SUCCESS COMES COOPER PLATED; MOTORS: Insatiable demand for popular brand triggers a trio of new versions.

Byline: By BILL McCARTHY [e-mail]

THE sky seems to be the limit for the massively successful Mini, both in terms of popularity and prices.

Demand for the British-made model is insatiable across the globe and now there is a trio of new versions lifting the cost by as much as pounds 3,500.

The company has cleverly made it possible to individualise the cars like no other, with an extensive range of mix-and-match options making it unlikely that you will see two identical Minis in the same place.

Now some of those options have been packaged together and added to the standard Mini One, Cooper and CoOoper S models.

The cars will be available from September and will be offered alongside the established Salt, Pepper and Chilli versions.

Taking the names of Mini One Seven, Mini Cooper Park Lane and Mini Cooper S Checkmate, they come at asking prices of pounds 1,785, pounds 3,515 and pounds 2,540 more than the models they're based on respectively.

The new models offer unique specification, colours and trim.

The new MINI One Seven at pounds 12,565 features Solar Red metallic paint, 'Seven' cloth and 'Seven' interior trim, Mini Seven decals and 15-inch Delta spoke alloy wheels.

There is also automatic Stability Control and Traction (ASC+T), a sports leather steering wheel, rear spoiler, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, a storage compartment pack, front fog lights, manual air conditioning, onboard computer, an interior lights pack and white indicators.

The Mini Cooper Park Lane, priced at pounds 15,260, features Royal Grey metallic paint, 'Park Lane' leather and interior trim, 'Park Lane' decals, silver roof, two-tone sports leather steering wheel, 16-inch Bridge spoked alloy wheels and silver bonnet stripes.

There is also ASC+T, a rear spoiler, chrome line interior and exterior, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, a storage compartment pack, front fog lights, automatic air conditioning, onboard computer, an interior lights pack, chrome mirror caps, front sports seats and white indicators.

The pounds 17,635 Cooper S Checkmate has Space Blue metallic paint, 'Checkmate' cloth/leather and interior trim, 'Checkmate' decals, silver roof and mirror caps, a three-spoke two-tone sports leather steering wheel, 17-inch Flame spoked alloy wheels and silver bonnet stripes.

There is also a limited slip differential, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, a storage compartment pack, front fog lights, manual air conditioning, onboard computer, an interior lights pack, anthracite headlining and xenon headlights.

So far this year Mini sales in the UK are up by 12 per cent and this is matched across the cars' 70 different markets with more than 90,000 cars registered in the last five months.