Spy Shots: Sporty 2014 MINI Cooper S Hits the Nürburgring for Testing

Under normal circumstances, it's not that hard to tell apart a regular Mini Cooper from its sportier Cooper S counterpart, but try doing the same with a body cloaked in a hippie like camo full of swirls, and it may get complicated.

So how do we do know that this particular prototype that our scoop photographers nabbed racing around the famed Nurburgring track in Germany is actually the Cooper S?

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SCOOP: 2014 MINI Cooper Hatchback to Inaugurate Platform Sharing with BMW

The designers over at Mini have both the easiest and toughest job in the auto industry. Why? Because, while they do not have to reinvent the wheel with each passing generation of the Cooper hatchback, they also have to keep the styling fresh and with the times.

That said, we were not expecting a radical redesign of the next Mini Cooper codenamed F56 that our crafty spies captured testing in Europe. Perhaps the most visible change to the styling of the F56 are the new headlamps that sit less upright stretching more towards the back.

Other noteworthy differences we spotted on the prototype is the slightly longer front overhang and the more rakish front and rear windshields compared to the current, second generation of the hardtop model since BMW took over the British company's fates.

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