Changing everything but nothing at all - as intriguing as it may sound, the notion is actually possible. Take the 911 for example - a good number of automobile enthusiasts would agree that Porsche has been at it for decades, and is without doubts the best at it.

In MINI's case, it seems that family expansion plans got the better of it - the marque needs to churn out a variety of new variants to boost its production volume, yet at the same time retaining its identity. In that sense, the latest drop-top offering seems to fit snugly into the new philosophy - exterior wise there is no doubt that the Roadster is more of an evolution than revolution.

We bring you the first two-seater convertible in MINI's illustrious history.

Exterior

The roadster is distinctively MINI - steeply raked A-pillars, roundel headlamps, wheel-at-each-corner layout, and purposefully squat stance. The A-pillar, in fact, is more steeply raked than the 2+2 Cooper variants, cutting the roadster's height by 20mm.

Elsewhere, there is not much to differentiate the Roadster from the earlier Coopers, and not surprisingly the more recent Coupe which the Roadster was heavily based on.

One may realise that the Roadster has its woven-top kept snugly behind the anti-roll bars, without taking up precious boot space. This also means that the simple structure frees up more room for rigidity strengthening - a crucial aspect to any drop-top offering.