Wednesday 26th August 2009

Mini Coupe Poised For Production?

Mad-looking Mini Coupe Concept harks back to 1960s coachbuilt specials; could become a full production model

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Windscreen is raked 16 degrees more sharply

The rakish-looking Mini concept you see might look like it has blossomed from the fevered imaginations of Europe's more inventive tuning houses - Rinspeed, say, or maybe Sbarro - but this is actually a full-on BMW concept.

It's called the Mini Coupe Concept and, even though it is officially a concept that's been designed for next month's Frankfurt show as a celebration of the Mini brand's half century, it could become a production reality.

Spoiler apes backwards baseball cap, apparently

The low aluminium roof, 136mm lower than the roof of a standard hatch, is the most dramatic styling change, especially since the lower half of the Mini Coupe is almost unchanged.

Underneath, the Concept is a Mini Cooper JCW, meaning a power output of 208bhp and 192lb ft of torque, with 206lb ft available on overboost. A production version could run even more performance-focused mechanicals, but the lightweight roof and much lower centre of gravity mean that the Mini Coupe would be a pretty agile machine even with running gear and suspension identical to the JCW.

Broadspeed GT: one they made earlier...

The idea of a coupe-bodied Mini isn't new - there were plenty of coachbuilders in the 1960s putting slinky bodies onto Mini mechanicals - and the new concept is perhaps most reminiscent of the Broadspeed GT coupe from 1966 (pictured here at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed). BMW is well aware of this heritage, and a production version of the coupe is likely to get a name that reflects this, such as Broadspeed or possibly Downton.

If the Mini Coupe Concept becomes a production reality it could be in Mini showrooms by 2011 - if the project gets the official green light from BMW by the end of 2009.

 

[fatboy b]

I see the Bangle influence of ugliness is alive and well.

[bertelli_1]

UGLY.

[hugo a gogo]

backwards baseball cap? says it all

[vz-r_dave]

I dont like it at all but we all know that every sales rep, hair dresser in the country will die to own one.

[oilit]

Give my 12 year old son a std mini and a low loader and he could have come up with a concept like that...

If this is all Mini can come up with then RIP - they need to focus on refreshing the noddy interior of the models - the small car game has moved on tremendously, and the recent residual table for cars shows it - the mini was no longer top - IIRC it was 5th !!

Wake up BMiniW

[Pulse]

Oh dear.

[Leicesterdave]

I love MINI's, I own one, this looks st. Like the seats though.

[E21_Ross]

i quite like it :hides: from the front at least

[peterpeter]

price ?- I bet around 30k

[mat205125]

It'll never happen

[Paw]

I'd take the Broadspeed GT any day

[S3_Graham]

front looks nice, think they ran out of ideas for the back though...

[mustard tab]

Dwarf's and Midgets sign here..........................

[///ajd]

Leicesterdave said:

I love MINI's, I own one, this looks st. Like the seats though.

+1

They should spend more time trying to make the Mk3 look as pretty as the original (2001) Mk1 - the Mk2 looks rubbish from the front.

[Insight]

Hey, what! How come everyone hates it. I don't like the existing Mini (too common), but I love this one, especially the floating roof. Looks v cool and individual.

[ian_c_uk]

Back of the roof is quite fussy, but other than that, I like it.

(I drive a clubman tho, which also divides opinion)

[Fruitcake]

Hey now that I like


It'll be massively expensive, though

[356Speedster]

That's a mess. Looks like they grafted the front end of a MINI to a current version Tigra.... then added an extra dash of uglyness.

[snorkel sucker]

Looks like a (excuse the pun) mini X6!

Have to say though....I like it! (that said, as a mini owner myself, i can only bear them with the colour coded aero kit on so this would need that to get my final seal of approval)

if the dynamics are maintained, which, as a coupe, they should be, then it will be a riot. tres expensive though, im sure!

[Daz4m]

Looks good except for the roof, the design is too fussy. However, if the roof was black it would be less of a problem.