Mini JCW Convertible

Fast enough to keep the rain out

By SiMan / Tuesday, 10 February 2009 / Loading comments

* Appropriate weather not included

A convertible version of the high-performance John Cooper Works MINI has been unveiled and the company has announced it will be built in the UK.

The cars will be assembled at the Swindon and Oxford MINI plants and will have the same lightweight 211bhp 1.6-litre engine found in the hatch version. The twin scroll turbochargers and 'Overboost' feature allow for a brief burst of extra power. Torque remains the same with 190 lb/ft on tap, and up to 206 lb/ft with overboost selected.

Top speed is just 2mph off the hatch version at 146mph, and the 0-60 time rises by just 0.4 seconds to 6.9 for the convertible - not bad considering the extra weight incurred in strengthening the open-top body (though MINI haven't divulged the drop top's curbweight just yet).

Same-old new interior

The plethora of confusing acronyms remains, with no-less than six separate electronic systems to keep you on the black stuff. We just hope that the poise and balance of the tin-top isn't altered too negatively by lopping the roof off.

The only other changes from the hatch version are at the corners, where new 17" lightweight cross-spoke alloys are wrapped in run-flat tyres. It may also get some of the stranger features of the latest MINI convertible, such as the 'Openometer', which tells you how much time you had the roof down.

The JCW Convertible will be available from 28th March 2009, hopefully just in time for some more appropriate weather. At any rate, with a pricetage of £23,470, it'll have to be pretty special.