I’ve long considered the Mini to be a strong segment contender, but I never thought I’d ever compare it to The Godfather film trilogy. After the release of the Clubman and Convertible models I’ve realised the Cooper trio may be more like Coppola’s award-winning adaptions of the famous novel than expected.
My experience of the brand has been somewhat backward you see. The very first Mini I drove was a Clubman, when BMW launched the quirky five-door here. At the time, everyone was on about its split side-hinged rear doors and rear-hinged “clubdoor” – also inappropriately known as ‘suicide doors’. Some saw it as nothing more than a glorified station wagon (which BMW is quick to correct, mind you), and others saw a niche level of retro-cool not yet exploited by the large automotive firms of this world.
Much like the first Godfather film, the Clubman (which, again, was the first one I drove) is thoroughly original and despite the shock of the club door opening on the driver’s side, when it should actually be on the passenger’s half so that rear seat occupants don’t step out into oncoming traffic, the nature of Mini became crystal clear to me – they’re supposed to be fun to drive. And they are, they’re just expensive. Anyway, with big-brother BMW’s back-up, we’ve no argument about handing over “protection” money for the’ just in case something breaks’ scenario…
The second Mini I experienced was the John Cooper Works. And just like the second film, it is undoubtedly the best of the bunch, with strong performances (The Godfather was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won six, whilst the Mini JCW put on quite an impressive performance at the Hot Hatch Performance issue shootout).
Both are a sequel and prequel, as the second movie delves deep into the family’s past while continuing with the present plot, while the JCW has successfully grabbed the baton from the previous Mini generation (on which JCW was just an optional kit as opposed to the standalone model it is today), and is a powerful nod to the original Monte Carlo Rally-winning Cooper S models of old.
Still, it’s a bit pricy for the amount of car you’re getting in return, but with a cracking engine, legendary handling and a free body kit (extra aero kit is optional in other markets, but BMW SA has offerd it as standard here) – it’s an offer really hard to refuse if you have what it takes to drive the Mini JCW every day.
Lastly, we have the Cooper convertible – a late addition to the line-up, just like the third instalment of The Godfather. It’s more like the Cooper hatchback than the Clubman, for it features similar dimensions and specifications but just without the roof and less space -similar to the less conventional, but still dramatic, final movie.
Ultimately, the Cooper Convertible remains fun to drive but suffers from pandering to the posers with silly gadgets like the “always-open” top-down timer – a lot like the much-debated placement of Sofia Coppola in the role of Mary.
Nevertheless, be it the greatest gangster flick of all time or the fantastic remake of an automotive icon, you’ve got to experience at least one in your lifetime.