We knew Mini was cooking up something to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alex Issigonis’ original design, and here it is: the Mini Coupe Concept.
It’s a two-door, lower-roofed take on the John Cooper Works car which, says Mini, could reach the market in a couple of years’ time to take on the Peugeot RCZ and Audi TT.
Near-identical to the JCW below the beltline, the Coupe Concept stands 5cm shorter and features a more steeply raked windscreen and a big roof spoiler.
Mini design director Gert Hildebrand says the design of the floating roof was inspired the sight of his teenage son wearing a baseball cap backwards. Oh dear. ‘Ah, my precocious child! Your attempts to emulate style icon Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit shall be forever immortalised in roof form!’
Despite ourselves, we can actually see where he’s coming from – just take a look at the Coupe Concept in profile. However, we suspect it might have been one of those awful golf visors rather than a baseball cap that provided the inspiration. We don’t know if this makes Herr Hildebrand’s confession better or worse.
The Coupe Concept shares the JCW Mini's 208bhp, 1.6-litre turbo engine. Expected to weigh in around 100kg lighter than the Mini hatch – thanks in part to the removal of the rear seats – that should guarantee lively performance. We’d expect a 0-62mph time of around six seconds flat, and tidy handling thanks to the lower centre of gravity.
We’ll don our yoof headwear in reverse fashion for a full perusal of the Coupe Concept at the Frankfurt show next month. Though BMW says it has not yet decided whether to put the Mini Coupe into production, the Germans insist it is a definite possibility.
Reckon they should build it?
Mini’s minier Mini
Mini Coupe Concept is inspired by teenage boy wearing baseball cap backwards. No, really. Really…
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What do you think?
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Hristo commented on this article
at 12:08 pm on 26 August 2009
it looks good well proportioned and if it will handle and go bether than the mini of course,the backwords cap sounds a bit nerdy but whatever there's a lot of girls with rich boyfriends near where i live that would love to buy one
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AshHorne commented on this article
at 12:34 pm on 26 August 2009
Come to think, Mini never did do a 'mini' coupe, have they? The closest to one of those so far has been the Smart Roadster. And you don't want one of those. Not when you HAVE to have it with a stupid flappy paddle gearbox that takes a week to change gear. Get rid of the stupid roof, and it'd look great. :)
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Hero_Sina commented on this article
at 12:41 pm on 26 August 2009
i like it,it is kind of supercool cars:D
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PBT1980 commented on this article
at 12:49 pm on 26 August 2009
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, this is an early April Fools joke isn't it!? It has to be one of the worst looking things I have ever seen. Will BMW ever stop trying to get as much money as they can from what is now a very un-cool car? Please BMW, don't ever let this car see the light of day!
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Robertr commented on this article
at 12:50 pm on 26 August 2009
one of the ugliest cars ever... Shame on you BMW you did it again!!
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