Mini is mining its history for special editions and will offer the Mini Seven, named after the Austin Seven model, one of two original versions of the small hatch sold alongside the nearly identical Morris Mini Minor. While buyers won't get the Austin hood badge with their two-door or four-door hardtops -- those can be bought on eBay if you're into that sort of thing -- they will get plenty of exclusive appearance options from an already extensive catalog of interior and exterior items.
For starters, there will be four different exterior paint options: Lapisluxury blue, pepper white, British racing green and midnight black, the latter two featuring a metallic finish. Hood stripes and mirror caps finished in melting silver with malt brown surround accents will be standard no matter what body color buyers choose, with all the cars wearing a melting silver roof.
Four exterior color options will be on the menu, including Lapisluxury Blue.
The Seven will also feature an exclusive wheel design with the wheels themselves wearing a two-tone color scheme. They will be available in 17- and 18-inch diameters. The exterior modifications will be rounded out by the side scuttles -- the surround plates on the side indicators -- which will feature "Seven" lettering.
For the inside, buyers will be able to pick out one of four exclusive leather colors, including the signature malt brown, lounge satellite grey, punch carbon black or lounge carbon black. Four dash trim options will be on the menu as well with the Seven offering off-white, carbon black, dark cottonwood and fiber alloy.
Exclusive dash colors will also be offered as part of the Seven special edition pack.
The Seven will offer plenty of other options as well, including the 6.5-inch or 8.8-inch Mini Connected System, a Harman/Kardon stereo, park distance control, power-folding mirrors, a panoramic sunroof, and heated front seats.
The last things to pick are, of course, the bodystyles and engines; a four-door model has been on the menu for a little over a year, though both variants offer the choice of a 1.5-liter three-cylinder producing 134 hp in the Cooper models, or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder good for 189 hp in the Cooper S.
Prices for the Mini Seven will be announced closer to its launch date late this summer.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
