Lot 22 - 2006 Mini Cooper 'S' Convertible

ABOUT THIS CAR

‘When I tested an R50 MINI Cooper back in 2002 I reckoned it was the most fun car there was. Not the fastest by a long way. It didn’t need to be. The combination of size, grip and handling simply made it hugely enjoyable to drive at any speed it was capable of, even fairly slowly. The R52 MINI Cooper S convertible is not the same thing at all. It’s a lot faster. It’s a lot stiffer. And, with the top down, it’s more like driving a very powerful go-kart.’ ”Honest John.co.uk" Road Test Mini Cooper ‘S’ Convertible September 19^th, 2005.

Admittedly this is not something we here at Berlinetta would normally take on but when a good customer of ours phoned asking us to help sell a friend of his’ new (well, new by our and perhaps your standards) Mini Cooper ‘S’ with ‘barely run-in’ mileage, we were intrigued. A quick look at the couple of shots he emailed over to us and we were happy to help out; nothing to do with the Alvis he is looking to sell of course!

When the new generation Mini was launched by parent company BMW in 2000 many who remember the 1950s, 70s, 80s and 90s version (no one could remember the 1960s models because if you could remember the 1960s, you weren’t there man…) were initially a little sniffy. Bigger in all directions, some thought it was not worthy of the Mini moniker but once people got behind the wheel and realised the spirit of Issigonis’ original was very much alive and kicking in the new incarnation, fans new and old flocked to the showrooms, many prepared to part with far from mini sums of money to join the new revolution. Cooper and Cooper ‘S’ variants reinforced the links to the original machine though the performance and driving experience was right up there with the best of the noughties City Hatches. A full convertible went where the original had failed to go (at least officially) and the new family was well on its way to the current line-up which seems to encompass a Mini of every possible shape, size and purpose.

Delivered new to the one and only owner in January 2006, this ‘Pepper White’ Cooper ‘S’ convertible cost her a not insubstantial £21,910 which then rose to a final total of £22,790 once the Mini Dealer Robert Stern of Worcester had added a few niceties such as the ‘TLC’ service package, a wind deflector and a tank of ‘Mini Fuel’ (surely a brand extension too far?). Specified with the ‘Chili Pack’, (which endowed the Mini with desirable options such as a leather sports steering wheel, 17” Bullet alloy wheels, floor mats, height adjustable seating, front fog lights, xenon headlights with washers and air conditioning,) plus paddle shifting six speed automatic gearbox, chrome line exterior pack with chrome door mirrors, this Mini lacks for nothing. Add in ‘Gravity’ black leather interior and satellite navigation which themselves added close to £2,000 to the bill, the original of which is in the car’s file, and you can appreciate just how much box ticking was carried out on the order form.

With just over 13,500 miles under its wheels, there is a limit to what can usefully be said about the Cooper’s condition. Those miles and nine years have, it is fair to say, moved the car very slightly away from its original showroom condition though having come untouched from the owner, a valet and detailing session could very well return it to a virtually ‘as new’ state. The bodywork is completely unmarked as is the unforgiving white paintwork while the interior looks to all intents and purposes brand new with the leather being slightly ruched when new and no real evidence of ‘PP’ (posterior polishing) to the seats since then. The plastics both inside and out remain unscratched and free from cracks aside from one small star to the near-side rear light cover and even that took some spotting. The contrasting black wheel arches, valences and sills could be smartened up slightly with an application of the appropriate dressing but they are unmarked.

The fabric of the super-insulated hood is in similarly good order and the powered raising and lowering mechanism works perfectly with the option of having it half open (or half closed for the pessimists amongst our readers) mimicking an old school sunroof. The glass rear screen is unblemished though we were regrettably unable to test the efficiency of the heated rear window.

Those optional Bullet wheels are generally in good condition though the near-side pair have picked up a couple of slight kerb scuffs and the few £ it would cost to have these refurbished might be money well spent to bring them up to the same standard as the rest of the car. Dunlop 205/45 tyres with a good amount of tread left are fitted all round and the slight cracking to the rears advised at the last MOT possibly indicates they are original to the car.

Mechanically, as one would expect, the car is without obvious fault, starting on the first turn of the key and driving like, well a new car. The 163 brake horse power, supercharged engine pulls very well and yet is completely without temperament – probably not the case with an A Series engine giving even half that power. The paddle shift gear change is great fun to use, though the gearbox can be left to its own devices as traffic conditions or the driver’s mood dictates. The suspension feels taught and alive with no untoward bangs or crashes even when on some typically ravaged English country roads. As far as we were able to test, all the myriad buttons and controls work perfectly.

Underneath all is tidy and undamaged if not sparkling clean though it sports only a coating of road grime with no fluid leaks of any kind evident either on the car or the pristine grey painted concrete where it had been parked for the last week or so – would that Berlinetta’s garage floor was as well finished and stain free.

A very full set of instruction books, owner’s manuals and handbooks reside in their ‘Mini’ logoed folder, and the car’s original order form is also present. The current V5C is of course in the car’s file along with the MOT certificate valid until December this year and Dealer Service History carried out on a mileage basis though another one is now due. The aforementioned wind break is in its tailored ‘Mini’ bag in the boot, along with a custom car cover, complete with (another) Mini logo.  

While we heartily recommend a personal inspection of the car in the flesh, our photo gallery is designed to be a ‘warts and all’ representation of the car for those unable to physically inspect it. If a picture looks a little pointless, please examine it closely as it is probably there to highlight some small blemish that is not perhaps immediately obvious.

An ‘as new’ future classic for potentially a quarter of its original cost, we can see that this Mini Cooper ‘S’ will be an appealing proposition.

Registration number: VU55 JXR

Chassis Number: WHWRH32090TK51025

Engine Number: D2590665