Mini Cooper Coupe doffs top, births Roadster

If there's one thing that surprised me after a week aboard the 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe, it's precisely how many people thought the little two-seater coupe was actually drop top.  Well, thanks to Mini's latest unveiling in Detroit, the answer to that question will soon be "yes." Called the Mini Cooper Roadster, the new car takes the same key attributes that set the Coupe apart and lops off the unfortunate top, leaving behind the rakish windshield and abbreviated bobtail. 

With nary a mechanical change to be found, the Roadster should be just as fun as any other Mini product, and it will be interesting to see how the two door convertible fares in the sales race versus it's slightly more useful brethren.