Cabrio clash to wow Geneva

By Jack Rix

05th February 2009

Retro styling and retractable roofs will be the order of the day for Europe’s first major motor show of 2009! Auto Express has learned that the MINI and Fiat 500 will lock horns at Geneva in March with new topless variants.

We’ve already driven the Cooper S Convertible on Page 30, but MINI has something special for visitors to the Swiss event: an even more powerful John Cooper Works model. This will borrow mechanicals from the flagship hatch, and produce 211bhp from a modified version of the Cooper S’s 1.6-litre turbo. Other upgrades are likely to include Brembo brakes, exclusive 17-inch alloys, stiffer springs and a louder exhaust, while a unique bodykit will be an option. But it won’t come cheap – based on the mark-up for the Cooper S Convertible, prices will start from around £23,000.

Confirmed on Fiat’s Geneva stand is the open-air 500. As with the Fifties original, it will get a roll-back roof, allowing the C-pillars and rear side windows to remain where they are, and giving the Convertible the same stunning silhouette as the tin-top 500.

Engines will be carried over from the hatch, with 1.2 and 1.4-litre petrol units and a 1.3 Multijet diesel. A hot Abarth version is set to follow as a rival to MINI’s JCW Convertible, with a 1.4-litre turbo producing 135bhp or 158bhp. This hasn’t been confirmed to debut at Geneva, but it could be the show’s surprise package.