Some automakers celebrate their birthdays with special editions. Some celebrate with big parties. Mini has celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Frankfurt Motor Show with not one, but two new performance-oriented models. Now that’s more like it.

Okay, so they also unveiled a couple of special editions, called Camden and Mayfair. And they’re throwing a little shindig at their show stand later on. But forget those for a minute and feast your eyes on the Coupe Concept and Roadster Concept. We’ve already brought you details on both, but the jubilant BMW division took the wraps – or rather, the cake – off the pair at a press conference here at the show. And while they were at it, they confirmed that both are headed for production, expanding the Mini line-up to no less than six models: hatch, cabrio, Clubman, the upcoming crossover and the Roadster and Coupe in question.

Whether the hounds-tooth interior on the Roadster makes it to production, however, remains to be seen. It’ll take them a little while to gear up the Oxford factory, but given that both are essentially the same as the existing models below the belt-line, it shouldn’t take all that long.Complimenting the Mini Coupe Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show is another two-seater, this time minus a roof. A roadster version of the Mini has been rumored and rendered for quite some time (and teased in some bizarro videos), and now the Mini Roadster Concept has finally arrived in the flesh. Similar in character to the Coupe Concept, the Roadster focuses on fun behind the wheel with a sportier approach to the Mini way of motoring.

In the case of the Roadster Concept, ditching the standard Mini’s rear seat not only focuses the vehicle as a sports car, it also provides a place for the manually folding canvas roof to stow. Due to the compact design of the top, luggage capacity remains unchanged whether the top is down or up, and a luggage pass-through door from passenger compartment to trunk allows occupants to reach stowed luggage from inside the car.

The 1.6L twin-scroll turbocharged engine from the Cooper S finds its way under the Roadster Concept’s bonnet to provide 175 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque (192 lb-ft with the Overboost function that temporarily raises boost pressure during spirited driving). Visually, the shorter, more aggressively raked windscreen and higher waistline of the Mini Roadster Concept immediately distinguish it as being different from the four-seater Minis, while the car’s reconfiguration also allows for even sportier road holding and driving qualities, according to Mini.

Could the Mini Roadster be coming soon to a road near you? That will largely depend on a positive reaction here in Frankfurt.

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More Excellent Mini Cars in www Auto Com:
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under MINI, Convertibles, Coupes, Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Auto Show, Frankfurt Motor Show. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.