I kind of like the look of it. And love the idea of my scoop not melting. I'm currently on number 3! The most recent one I had melted in under a month. Granted, a week of that month was spent zipping around the mountains of North Carolina! But I agree, not sure if it's worth $400. If I'm going to spend that I might as well just get the carbon fiber scoop.
Are you aware that MINI developed an add on aluminum heat shield in conjunction with the revised scoop?. Had mine replaced under warranty, with no problems since.