Want to go camping in your Mini? Well, now you can. The company has launched a caravan and a roof-top tent for owners wishing to take their Minis on the open road.
At first, this might seem like an April Fools joke, but it’s not. Mini has unveiled both a caravan and a roof-top tent for more adventurous Mini owners.
The Cowley caravan sleeps two, and, according to Mini, is “sumptuously” trimmed. Despite this, it is small. Not much bigger, in fact, than a Mini. It is 120mm longer than the Clubman and weighs a mere 300kg. It boasts features such as a twin-burner gas-stove, a water tank with pump and dish-washing facility, a solar module to charge the on-board battery and a 230-volt power connection to supply the refrigerator, TV/DVD and hi-fi stereo system. It is also painted in the distinctive colour scheme of John Cooper Works.
The second sleeping option, the Swindon roof-top tent, can accommodate two, and can be fitted atop any Mini Hatch, Clubman or Countryman. According to the company, the design of the roof-top tent box allows it to blend in seamlessly with the Mini when closed. Its lower shell is painted Midnight Black, and the upper opening section in Chili Red – a combination previously the preserve of John Cooper Works models.
This is not the first time that MINI has come up with an eyebrow-raising take on overnight accommodation. During the 2006 football World Cup in Germany, Mini “fan hotels” laid on a whole new dimension in hospitality. Mini cars were converted into comfortable destinations of slumber for followers of the Italian, French and Brazilian national teams – and painted in the respective national colours.