So what happened while rainbow, brown and brook trout slashed at dry flies and nymphs in cascades and pools near the headwaters of the San Joaquin? Lo and behold, (to stay in a tone of natural reverence), MINI debuted the topless Roadster concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Even the Honda S2000 forums have nice things to say about it. The offical MINI press release advises that it might be powered by the 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbocharged engine already featured in the MINI Cooper S that delivers maximum output of 128 kW/175 hp and peak torque of 240 Newton-metres/177 lb-ft increasing briefly with the Overboost function to an even more superior 260 Newton-metres/192 lb-ft. According to Ian Robertson, a member of the MINI Board of Directors, quoted by the New York Times, the Roadster's roof is 2.36 inches lower than on the MINI hatch to reduce the weight of the car and lower the center of gravity. Although not yet announced, expect to see production for the 2011 model year.
Unfortunately, according to the Automotive News, the Roadster presently has a manual convertible roof. Maybe MINI will fix that before it goes into production. It does have Buddy radar which locates other MINI drivers near you.
The Truth About Cars doesn't believe the Coupe and Roadster are MINIs. Instead, with a trunk and a "three box" design concept, it calls them "Riley Elfs," Everyone else is calling the Coupe and Roadster the "Oxford Twins."
In case you missed it, here is the third "Untamed Video" that MINI released before the debut of the Roadster.
Finally, while we were away Gizmodo showed us solutions for the high cost of gasoline for car campers - the "Camper Bike" and a better way for the homeless to use grocery carts - the "Camp Kart."
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
