Mini Cabrio 2005 News

The new unit is based on the one in the 1.6-litre Mini Cooper S, with twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel-injection and variable valve control. The turbocharger is tweaked for extra boost and the engine has been fitted with a new high-performance exhaust system – finished with twin stainless-steel tailpipes. Engine outputs are 155kW of power at 6000rpm, and 260Nm of torque from 1850-5500rpm, with 280Nm available for a few seconds on overboost between 2000-5200rpm. It will be mated to a six-speed manual transmission as standard, but there will still be the option of a six-speed automatic with a manumatic mode and shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. Mini says the new engine gets a weight-saving aluminium block and bearing mounts, lighter crankshaft, reinforced pistons and a high-strength cylinder head. The manual transmission gets a fuel saving stop-start system, and the load on the electrical system is reduced by brake energy recapture with the alternator disengaging at high revs – combining to cut your fuel burn by about 500ml per 100km.  

Mini designer Alec Issigonis and performance tweaker John Cooper had a brain explosion in 1964 and developed a model with twin motors. Cooper crashed it, spent eight months in hospital and the idea was officially shelved. It hasn't stopped many backyard mechanics from having a go ever since, including Brisbane dentist Bill Westerman."Five years ago I was drinking beer with my friend Fred Sayers and we both decided to build one," he says in his garage littered with Mini engines in various states of rebuild. "Right from the word go — when the hangover cleared — we got stuck right into it."His 1964 Mini Cooper S with a "worn-out" 1293cc engine in the front and another in the back is called "Nuts". "Because you have to be nuts to drive it and it's better with two," says Westerman with a cheeky grin."I don't know what I paid for this one. It came from a shell. I had a shed load of Minis at the time. It's a sickness, you know."The graduate dentist began learning his mechanical skills from his first car which was a composite Series II Land Rover he made from two he bought at auction. His love of Minis started with his second purchase in 1969 when he bought a new Cooper S for $2500 and headed off to work in outback Waikerie, South Australia."I realised fairly quickly that what you really need in the outback is a V8, so I bought an XY Falcon ute," he says. "It went through a set of tyres every 6000 miles (9656km), a set of shocks every three months and universal joints at least once a year over those corrugated roads."His next car was a modified VB Commodore V8 wagon donated to the young dentist by Holden. He had it about five years before returning to Brisbane, more study at the University of Queensland and the start of his amateur career racing Minis from 1986 to today."The aim was to race all the circuits in Australia and I've just about done that except for Perth and Darwin," he says. "I've had a lot of fun. Racing has been very good to me. I've always been in the middle of the pack because I didn't spend enough money on the race car to win."His efforts to get more power out of a Mini and get further to the front of the pack led him down the ignominious Issigonis path of a twin-engined model. "We were worried after the first drive as it was an extremely difficult beast to keep on the road," he says. "There has to be co-ordination between the two motors. The gearing is the same and all the internals in the engine are the same, but we set the front so it was revving slightly harder so there is a bit of a pull factor."The revelation that kept the beast on the road came from an article in a 1960s Sportscar World magazine about the Formula One Ferguson all-wheel-drive race car. "We got a lot of hints from that; you need an overdrive diff on the front and back," he says. "We put one in the front and it made a bit of a difference and then we put one in the back and all of a sudden it goes. The diff takes up the front-to-back bias. It used to crab before that."The other major problem was the suspension. "Minis usually understeer, but this one was really taily at the start, not because of the weight in the rear but the front suspension we put in the rear. The problem was the back castor ... it had too much toe-in and we had to remove it. Instead of a steering box and steering geometry we made it into a straight-ahead suspension. Now I can drive it over all the ripple strips and still maintain control of the car. We have handling reasonable so now we are after more horsepower."Two more powerful engines in various stages of rebuild are sitting on the floor of his garage waiting to be thrown into the "Nuts" car. "I have the theoretical knowledge of mechanics to build an engine but Fred has the practical knowledge to make it work," he says. "It's been an interesting engineering exercise."Unfortunately, the car won't be ready in time for the second annual Cootha Classic hillclimb which Westerman organises for the Historic Racing Car Club of Queensland. "Maybe next year," he says.The Cootha Classic will be held on May 29-30 featuring more than 250 cars and about 50 motorcycles from the 1920s to today in timed sprints around a 1450m track up and down Sir Samuel Griffith Drive with seven corners and chicanes.Racing starts at 8.30am. Entry is $20 a day, $15 for concession, $30 for a two-day pass and $5 for parking in the J.C. Slaughter Falls carpark.Visit: www.visitbrisbane.com.au.

