Near-production Mini Roadster concept coming to Frankfurt

According to AutoCar, MINI will unveil a Roadster model in “a near-production concept” form at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The UK publication says that the car will be at two-seater and will offer a sportier-looking alternative to the Mini Cooper Cabriolet.

The Mini Roadster will be based on the current-generation Mini Coopers but will have a lower roofline and a lower windscreen. With a lower center of gravity, the car should have better handling dynamics than the standard Cooper.

You can expect the powertrains carried over from the standard Mini along with a 208-hp 1.6L Turbo for a JCW version.

Sales of the Mini Roadster will start in 2010 following the Mini Crossover.

Novitec takes a stab at the Alfa MiTo

Alfa Romeo's spritely MiTo hatch may have been styled to look like the flagship 8C Competizione, but the performance gap between them is big enough to fit another entire model line. The MiTo GTA, previewed in concept form at this year's Geneva show, promises to close the distance some, but until it arrives, Novitec has come up with an answer of its own, and here it is.
The heart of any good mod job lies under the hood, and Novitec has plenty of options in store. For the gas-burning 1.4-liter turbo four, Novitec offers an auxiliary control module that can be installed in just five minutes and which adds an extra 31 horsepower to bring total output up to a respectable 186 and 0-60 time down to 7.4 seconds, or 0.7 seconds faster than stock.
For diesel models, Novitec also offers a module to boost power by about 20 horsepower on either the 1.3 or 1.6-liter JTD engines. Of course, the Dutch tuning house hasn't stopped there, offering a choice of sport springs to drop the height by 40mm or a fully adjustable coil-over set-up. A full aerodynamic package, stainless exhaust and 18" wheels coated in Pirelli rubber round out the package