The handling of the Cooper S is so good, you will have serious trouble getting it to leave the road

Cooper
– car of the year

By Ken Llewelyn
Take the old Brit-designed Mini, enlarge by 30 per cent, wedge in an Eaton supercharger to a Brazilian-built 1600cc four, power it through a six-speed Getrag gearbox and throw in superb German engineering and Voila!

And to demonstrate how objective the Brits have now become, their prestigious Car magazine gave the Cooper its Car of the Year against such competition as Porsche 911 GT2, Alfa’s baby 147 and even a BMW M3.

Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, the Mini set new standards in road holding and performance. The early Minis may have been fitted with a ‘bus driver’ positioned steering wheel, wire door pulls, sliding windows and wheels so small they disappeared into a decent pothole but boy could they handle!

And it must be remembered that Minis were built in Australia for more than a decade and a Cooper S won the Bathurst 500 in 1966.

So it was with great interest that I picked up a nearly new Mini Cooper S from Canberra BMW dealer, Rolfe Classic. Service Manager Joe Madaffari showed me around the immaculately presented car. And I did need a course in control positions because they were not intuitive.

Joe also warned me that the very direct electro-hydraulic steering could become sensitive at high speed — correct!

The Cooper S really looked the part with four fat tyres at the extremities, a twin-exhaust system at the back and a suitable bonnet intake for the Eaton supercharger’s intercooler.

Inside there is a massive central rev counter and a speedo on the steering column (Australian regs required the pair reversed).

Sit inside and the driving position is superb with pedals and steering wheel correctly positioned in front of the driver. The leather driver’s seat was comfortable but lacked thigh support. For my liking there was far too much ‘plasti-metal’ but younger admirers thought it looked ‘cool’.

The new-look interior is a far cry from the old Mini

Except for emergency purposes and tots, the back seat is not practical. But lay the back seat down and there was ample space for golf clubs and substantial shopping. The lack of formal space also means there is no room for a spare tyre (the battery sits in the tyre well) hence the S runs on new ‘run-flat’ tyres. I did not have to test how capable they were!

Start the engine and there is a pleasant burble from the back. The clutch was a little heavy and the gearbox was still stiff. However, the driving experience was a revelation. From the original John-Cooper tuned 70 bhp A series engine, the new supercharged S belts out 161 bhp.

Around the city it performs its function well and attracted similar attention to the Monaro when it was first released. You had to take the Mini to the back blocks to appreciate its potential.

When pushing the Mini you appreciate the BMW engineering in keeping four wheels planted and you forget about the choppy ride in the city.

Really use the gear box and push the engine up to its 6800 rev limit (the supercharger spinning at 14,000) and it is transformed into a very responsive sports car.

The road holding does not break new ground because there are so many other superb competitors on the market, but it is still outstanding.

I did not press the boundaries as there is so much grip and with the sensitive steering you really need to concentrate on the task at hand. This is not a car for the novice, despite a complex brake and cornering system.

This car will sell to a niche market where the buyer wants a well engineered car, but above all, wants a vehicle that stands apart from the crowd.

As with most BMW products there is a comprehensive extras list ranging from sun roof ($1,591) to multi-function steering wheel with cruise control ($636).

• Test Car from BMW Group Australia

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