5 July 2001: The all-new MINI One and MINI Cooper were shown to the Irish motoring press this week, and the cars will be officialy launched in Dublin on Friday, 20 July 2001.

'Drop dead gorgeous’ whichever way you look at them, the new MINIs are indeed well proportioned and cleverly designed.

The two versions so far available come with different specifications and a range of option packs. The MINI One has single body colours while the more sporty MINI Cooper comes with a white roof and outside mirrors as well as having chrome features. However the Cooper can be ordered in one body colour in which case the door mirrors revert back to black.

In the design phase, designers say the parameter importance was to keep the wheel spacing as wide as possible to achieve a low centre of gravity providing a unique road handling experience.

The MINI Cooper can do the 62mph trip in 9.2 seconds and can return around 44mpg on the combined cycle. By comparison, the MINI One does the 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds and returns a fairly similar fuel consumption.

On the safety side, the MINI comes with ABS, and Electronic Braking Distribution (EBD). Driver and passenger are protected by front and side airbags integrated into the seats as standard. As an option, the MINI also offers a head airbag system to provide maximum protection for all passengers.

Michael Nugent, marketing manager of Motor Import Ltd - who distribute BMW and MINI cars in Ireland, said he expected the MINI will be personalised to a great degree by buyers. He added that most of their enquiries so far are coming from their dedicated website at www.mini.ie which was specially set up for the Irish market.

He said all BMW dealers throughout Ireland have had their staff specially trained to service the MINIs.

For the initial launch, the MINI One and MINI Cooper can be bought at only three selected BMW dealerships. These are Maxwell Motors Limited, Blackrock; N Conlan & Sons Ltd, Rathangan, Co Kildare and Kevin O’Leary Motor Group, Silversprings, Cork. Further dealers will be appointed later.

Due to availability, less than 150 cars will be sold in Ireland for the rest of this year and with restrictions expected to continue next year, the Irish allocation is unlikely to be more than 450 units. But Michael Nugent anticipates annual sales of 1,000 units are possible in future years.

Prices start at £15,672 for the MINI One while you will pay £17,720 for the MINI Cooper. A high powered Cooper S will be available early next year for £21,264. TW