In their new convertible, MINI could have fitted a range of brilliant instrumentation. For example a boost-pressure gauge in the case of the Cooper S. Or a G metre to show the G-forces when cornering. But we’ve had all that so it’s hardly exciting. A corner counter would be fun and a CO2 display would be politically correct, although it would somehow take all the fun out of driving with the roof down. So at MINI they said "Hey, let’s see what we can come up with that is really loony." And the result was this:



…the "Always Open Timer". This thing has precisely one purpose: it measures for how long the roof of the MINI convertible is open. Make sense to you? No, quite! But it doesn’t do any harm, because as far as I am concerned, this small gauge at the left of the rev counter is the ultimate piece of killer kit in the new convertible despite – or because of – the fact that it is so wonderfully senseless.

"Hang on!" the keen reader may well ask now. "I can see a 60 minute scale, so does that mean that I am only permitted to drive with the roof down for one hour? Does the roof then close automatically?" No, it doesn’t, and the Always Open Timer runs for longer than 60 minutes. The system is really clever: inside the minute scale there is a ring of 6 LEDs. After each complete hour, the minute display returns to its starting position and an LED lights up – according to which you have a total of 6 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds that this gizmo can handle. But after 7 hours, it kicks in again from scratch. And these 7 hours have not been lost, because they are logged to the on-board computer of the little Brit, so that the total Always Open Time can be displayed, even after a software update of the on-board computer.





"Okay, the Accounts Department would have preferred it if we had simply incorporated the function within the on-board computer saving the need for the additional gauge, but that would not have been the same", says Tom Kunze, Product Manager of the new MINI convertible, and he is completely right. It’s hard to overlook the flair that the gauge already shows in photos, and the ‘Must-have’ factor is much higher because of the clock.

However, anyone who thinks that they can generate record times with the Always Open Timer by simply parking the convertible with the roof down will be told: sorry – it doesn’t work that way! The Aways Open Timer is only on when the engine is running and the roof is completely open.
"During development, we discussed whether we should have this connected to the sunroof as well, but an open sunroof is not real open-top motoring," says Tom. It took 2 years to accompany the new convertible from embryo through to birth. And he is incredibly proud of what the development team have put together. The fact that this team does not always follow the paths of classic vehicle development can be seen in the Always Open Timer. "We are, after all, MINI and we do things differently," adds the Product Manager with not a small touch of pride. "And the best is that the thing actually works!" says Tom continuing on the ‘convertible pregnancy’. "The first cars had not even been on the road under test for a week and the test drivers proactively filled in their times for the Always Open Timer into their logs and suddenly we had a proper competition running: who drove longest with the roof down? And who will head the Open Time List on the Internet page?" Which Internet page? "The one that you are looking at ;-) This should be located here from next year on."

And that was always the grand plan behind the Always Open Timer. Mission fulfilled, Mr. Kunze.

Congratulations... Now about that curve counter...