By: IOL Motoring Staff
Oxford, England - Mini is calling it a design model; we call it a special edition. Either way, the Mini Seven - named for the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven - is the first specialty model of the current generation.
Available in an exclusive bluer-than-blue metallic paint finish with silver roof and mirror housings, the Seven has signature door-sill liners and side scuttles with the Mini Seven logo, and runs on special two-tone 17 inch rims.
It also comes in black, white or British Racing Green, each with silver roof and mirrors, and silver bonnets strips are an option with any of the four colours.
Inside, you get sports seats fished in a special brown leather/fabric mix, and a Mini Seven logo on the central instrument that surrounds the standard-issue 6.5 inch colour display, as well as Mini Connect, Bluetooth handsfree with USB audio, dual-zone auto aircon, matching floor mats and a storage compartment pack.
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The Seven also has an exclusive option pack, the Seven Chili, including soft black leather upholstery and a special multifunction steering wheel covered in nappa leather with hand-stitched seams, as well as LED headlights and cruise control with brake function. Additional options include a panorama glass roof, heatable front seats, satnav, and a Harmon Kardon sound system .
The Mini Seven will be released in South Africa in July 2016, in both three and five-door format, with a choice of either 100kW, 1.5-litre, Cooper three-cylinder turbopetrol power or the 141kW, two-litre Cooper S turbopetrol four. Prices will be announced closer to the time, says BMW South Africa.