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IL Insider: JCW Mini Softtop for 2009 Geneva Auto Show
PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain — While we were squirting madly around the 13 curves of the two-mile Circuito Mallorca RennArena in the latest Mini John Cooper Works hardtop, it occurred to us to ask Mini executives about the chances of finally seeing an open-top JCW Mini.
Despite their normally tight-lipped habits, our German hosts chose this sunny moment in the Mediterranean to let it be known that there would indeed be a 208-horsepower convertible of the second-generation R55 Mini unveiled next March at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Deliveries worldwide will start immediately after the Lac Léman debut, in time for the season between spring and fall.
"Expecting this convertible within six months from the JCW coupe launch is not enough time," said a Mini spokesperson, "but we can't wait too long given the special model's typical lifespan for production." So, make it eight months.
Equipmentwise, nothing is earmarked to change dramatically over the new JCW powertrain and drivetrain, nor over the existing Mini convertible roof structure. Pricing can be expected to begin near $33,000. It is being hinted that the already vast range of personalization could be made even more vast with the introduction of the convertible rocket, starting with particularly cheeky upholstery choices and roof designs.
Also expect the convertible JCW to hustle to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, equaling the time for the Works Clubman model and three-tenths of a second behind the coupe version. Given the added 220 pounds of weight over the coupe, there is a good chance that the normally optional front strut sway bar under the hood could become standard kit in some form in order to maintain the bristling drive characteristics.
Of the 240,000 total Minis to be built in a full year, 12,000 are going to be John Cooper Works editions, and 4,000 of these are predicted to end up as convertible JCWs. The U.S. should absorb around 1,200 of that tally.
What this means to you: It's ever so chic and hip and hot and thrilling, and it saves the planet with turbocharging and small capacity and direct injection for a foreseeable combined highway/city rating of 33 mpg. — Matt Davis, Correspondent
Despite their normally tight-lipped habits, our German hosts chose this sunny moment in the Mediterranean to let it be known that there would indeed be a 208-horsepower convertible of the second-generation R55 Mini unveiled next March at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Deliveries worldwide will start immediately after the Lac Léman debut, in time for the season between spring and fall.
"Expecting this convertible within six months from the JCW coupe launch is not enough time," said a Mini spokesperson, "but we can't wait too long given the special model's typical lifespan for production." So, make it eight months.
Equipmentwise, nothing is earmarked to change dramatically over the new JCW powertrain and drivetrain, nor over the existing Mini convertible roof structure. Pricing can be expected to begin near $33,000. It is being hinted that the already vast range of personalization could be made even more vast with the introduction of the convertible rocket, starting with particularly cheeky upholstery choices and roof designs.
Also expect the convertible JCW to hustle to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, equaling the time for the Works Clubman model and three-tenths of a second behind the coupe version. Given the added 220 pounds of weight over the coupe, there is a good chance that the normally optional front strut sway bar under the hood could become standard kit in some form in order to maintain the bristling drive characteristics.
Of the 240,000 total Minis to be built in a full year, 12,000 are going to be John Cooper Works editions, and 4,000 of these are predicted to end up as convertible JCWs. The U.S. should absorb around 1,200 of that tally.
What this means to you: It's ever so chic and hip and hot and thrilling, and it saves the planet with turbocharging and small capacity and direct injection for a foreseeable combined highway/city rating of 33 mpg. — Matt Davis, Correspondent
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