What's the news?
MINI has decided to show what it could do with its range of cars if you're the kind of person who enjoys a spot of outdoor sleeping or going to festivals. The MINI camping concepts feature one of each of the three accepted forms of kipping in a field - a tent, a caravan and a camper van. It's glamping on wheels!
Interior
Externally, the MINI cars look the same as their 'regular' counterparts (albeit there's a roof box and roof rack on the tent version) and the caravan is obviously an individual item anyway. It's inside each that really counts.
The least modified is the Countryman All4 Camp Cooper S, which is exactly the same as a standard car inside and out, apart from that roof box. In it, you get a bed capable of sleeping two adults that pops up and folds away in seconds. There's a ladder for accessing the bedroom, which has a torch and a fan in the ceiling, and the promise of being able to sleep anywhere the four-wheel drive car can physically drive to.
The Cowley caravan is another level up from this, with a twin-berth sleeping area at the front featuring a TV/DVD player and a full sound system. At the back, and accessed from a rear hatch, is a kitchen with a gas stove, sink and a small fridge powered by a 230V connection. A solar array charges the on-board battery. It's just 12cm wider than a MINI Clubman and weighs less than 300kg, meaning any MINI can tow it.
The ultimate creation has to be the Clubvan Camper, which does away with the passenger seat and fits a bed the full length of the car, and also features a twin-hob gas stove and chest fridge in an innovative sliding kitchen arrangement that slides out of the back of the car on runners. You can also put up a parasol in the moulded support on the side of the stove, and then attach the on-board shower head to the parasol - the water tank for this is located in place of the spare wheel. Externally, it is identical to a Clubvan and the packaging of all this in such a small space is amazing; however, it is a camping vehicle capable of housing one person only.
Can I buy one?
Er, not through BMW, no. These are strictly concepts at the moment and there are no plans to put them into production. You could go through a third party to get either a roof-mounted tent or a teardrop caravan if you wanted, but there would be no way to get hold of a Clubvan Camper at this stage, short of building one yourself.
Anything else?
We're one of very few motoring outlets to have slept in one of them, in our case the Countryman Camp (yes, that IS its name), and you can read the full story here.