WHEN driving an opentopped car, always remember to secure everything inside the vehicle. That might seem like an obvious thing to say, but for someone for whom this is a rarity, it was something I neglected – to my cost.

First day in the JCW, sun shining brightly, I dropped the roof and within 12 seconds I was feeling really cool.

Roughly 12 seconds after that, having reached the speed limit, I was feeling anything but as some important documents were sucked up into the wide blue yonder, despite my desperate attempts to claw them back in.

It was a painful lesson, but one I learnt quickly. You do a lot of things quickly in the JCW.

Despite the drawbacks that go with chopping the roof off a car, it is only marginally slower off the mark than its hard-top brother, hitting 63mph in 6.9 seconds, compared with the latter’s 6.4 seconds.

With 208bhp under the bonnet, courtesy of a 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol engine, top speed is 146mph.

That much power through the front wheels comes at a slight cost, with a degree of torque steer that, when I first encountered it, nearly caught me out.

After probably half-a-dozen times, I learned to feed the power through more gently and readied myself for the odd twitch, should it come.

It is the first time I have felt such a sensation in a Mini and I am not sure whether it was down to it being a soft-top or simply my over-enthusiasm.

That enthusiasm owed much to the fantastic note from the centrallylocated twin-exhaust, one of the best noises I’ve heard from a car of its size.

Accentuated by the driver’s proximity to the elements, it positively crackles and spits, especially when you let the revs rise in second gear, and makes a mockery of the claim that this is a women’s car.

Despite the fact the roof doesn’t vanish into the boot, it folds neatly enough.

On the inside, it’s typical Mini, all switches and gizmos, the most interesting of which is the clock which monitors g-force, something that encourages the driver to turn in just a bit more sharply than usual to see how far round the needle can be pushed.

Operating the roof is a synch, with the switch located above the driver’s mirror. One touch takes it back halfway if you just want to feel a breeze around your ears, but a further click takes it all the way back.

With the rear view minimal at best, lowering the roof makes it even harder to see what’s behind you as the collapsed canvas and roll bars restrict vision further.

The whole process is pretty quick, something I was grateful for when the heavens opened.

At low speeds it is possible to operate the roof while driving.

If you like to be fashionable then the Mini’s popularity will be a bonus.

However, if you don’t want to follow the crowd, then the seemingly abundant numbers of these cars on the road might put you off.

Nobody buys a Mini if they are looking for space. There’s just about enough in the front, but rear seat passengers will find their knees up around their chins. With the kids’ car seats in, wherever I put my seat their shoes were rubbing against the back.

The boot is also only fit for a small suitcase and a couple of bags, though you can dispense with the back seats to increase the load area.

If you’re prepared to put up with things like this then a great deal of fun can be had in the JCW.

Mini irritations apart, the JCW makes going topless, even at my age, an enticing proposition.

Specification

Price (as tested): £25,965
Engine: 1.6 litre turbocharged
Max power: 208bhp
Max torque: 192lb/ft
Max speed: 148mph
0-62mph: 6.9 secs
Avg fuel consumption: 39.8mpg
Equipment (including options): active roll bar; alarm; ABS; disc brakes, vented at front; traction control; Electronic brake force distribution; four airbags; John Cooper Works high performance braking system; park distance control; run flat tyres; sixspeed manual gearbox; sport button; radio with CD changer; 17ins alloys; bike rack preparation; side air inlets; chrome plated door handles; body kit; multi-function leather steering wheel; 50/50 split folding rear seats; air conditioning; remote central locking; leather upholstery; darkened rear glass; sports suspension; seat heating; wind deflector; fog lights; bi- Xenon headlights.