The top may be manual but the execution is mechanical.
Car and Driver observes,
The top is manual, a center-mounted latch on the windshield header allowing it to be jettisoned on the fly by Vitamin D addicts in need of a sudden fix. When stowed, the top rises no higher than the bodywork, preserving both the chopped Mini’s sleek styling and a semblance of rearward vision (unlike the Cooper convertible). Raising the roof is made easier by a button between the rollover bars that activates pneumatic springs. These springs release the top from its stowage well and pop it into a more easily reachable position.
We have but one gripe with the Roadster’s fabric roof at this point: it comes only in black, “in keeping with British roadster tradition,” according to Mini. Considering that its tin-topped twin brother offers a choice of three contrasting colors for its roof—with optional racing stripes available to match the body, no less—we half expected the Roadster to have racing stripes sewn into the fabric. But basic black it is—all the more reason to keep it stowed.
