MINI Drops the Lid on Two-Seater Roadster Concept, Production Version to Follow Shortly

Joining the Coupe Concept at MINI's Frankfurt motor show stand is the Roadster Concept, a two-seater speedster with a steeply raked windscreen and a more aggressive stance than your 'everyday' four-seater MINI Convertible - though admittedly, an untrained eye may have to look twice to make sure that it's a "different" model. Compared to the coupe, the loss of the controversially styled aluminum top adds some styling points to the Roadster but other than a few other minor cosmetic details, the two models are identical.

The Roadster model gets a lightweight canvas top that opens and closes manually along with the necessary roll bars that are located behind the two seats.

Like the Coupe Concept, the Roadster is based on a faintly modified version of the MINI hatch platform. The two-seater topless MINI measures 3,714 mm (146.2-in.) in length, 1,683 mm (66.3-in.) in width and 1,356 mm (53.4-in.) in height while boot capacity remains the same as that of the coupe at 250 liters.

Under the bonnet, whereas the Coupe is matched to the same turbocharged 1.6-liter, 208hp, 206-lb-ft four-cylinder gasoline engine used in the Cooper S John Cooper Works model, the Roadster settles with the less potent 175HP 1.6 Turbo found in the Cooper S.

Both the Coupe and Roadster models have already been confirmed for series production by Dr.Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of the BMW Group, and are expected to go on sale sometime in 2011. Together with the forthcoming Crossman SUV, the trio of new models will double the firm's portfolio in the next three years.