I was at the dealer today (MINI of Ontario - California) and they had a JCW Roadster on the showroom floor. Apparently the car is being rotated around all the dealers in So Cal over the next couple of weeks. Ontario MINI got it yesterday and they send it off to the next dealer on Sunday, so if you live in So Cal, it's coming your way. If you're on your local dealer's email list, you'll get an email telling you when it will be there. My MA didn't know if they were doing this anywhere else in the country. It was black with black interior and red interior trim. The seats were black cloth with red stitching, also very sharp. All around, the car looked GREAT! For whatever reason it still had the camouflage vinyl that you see in the spy pictures on the web on the back end of the car. It's a beautiful car and I absolutely loved the way that the roof folded flat an into a recess behind the seats. The folded roof wasn't covered by a body panel, but unlike the MC cabrio, it still looked very clean and finished with the top down. When I sat in the coupe last month I felt a little claustrophobic but the roadster with the top down was great and with the roof folded down into that recess there was no blind spot and visibility was terrific. Very nice car and it should be a big hit. Having said all this, my SO MCS rolled off the Torrens today and I could have it as soon as Sunday according to my MA! Maybe the Roadster will replace this one in a few years.

 

I think they still have the camo vinyl on it because the car hasn't be officially released yet to dealers for sales. So they made a public announcement of it but since you won't be able to buy them until 2012 I guess they have to keep the camo on. I am curious to see what it is like in person.

 

If I understood you correctly, a mini roadster had a cloth interior. That seems really odd to me as all the flip tops I've seen have leather/leatherette interiors which are a bit more forgiving if the car ever gets rained on with the top down.

 

I also saw the Roadster at MoO, and shot some pictures that you can see here: Facebook New MINI Roadster album I got to sit in it and put the top up and down. It can be done from the driver's seat, although lifting it up from behind may take a bit more upper body strength than is comfortable for some folks. I think this particular car may be a pre-production, as I noticed that while it's a JCW, it had the non-chromed fuel filler flap. The boot is impressively roomy, and there's a pass-through door for long items. There isn't a cover for the folded top, but the front portion of the folded top snaps into the top of the well, giving it a clean appearance. I think this is going to be a good seller for MINI!

 

I have a convertible with cloth. At least in South Florida with the heat, cloth is preferable over leather or vinyl.

 

Jallen
Thanks for the "education". It does make sense now that you pointed it out!

 

When will there be a page for the coupe. I know they are for sale everywhere now.
So who else has one?

Wife wants a matching one to her 07 Laser Blue S. Or whatever blue is close.

 

The coupe vert goes on sale in Feb?