By: IOL Motoring Staff
The first official pictures of the new Mini Clubman have found their way onto the leaky internet.
Apart from losing a few glitzy chrome garnishes, the production model remains
painstakingly faithful to the Clubman Concept that Mini revealed early last year.
Unlike its strangely styled predecessor, which had just one rear-hinged back door, the new Clubman is a fully blown estate car complete with two conventional back doors.
In keeping with its heritage, though, the side-hinged split boot door arrangement has been retained, although this time Mini has plonked the taillights onto them to create a far more distinctive, and dare we say futuristic, rear end design.
The new Clubman will be marketed as a more practical alternative to the Mini 5-door. The technical details have yet to be divulged but it's safe to assume it'll inherit its cabin gadgets and turbo engines from the rest of the Mini hatch range.
Stay tuned.