It’s a funny thing that one notices when lapping in a little convertible. 100 miles per hour in the MINI Cooper S Convertible feels much faster than 135 does in the Shelby GT500.
My pit lane notes from the IMPA test days at Pocono Raceway are pretty simple when it comes to the lidless MINI.
Ditto Cooper S, just slower
The Cooper S Convertible handles almost exactly the same as the hard top that I drove earlier in the day. The only real difference was that the cornering limits were substantially lower given the less aggressive rubber on this particular car. It still is incredibly responsive, reacting to even the tiniest steering, throttle or brake input immediately. These cars just love to be tossed around a race track.
Where the biggest difference seems to be is in all out speed. A quick glance at the MINI USA web site shows some small disparity in the numbers that feel much greater on the track. The supercharged Cooper S Convertible produces 168 hp/162 ft/lb where the hardtop Cooper S sports a turbo that pushes out 172 hp/177 ft/lb. An extra 4 ponies and 15 lb/ft of torque don’t sound like much, but the tin top just feels much faster coming off the corners. At the top end, I was only able to get the convertible up to about 110 mph, where the Cooper S was closer to 120.
Does that mean the ragtop is any less fun? Not on your life. The car is a howl to drive.
There only complaint I had about the car was one I heard from several other testers as well. The rear view mirror has got to go. The windshield is quite small and the rear view mirror is HUGE. On approach to right hand turns it is impossible to look ahead on the track, because the mirror blocks most people’s view. I would think this could be a concern on the street too. There must be some sort of slim line racing mirror available somewhere on these internets that would solve the blockage.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the slightly less aggressive MINI Cooper S Convertible. We’ll have to try to get some seat time in one next spring for a more traditional road test.
1 comment so far ↓
Gary thanks for the post!!! I don’t feel so bad now by not waiting till 09 to get the “newer” convertible. I wonder if the difference in the overall speed isn’t so much the engine but rather the weight difference in the two cars??? Oh… did both Minis you drove have 17″ tires on them as well???
As for the mirror, I had the same issue with a Grand Am GT I used to own, but was able to rotate it to the top of the windshield to increase visibility, but don’t think the Mini has that much room to spare!! Thanks for the info!!! Will let you know how the roads in SPAIN treat me in my Pepper White Convertible S!!!!
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