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For everybody who's ever struggled with, say, a phobia of car doors, Mini's newest 4x4, four-seater, open-body concept car may be the answer.

In layman's terms, the Beachcomber doesn't have anything as mundane as a roof or doors. The reason? To encourage the "intensity of the occupants' encounter with their surrounding world". Right.

As the name suggests, it's designed for the more outdoorsy-type. Measuring a not-so-mini four metres long, it features the famous Mini hexagonal radiator grille, an elevated seating position, 17-inch light-alloy wheels and off-road tyres intended to maximise the concept car's robustness on harsher terrains.

But according to Mini, the Beachcomber works equally well in rush-hour traffic, thanks to a soft roof and lightweight doors which can be quickly fastened onto the windscreen frame and side openings.As with the 2008 Mini Crossover Concept, the Beachcomber features a centre rail to which you can attach everything from mobile phones and MP3 players to "additional sources of light", a cooling box, and a GPS tracker.

It also incorporates a liquid-sprung compass, an artificial horizon showing the angle of the car - particularly useful when traversing the Sahara - contoured seats and an additional handle on the front passenger's side for particularly bumpy journeys. Maintaining the theme, the dash comes in a finish designed to resemble the texture of "dry earth".

The Beachcomber Concept will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2010; we'll have to wait and see if it will follow its sibling, the Crossover Concept, into production.

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