholstery in Satellite Grey, with a Starlight Blue metallic exterior, this exclusive model looks really fantastic, with its top up, or down.
It builds on the Cooper S Convertible specification and also features white mirror caps, white bonnet stripes, Mini Yours Union Jack woven fabric roof and 18” Mini Yours Vanity Spoke alloy wheels, in two-tone as standard. To complete the specification, it is finished with Chili Pack, Navigation Plus Package and a Harman Kardon Hi-Fi at no extra cost, as well as an interior commemorative plaque for the dashboard.
