The Mini press conference began normally enough, as Dr. Michael Ganal, BMW board member, stood at the podium and said, "I would like to give you a short overview of last year's retail figures -- this is a tradition here in Detroit." Yes, indeed, just as it's tradition at all BMW press conferences. As Dr. Ganal ran through the numbers, we noted that someone had placed a cute shag-carpeted mat behind the podium for him to stand on. This was the only cute thing we noticed for the next 10 minutes.
Finally, after a lengthy discussion of the redesigned Mini Cooper hatchback, which goes on sale in the U.S. on Feb. 17, Dr. Ganal noted, "The idea of making the Mini Cooper Convertible more attractive seemed to present itself." Right, since it's an old-gen carryover this year.
So Mini created the Sidewalk Package, digging up the name "Sidewalk" from the original Mini annals, according to Jim McDowell, vice president of Mini USA. Really, it's just an optional package, but like most Mini option packages, special details make you want to spend the extra money. Available on both the base Cooper and the S, the Sidewalk includes the Sport and Premium Packages, but you get special black-painted/polished combination wheels and an exclusive leather treatment that's the color of a baseball glove with contrasting light piping. The steering wheel has a black-and-tan wrap.
The car was shown with Sparkling Silver paint. Other colors will be available, says McDowell, but the palette will be more limited than on normal Cooper drop tops. Should you want the Sidewalk treatment, you'll have to wait until mid-April. --Erin Riches
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