After months of rumors and speculations, MINI has finally taken the wraps off its Coupe Concept. First debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Coupe Concept celebrates MINI’s 50th anniversary, which happened to coincide with the concept’s unveiling today.
Whereas the Clubman took the MINI brand to the max, the Coupe Concept brings the focus back to personal transportation with room for only the driver and one passenger. The standard Cooper’s rear seats have been nixed in favor or a stylized slanting roof. MINI’s classic up-right windshield has also been replaced with a more coupe-appropriate raked unit. In fact, from the beltline up, the Coupe Concept is all-new.
From the beltline down, the Coupe Concept is based on the top-level John Cooper Works model. That means that performance is at the forefront – as it should be for a coupe – with the concept’s 1.6-liter turbocharged engine cranking out 211 horsepower. MINI engineers also added aerodynamic features and cut weight, ensuring the Coupe Concept is a solid performer is all areas.
The Coupe Concept offers 8.8 cubic feet of cargo space, with a rear pass through making the most of the limited space.
The Coupe Concept’s interior is pure MINI, featuring a large tachometer behind the steering wheel and a speedometer integrated into the center stack.
The Coupe is destined for production, though how similar the street-legal model will be to the Coupe Concept is unknown. MINI says that the Coupe will go on sale as a 2011 model year in Europe in late 2010, and early 2011 in the U.S.
09/15, 9:25 AM
posted by:
Genesis101
How can you call it a coupe when the cooper IS a coupe?
09/15, 9:44 AM
posted by:
ahnuconun
Stupid idea and stupid looking.
09/15, 10:02 AM
posted by:
orangecones
@genesis.. technically the cooper is a 2 door hatch (a la Rabbit 2 door, Accent SE, etc). This is a coupe characterised by slanty roof (a la Mustang, Gensis Coupe).
@ahnuconun … agreed. Stupid looking is probably the best way to explain this contraption.
09/15, 10:52 AM
posted by:
cocksterS
I kinda like it.
09/15, 11:05 AM
posted by:
krautninja
i like it…if you squint a little and close one eye, it kind of looks like Mini reworked an Audi TT… In all seriousness It’s not bad looking, and it would sell. As long as they offer is solely based on the JCW version of the cooper, and they can show this has a noticeable drivability difference over the standard cooper JCW this will take off for sure.
09/15, 12:10 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
I don’t understand the purpose of this vehicle. Maybe it will serve as a weekender for the rich… but if you can’t fit two sets of golf clubs or a pair of suitcases it will be totally useless. At least the Cooper and Cooper Convertible have some usable cargo space.
09/15, 1:18 PM
posted by:
Donfuy
I don’t get it.
It looks bad.
09/15, 1:21 PM
posted by:
nickkop
sexy mini IMO
09/15, 1:57 PM
posted by:
aesir
I dig it. Just not sure I would buy it….
09/15, 2:32 PM
posted by:
brocky
Apart from some retarded color coordination or design cues such as the colored grill, painted rims, I like this car. The JCW kit has to be stock or else it will be outdated. So I hope if they make a sportier version of this car it will come with a better and more modern JCW kit.
09/15, 2:33 PM
posted by:
brocky
Apart from some retarded color coordination or design cues such as the colored grill, painted rims, I like this car. The JCW kit has to be stock or else it will be outdated. So I hope if they make a sportier version of this car that will come with a better and more modern JCW kit.
09/15, 5:33 PM
posted by:
Borat
It looks like cute Cooper was hit with fugly stick, very big fugly stick.
09/15, 5:58 PM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
the performance numbers should be better than a regular jcw mini…as for the golf clubs thing, since you don’t put golf clubs in a car vertically i don’t see why this thing couldn’t hold golf clubs with the same ability as the regular mini…the square footage of the cargo area should be the same, all that’s lost is rear volume…
i don’t like the painted rims, either, but i’m not thumbs down on this thing yet…
09/16, 12:38 AM
posted by:
gugy
I love Mini, but I just plain hate this look for the coupe. Sorry, but i think this will bomb.
09/16, 2:23 PM
posted by:
jimbocardude
Haha, looks like something some freak of a clown would drive. Mini really flopped on this one
09/19, 1:39 AM
posted by:
9thsphinx
I particularly do not like the spoiler. and the painted rims.
10/20, 4:30 PM
posted by:
Lawnchair88
It looks like an aborted mini with Down’s