COWLEY came to Austria for the launch of the latest member of the Mini family.

The Coupe, which goes on sale in the UK next month, has spent the last few weeks being put through its paces by the motoring press on spectacular Alpine roads around Innsbruck and across the Italian and German borders.

And it has proved the perfect testing ground for the two-seater hard-top model’s sporting credentials.

Mini bosses say they spotted a gap in the market for the car following on from the success of the hatch, Clubman and Countryman variants.

They admit it will not sell as many cars as those models, but are aiming it at the 30-something generation wanting a car that is fast, reasonably practical and, above all, fun.

The Coupe ticks all those boxes and quite a few more.

Having just two seats it won’t be suitable for families, but there is a surprising amount of room in the back for some of that designer luggage which Mini can supply.

The car, which comes with petrol or diesel engines, is quick off the mark and both versions offer superb acceleration. The top of the range John Cooper Works hits 60mph in just 6.4 seconds, carrying on to an incredible 149mph – making it the fastest Mini ever made.

Recognising this, Mini has built in a spoiler into the back of the car which rises automatically at 50mph and drops again when the speed falls below 37mph.

The driver sits low to the ground and the windscreen is steeply raked, meaning visibiliity is not as good as on other Mini models.

The rise is also hard in true sports car style while the instrumentation, with its huge central speedometer now containing satellite navigation and multi-media functions, is definitely aimed at the PlayStation generation.

But, ultimately, this car is all about driving pleasure and, in typical Mini style, it delivers that in bucket-loads.

True, it is likely very few will make it to the spectacular Alpine roads – although I would highly recommend it – but just driving to the shops will be a real pleasure in this car.

Prices range from £16,640 to £23,795, and sports stripes are, naturally, standard. If you place an order now, you should be enjoing yourself by the New Year.

As the new marketing slogan says: “Another day, another adventure.”