Of course Mini's made a 60th birthday special edition

The Mini is 60 this year. It’s celebrating in the only way that’s acceptable in the motoring industry, with a good old special edition.

Thus, meet the Mini Cooper S 60 Years Edition, of which 500 will be made exclusively for UK customers. It’s posh, too, exclusively available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox (we can hear the enthusiasts clicking elsewhere already) and in a British Racing Green paint and brown leather interior combo, the latter getting a finish exclusive to this special.

A classy look that we’d argue jars slightly with the Microsoft WordArt-style font of the logo sprinkled on any black surface that’ll take it. Still, the wheels are pretty cool. Many other options boxes have been ticked, bringing a touchscreen sat nav, CarPlay, reversing camera and some almost motorsport-esque spotlights up front.

It’s arguably brisk to earn them, mind, the Cooper S engine bringing 190bhp, a 6.7sec 0-62mph time and a 145mph top speed, figures very much ample in a car this size. More than ample is the £29,995 price, a 40 per cent hike on the cheapest Cooper S you can buy. And the same money as properly senior hot hatches like the Seat Leon Cupra, Renault Megane RS and Hyundai i30N. But then Minis have never been cheap.

If this one isn’t doing it for you, then worry not, as we suspect there’s more to come. The original Mini was first shown to the world on 26 August 1959, so seeing a special edition like this in January feels premature indeed.