Premiering on 1 April 2012 the time-honoured British brand adds a compact luxury caravan and suitably stylish roof-top tent to its product range. Formula: maximum touring pleasure on a minimal footprint. Munich. The MINI feels very much at home just about anywhere on the planet. And soon the world will also be the oyster of MINI drivers and their entourages. 12 days on from the “official†start of spring, MINI can announce its arrival among the ranks of camping outfitters. A sumptuously appointed caravan with two sleeping bays and a roof-top tent (also designed for two) in the classic John Cooper Works colour scheme will whet the appetite for do-it-yourself summer holidays peppered with spur-of-the-moment detours along the way. The British premium car maker is very literally inviting us all to dream, while reinforcing its status as a universal supplier of stylish mobility solutions. Its aim is clear: following the unveiling of the MINI Clubvan Concept – the first MINI for everyday business use – at the Geneva Motor Show in early March 2012, come 1 April it will be time to offer customers a very MINI holiday experience as well. As style-conscious globetrotters have long recognised, the MINI gets a warm welcome wherever it goes. And the MINI Countryman reaches those parts even its siblings hesitate to venture. Having found that perfect spot, however, what we’ve been lacking has been a suitably MINI, suitably impromptu way of bedding down for the night. Enter the “Cowley†caravan, offering everything you need to pitch camp in comfort: two welcoming sleeping berths, 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. “Maximum touring pleasure on a minimal footprint†is the formula for this exclusive pied-à -terre on wheels, very much in the spirit of the creative use of space for which MINI is renowned. The silhouette of the Cowley brings to mind the sweeping circular curves of the door trim inside a MINI. Plus, both side doors have sliding windows, as was the way of things in the Classic Mini up to 1969. The eye-catching trailer is only 12 centimetres (under five inches) wider than a MINI Clubman mirror to mirror and weighs just under 300 kilograms (661 lb). Indeed, with its outstanding agility and fleetness of foot, there’s no danger of the hallmark MINI driving fun being left behind over long journeys. For cars like the John Cooper Works top sports models where a trailer coupling is not an option, the “Swindon†roof-top tent provides a neat solution. The tent can be fitted easily to the roof of a MINI, MINI Clubman or MINI Countryman, and likewise offers sleeping space for two people. All of which makes those stressful last-minute searches for accommodation “so last holidayâ€. Having found a fittingly dreamy place to catch a stylish night’s shut-eye, it’s just a case of climbing up onto the roof of the MINI, lifting up the upper half of the roof-top tent box and plumping your pillows ready for impact. The roof-top tent works a treat, whether the location for your beauty sleep is the English shires or the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Indeed, should you have chosen one of nature’s livelier spots to spend the night, the elevated sleeping position will keep passers-by from the animal world at arm’s length. 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, 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. Neutral fans, meanwhile, could find refuge in the MINI Hotel International.
I'll second all that. Too bad they'll both be outrageously overpriced. On the other hand, given the reference to 1 April I wonder... :skep:
A friend of ours has one of these that they tow with their clubman. Little Guy Teardrop Trailers - Home
There are a whole slew of media outlets that are posting this Press Release from MINI with commentary that makes it sound as if they don't get the joke. Here is one that seemingly did not get the joke. http://www.examiner.com/rving-in-national/accessorize-your-mini-with-a-tear-drop-trailer-or-roof-top-tent
Wow, now that it is a weekday more and more media outlets are jumping on this. Really is amazing just how many have fallen for the joke and are reporting this as real news. Examples: BMW MINI goes camping MINI camping options are cozy and fun for wilderness adventures or tailgating in style
Here's one that looks like they swallowed it hook, line and sinker...until the last paragraph... MINI Goes Camping With Cowley And Swindon Concepts
I guess its best to read all the post or pay attention to the details...ie the plates MINI you got me again. Still it would be a cool idea. I was looking for part numbers on that trailer and roof box camper..I was gonna try and order em. MINI Fooled me.
LOL... I didn't even notice the license plates! I'd be concerned about the weight of 2 people on the roof-top box. The tear-drop could definately be done but, IMHO, you should go for a more lightly spec'd trailer. The full wood cabinets and batteries for the solar panels are going to ramp that trailer up over a 1,400 weight very quickly and it doesn't even have any camping gear in it yet. You can, though, put together a lighter teardrop (the LittleGuy.com site linked above would be a great place to start... see their 5-foot wide unit) and have some weight capacity left over for gear / cooler / etc. I'm conservative when it comes to towing weight though... I'm sure you could tow that rig they have pictured with a MINI, but I'm not sure that I'd want to. CAN and SHOULD are two different words. My little trailer weighs 550 lbs with just the AC unit and the basics in there (they guy at the truck stop who weighed it asked me if the trailer was even on the pad it was so light). Even if I pile 200 lbs of gear in there (doubtful), I'm still inside of a safe range for the MINI and the capacity of the trailer. I'm still tempted every now and then to get a cream colored vinyl to match my Pepper White MCS and wrap the trailer so it matches.