2010 MINI Cooper S Mayfair Edition

VISUAL IMPACT

Compared to a normal Cooper S, the Mayfair 50 edition has a few visual extras which could be considered eye-candy by quite a large number of people.  The first thing to strike the eye is the special "Chocolate Magic" brownish metallic paint job.  Together with the black roof and the chrome accents everywhere around the car, it leaves quite an artsy and retro impression on any beholder (or beer holder, if you're parking it in front of a pub.)

Other differneces consist of the twin rally-style headlights mounted in front of the grill, "Mayfair" badges instead of the "S" ones on the side of the hood and a "Mayfair 50" logo on the grill.  All that, along with the aforementioned paint color and a special striped trimming for the exterior rear view mirrors really spice the look of the already spicy Mini Cooper S.

The Cooper S stands out as one of the most beautiful small hatches on the market.  Same say that this title is slowly fading away since the introduction of the 8C Competizione-inspired Alfa Romeo MiTo.  Even so, the Mini and the Alfa are very differently-styled cars.  At least in terms of retro-styling bits, the Mini wins the camparo hands down, while the overall design is a matter of taste after all.  Still, we must admit it is one of our favorites small hatches out there, whether we are talking about the general proportions or just the little details.