As you might well imagine, the new MINI pickup is somewhat different. For a start, while the original Mini pickup was based on the MINI van, the new one is based on the Paceman coupé. And it's not (at least not yet) a production model. It's actually a Saturday Morning Special - a car created by engineering and design apprentices at the BMW Group, more or less in their spare time. Instead of the chopped-down roofline of the familiar Paceman, the pickup (which is officially called the Paceman Adventure) has a truncated passenger compartment that ends behind the front seats, with what MINI describes as a 'spacious load bed' behind. Up top is a chunky roof-rack that carries a spare wheel and tyre and the almost inevitable rack of high-intensity spotlights for night-time off-roading.
Off-roading? Yup, the Adventure is powered by the 184hp Cooper S petrol engine and has MINI's ALL4 four-wheel drive system underneath. There's also raised suspension and rugged tyres for really tricky terrain and even a snorkel air intake in case you need to ford a fjord.
Anything else?
MINI says that there are no plans for series production and that the car is a pure one-off. Given that MINI bosses are actually keen to trim an increasingly sprawling MINI range and get rid of some unprofitable models (Coupé and Roadster - we're looking at you) that would seemingly make the chances of production for a Paceman pickup somewhere between slim and bugger-all. Still though, you never know. There may just be enough Texan MINI fans, craving a downsized pickup, to make the numbers add up...
If there is anything about this story we have not covered, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.