So I am pretty sure about this one, but I just want to be sure. A cooper s r52's engine is indeed the same one found in the cooper s r53 correct?

 

Yes same engine...only difference is the convertible stuff :-)

 

It depends on which R52 you are talking about because BMW changed the engine in April of 2007 changing a few things to make it more like th 53. Before then it was more like the R50. Example being the brake line attachment at the calipers went from a banjo to a 10mm. My R52 convertible S was built 06/2007...two months after and I have to make sure I am getting the correct version part.

 

Believe it or not, there are gen 1 convertibles that have drivetrain like R50. Should they be called R51?

 

Yep my R52 Cooper is very close to the R50 7/2004. I think one of the main differences in the Convertible and Hardtop that people dont know is all that additional structural bracing. The convertible was part of the LCI refresh of the Gen 1.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didnt the r52s run a supercharger all the way through 2008, while the r53s went to a turbo in 2007?

 

Correct. Well, sort of. R52 and R53 were available normally aspirated or supercharged (S.) Hardtops went to a turbo (one the S models) in 2007, but were no longer R53s.

 

Incorrect. Well. Sort of. R53 with normally aspirated engine by definition, or more precisely - by designation, is not R53 but R50.

 

Crap. So hard to keep straight. So strange that they designated the other models by engine, but not the convertible.

 

Does the Chili Red R52 happen to have the Chili Red shift ****?