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MINI is to present a new limited-edition model at the New York International Auto Show later this week. The Countryman Panamericana is a beefed-up version of MINI's plug-in hybrid, the Countryman Cooper S E ALL4, getting spotlamps, tough tyres and a roof-rack to carry a spare wheel. To showcase the new model, three Panamericanas will make the trek from North America right to the very bottom of South America to Argentinian Tierra del Fuego along the legendary Panamerican Highway, a 25,750km route running from Alaska to southern Argentina.
Mechanically speaking, the Panamericana is identical to the Countryman ALL4 with an electric range of 40km and a power output of 224hp from the combination of engine and electric motor. The expedition Panamericanas however, are likely to see much tougher terrain than a standard Countryman ever will. The route will take the cars through all manner of climactic conditions, through jungle and over high mountain passes, from well-paved roads to gravel tracks, crossing the Equator near Cayambe, Ecuador.
The trip will not actually be entirely overland. The infamous Darién Gap between Yaviza, Panama and Turbo, Colombia has never been bridged by the Panamerican Highway, partly due to environmental concerns, partly down to the indigenous Embera-Wounaan and Guna people living in the area but mostly due to the sheer difficulty in building a road over swamps, marshes, a wide river delta and vast swathes of rainforest. This is the only break in the Highway's route, though the Darién Gap has been crossed by vehicles, albeit with great difficulty, the first time being in 1960 when the international, eight-person crew of the Trans-Darién Expedition traversed the Gap using a pair of Series 2 Land Rovers and a Willys truck, averaging 201 metres per hour over 136 days. Even today, though only 100km wide as the crow flies, crossing the Gap is scarcely any less difficult. As such, the MINI expedition will make the crossing from Panama to Colombia by boat.
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You can keep on top of the MINIs' Panamerican progress through the MINI News Instagram channel.