By Andrew Stoy, 8:40 AM on Mon Sep 29 2008, 1,529 views (Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp)

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Last Friday we got to see a sneak peak of the new 2009 Mini Cooper Convertible via spy photographer's lens, but thanks to the Mini-mad motorists at MotoringFile, we've caught a glimpse of Britain's newest German ragtop through leaked press photos. Visible in the overhead shots is the new pop-up rollbar supplanting the visibility-limiting static bars in the older version. Also, a new "Always Open" gauge to the left of the instrument cluster measures the number of miles driven with the top down. Gimmicky? Sure, but it's the kind of thing Mini can get away with and Mini Convertible owners are probably going to love. The full reveal is supposedly scheduled for the Detroit Auto Show in January, but expect a steady stream of unauthorized images to find their way to the web between now and then.