"This will be a brand and image shaper for MINI," MINI national manager Shawn Ticehurst says. "We expect it will attract new target groups and grow MINI volumes by greater than 30 per cent to more than 2000for 2005."While not all of the growth will be Cabrio sales – Ticehurst says research shows that when a drop-top model is launched, hard-top versions also enjoy a popularity boost – MINI is expecting to move at least 600 of the new cloth-tops."The small convertible market has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years," Ticehurst says."It started with the Peugeot 206cc and Holden has proven with the Astra convertible that there is a good market for a well-designed small convertible at the right price."The MINI Cabrio will arrive in both the 85kW Cooper and 125kW Cooper S models at $35,900 and $44,900 respectively.A five-speed manual is standard on the Cooper while the Cooper S has the same compact six-speed manual shifter as its hard-top stablemate.A CVT (continuously variable transmission) is a $2200 option on the Cooper while from March a six-speed automatic with a sequential manual mode will be available for the Cooper S for the same premium.Both models come stacked with the same level of specification as the hard-top versions – and the same availability of "personalisation" options that in the most extreme case can lift the cost of a Cooper S to beyond $86,000."MINI owners love to customise their cars to be different," Ticehurst says. "There is a saying in Oxford that you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to see two MINIs exactly the same."The options run from a full John Cooper Works tuning kit – now upgraded to produce a spanking 154kW Cooper S – at $9850 through bonnet stripes, xenon headlights, rain sensor wipers, satellite navigation, automatic airconditioning, a range of 17 and 18-inch light alloy rims, a high-spec Harman Kardon sound system and a wind deflector.Another personalisation option is the choice of three colours – black, green and blue – for the cloth roof to co-ordinate or contrast with the 12 available body colours, two of which – hot orange and cool blue – are exclusive to the Cabrio.The fully automatic folding roof will drop in two stages in 15 seconds either from a button inside the car or from outside using the remote key fob. The "integrated sunroof" function allows a first-stage opening of 400mm at speeds of up to 120km/h.The Cabrio claims a safety rating equivalent to the hard-top with four airbags.Mechanically, the main difference between Cabrio and the hard-top is in the suspension, where the settings have been shifted down a notch towards a softer ride. The Cooper S has the Sport setting – Sports-Plus in the hard-top – while the Cooper Cabrio is fitted with the standard suspension against the Sports in the hard-top model.Structurally the Cabrio has been stiffened through the A-pillar and along the bottom rails of the cabin section, as well as with a cross member under the seats and through the use of the aluminium cross-brace, which doubles as the rear roll-over loop."Since its launch MINI has seen a fairly strong 70:30 male bias in ownership and while that is softening a little recently we believe the Cabrio will bring more women into the showrooms," Ticehurst says."Obviously we don't want this to be seen as a 'chick's car' ... it is a very worthy sports car in its own right, but it is a style of car which could attract more female buyers."FIRST DRIVEIf you like the MINI there is every chance you will love the MINI Cabrio.The drop-top version of the modern brick has all the same go-kart-like driving characteristics of its hard-top stablemate, the same stylish cabin, the same potential for personalisation with an added dash of look-at-me flair ... and a few extra compromises.Melbourne's weather didn't play fair during the launch drive for the Cabrio this week, with fog and rain reducing the opportunity for top-down and adrenalin-up testing.Consequently, a judgment on the level of scuttle shake noted by several overseas reviews will have to wait until a more thorough test drive but it was not obvious with the clever sliding/folding cloth roof in place.What was noticeable was the effect of the softer suspension settings nominated for the Cabrio models.For the hard-top versions MINI Australia had opted for the firm Sports-Plus setting on the Cooper S and the slightly more compliant Sport on the Cooper.That has been wound back a notch further with the Cooper having standard settings and the Cooper S the basic Sport package.While the effect on the Cooper is minimal, the difference in the Cooper S ride is fairly dramatic. The car is more prone to being jiggly over broken surfaces and has a certain nervousness to its ride quality.The Cooper S, coupled to the six-speed Getrag manual, remains a barrel of fun with its 125kW and 220Nm on tap and willing over a good spread of the rev range.Even the extra 100kg of the Cabrio and the softer suspension cannot take away the fun factor.Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the 85kW Cooper with the CVT automatic.Using the "manual" shift mode with six nominated "ratios" does little to improve the experience as the box is more interventionist than US foreign policy.It changes up without being asked and resists changing down even when requested.Steering and handling remain sharp. There is still a slight propensity for push understeer if too aggressive with the wheel input – but it does take quite gross movements to induce it.The rear seating positions have been compromised, presumably squeezed to make room for the workings of the automatic folding roof.The upshot is that rear-seat passengers have been forced to sit at a rather awkward angle by the intrusion into the outsides of theseat space.For a single-layer roof the Cabrio's cloth-top is a benchmark.Wind noise is at a minimum, the fit is drum-tight and there was no noticeable stretch or drumming of the roof on the launch vehicles driven.Operation is a simple one-button affair with no manual catches to release.The first 400mm of the roof travel is a slide rearwards, opening up what MINI calls the "integrated sunroof".While that operation can be done at up to 120km/h the folding and storage of the remainder requires the car to be stationary for about 15 seconds.With the roof down, wind buffeting is not a major issue, at least for the front-seat occupants – an advantage of the (relatively) huge upright windscreen.To aid loading of the boot the rear skirt of the roof can be lifted when the tailgate is dropped, providing a quite large opening for difficult-sized objects.

