Our today’s feature is dedicated to one of the most iconic European convertible cars – Mini Cooper. The unmistakable design of this car originated back in the 60s of the previous century and captivated the hearts of many drivers around the world.
It’s hard not to fall in love with the vehicle’s pretty face with two round headlights and the winged MINI logo atop of the grill.
Originally it was designed as a compact car for young people who needed a simple and affordable city vehicle, but the modern Mini went a long way from this concept and evolved into a higher-level sports car with impressive performance characteristics and premium convenience features.
“Originally it was designed as a compact car for young people who needed a simple and affordable city vehicle”
Convertible Top
If you remember, the original Rover Mini was never produced in a form of a convertible due to the lack of chassis stiffness required to ensure an optimal level of safety. The fans of open-top driving had to settle with the cut-out style sun-roof often covered by a sliding rag-top.
“the original Rover Mini was never produced in a form of a convertible”
BMW engineers have completely reimagined the original concept of the car and adapted it to the requirements of modern drivers. While the design preserved the original MINI styling, the structural body elements were redesigned from scratch, which allowed them to finally produce this model in a form of a soft-top convertible and sit 4 people.
Performance
This gorgeous white Mini that you see in the pictures is the 2nd generation R57 model with the performance-oriented S package. Being equipped with the turbocharged 1.6L 4 Cylinder engine, it shows pretty remarkable performance characteristics that will impress any spirited driver.
“Being equipped with the turbocharged 1.6L 4 Cylinder engine, it shows pretty remarkable performance characteristics that will impress any spirited driver”
Suspension
To improve the handling and make the vehicle feel even more sporty, the owner decided to outfit it with a set of KW Stage 1 Coilover suspension and a bigger water intercooler. Thanks to the sporty factory bodywork and the 30mm lowering, the car has got that ground-hugging appearance that will please the eye of any car guy, no matter if he’s a MINI fan or not.
“Thanks to the sporty factory bodywork and the 30mm lowering, the car has got that ground-hugging appearance”
If you’re looking for a compact and stylish convertible with a soft top, it’s hard to find a better option than a MINI Cooper S R57. Unlike many competitors of the same class, such as Miata for example, it can seat 4 people and provide more versatility during everyday usage.
“Unlike many competitors of the same class, such as Miata for example, it can seat 4 people and provide more versatility during everyday usage”
Watch the progress and find out more about this Mini Cooper project by visiting the Instagram profile of the owner: @drumpower_ar!
Stay tuned for more convertible car reviews on Specs&Mods.com – Follow us on social media, and share this write-up if you enjoyed reading it!
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