Mini must be thanking its lucky stars for the current heatwave – it’s just unveiled three amazing new Mini-car-based camper vans. Yes, it really is a brand new ‘Mini Adventure’.
The trio each reflect different aspects of camping and festival styles, creating a choice of enjoyable home-from-home camping options for the enthusiastic traveller.
MINI CLUBVAN CAMPER
The MINI Clubvan Camper is the world’s smallest luxury camper van, packed with practical solutions that make it ideal accommodation for an individual on a weekend away.
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MINI COWLEY CARAVAN FOR TWO
* The MINI Cowley is a compact yet comfortable caravan for two people, equipped with a twin-ring gas stove, fridge and sink.
MINI COUNTRYMAN CAMPER
* The MINI Countryman ALL4 Camp with its roof-top tent is the getaway car for an adventurous couple, evoking images of African safari and expedition vehicles.[tl:gallery index=12 size=400×267]
All three models display the character and fun-loving personality that motorists have come to associate with Mini cars, and which have made the brand such a global success.
MINI FOOTPRINT
The cars have been developed around the ‘maximum touring pleasure with minimal footprint’ philosophy – in other words, they’ve had to be very creative with the space!
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NOT IN PRODUCTION YET
Unfortunately you can’t rush out and buy one yet – they’re just ‘concept vehicles’ to showcase the depth of the Mini range. There are no plans to offer them as production vehicles at this stage.
The MINI Clubvan Camper
It’s probably the world’s smallest ‘luxury’ camper van, based on a Mini Clubvan. Here’s the proud claim: ‘Behind the solid side windows there is a spacious sleeping berth for one person, plus a small, extendible kitchenette complete with propane stove and chest fridge.’
It also has the Mini Navigation Portable XL sat-nav, a television and an auxiliary heater.
Up on the Clubvan Camper’s roof there’s a small glass panel you can open for ventilation or star-gazing, while the storage rack above means owners can even take some outdoor sports kit…
The Camper even has an integrated hand-held shower, with a water tank housed underneath the load floor.
The MINI Cowley
The Cowley caravan is a compact tourer, named after the historic factory – now called Plant Oxford – home to much of the current Mini range. It was also where the classic BMC/Austin Mini was built and is this year celebrating a centenary of car manufacturing.
Mini boasts that the Cowley caravan is a ‘luxurious overnight solution’ fitted with two comfortable sleeping berths, a twin-burner gas stove and a water tank complete with pump and sink facility. A solar module charges the on-board battery and there’s a 230-volt connection to power the fridge, TV/DVD and audio equipment.
The teardrop-shaped trailer was chosen because it’s a head-turner whose silhouette reminded the Mini design team of their car’s curved panels. The doors have sliding windows on both sides – a standard feature in the classic Mini up to 1969. This little tourer is only 12 centimetres wider than a Mini Clubman, including exterior mirrors, and weighs just under 300 kg. With exceptional manoeuvrability, the Mini Cowley is designed to be fun to drive.
SAFARI STYLE ALL4 CAMP
The Mini Countryman ALL4 Camp offers safari-style accommodation for the adventurous spirit. Finding overnight accommodation can be a real headache if you like to take spontaneous trips to a festival or beach. Now there’s no need to worry about finding the perfect place to bed down – just find somewhere to park and head upstairs!
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The roof-top tent is shown on top of a Mini Countryman which, thanks to its intelligent all-wheel drive system ALL4, is well-suited to travelling over rough terrain. But this simple and practical sleeping solution can easily be mounted on a Mini or Mini Clubman. The upper half of the tent is simply folded out of its storage box. There’s room for two… and you could wake up to a perfect view of the ocean, mountain or valley.
How about an early morning ride out to buy breakfast? Put a mountain bike on the specially fitted bicycle rack.
The roof-top tent quickly folds away into its box when it’s not needed. The exterior has been painted in Absolute Black metallic with white stripes to match the car beneath.
Kate Taylor
Practical Motorhome
July 2013