The popularity of the legendary Mini has surprised most, especially BMW, which admits it underestimated just how successful the reborn brick would be.With the introduction of the Mini Cabrio – which will go on sale after the Sydney Motor Show – this popularity is expected to further cement the little three-door hatch's place in the market.A price premium of less than $8000 is expected on both Mini Cooper Cabrio and Mini Cooper S Cabrio models over their fixed-roof counterparts. That would make the Cooper Cabrio about $42,000 and the Cooper S Cabrio about $47,000.Mini has made a significant contribution to the success of the BMW Group: "In all, we have sold more than 400,000 Minis since its introduction not quite three years ago," says BMW board member Burkhard Goschel.The Mini Cabrio is a real looker with the roof down. It rises slightly to the rear and the waistline gives the car a sporty profile accentuated by a chrome strip.The Mini is renowned for its go-kart-like abilities, precise handling and generally fun characteristics and the Cabrio does not disappoint.It was surprisingly quiet with the top down – high in the mountains the wind nearly knocked you over when outside the car but felt like a light breeze when inside due to the high-pitched windscreen, high windows and standard wind deflector. (The wind deflector double folds to the size of an A4 sheet of paper and about 2cm thick when not in use.)Rear vision is compromised with the top off and the wind deflector in place but it is expected the Cooper S Cabrio will receive a standard reverse-parking aid.With the roof closed the boot is 165 litres, and 120 litres when it is open.Flexing noises were heard with the roof closed, only a tiny amount of scuttle shake was felt and there was no steering kickback. Even in the wet the 15-inch wheels did not want to let go.The Cabrio has a 1.6-litre engine that produces 85kW at 6000rpm and a top speed of 193km/h. It consumes just 7.3L per 100km.Despite a revised five-speed gearbox with shortened throw, the Cooper Cabrio's 150Nm of torque let it down, especially as it carries 100kg more than the fixed-roof model.Despite being able to corner at fast speeds the gearbox was unable to pull the 1175kg out in the same gear, meaning the car was either over-revved in second or struggling in third.The Cabrio is, however, just as nimble as its roofed counterpart, featuring larger and sturdier body parts, an extra-strong floor pan and side sills, along with additional V-struts between the underbody and the rear axle and stiffening between the engine mount and strut tower to provide further reinforcement.The side sills' thickness has been increased and reinforcement pockets have been integrated, increasing body stiffness and preventing the door sills deforming in a head-on collision. The underbody has been reinforced with new crossbars in the area of the B-pillar.The Cabrio has two front airbags, two seat-integrated side airbags, a reinforced A-pillar and a roll-over bar capable of holding three times the car's weight.While the back seat room is not huge it can take two people in relative comfort.All Mini models gain a new headlight design, and tail lights with clear glass covers. Xenon headlights are optional.The Cooper Cabrio adds Hot Orange and Cool Blue paint to its palette and the Cooper S Hyper Blue, bringing to 10 the number of paint options. There are 11 upholstery options, nine interior variants, three roof colours and seven different light-alloy wheels.Buyers can opt to colour-code one of four exterior paint colours to the dash panel, replacing the brushed-aluminium look.You can also opt for a round centre instrument panel for the fuel gauge and the coolant temperature, run-flat and service-interval indicators. All Australian specifications are yet to be finalised.The Cooper S Cabrio will come with a new supercharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 125kW at 6000rpm and a revised six-speed manual gearbox. Maximum torque is 220Nm at 4000rpm. The supercharged sun lover hits 100km/h in 7.4 seconds and a top speed of 215km/h, 0.2 seconds and 7km/h down on the fixed-roof model.