New R56 Cooper Spyshots Surface

Sections: R56 (Hatch) Feb 6th, 2006 45 Comments

Worldcarfans.com has a couple of new spyshots of the upcoming R56 MINI Cooper. MF readers will notice the uncanny resmeblence to the photos we posted a few weeks back. We also get a good look at the rear section as well. Based on the photo (which is slightly photoshopped) it looks like our description from March 2005 was pretty much dead-on. Slghtly larger rear lights, taller chrome handle, enlarged rear foglight, and no wrap-around glass. You can check out the photos below (along with the GP and Traveller photos that were seen last week in MPH):

[ Three New MINI Variants ] Worldcarfans.com

Note, this is the Cooper and not the S thus we see no hood scoop. If you want to see the next MCS in action you’ll want to check out this previous story.

Thanks to Richard for the tip.

Written By: Gabe

hexproject

I just ordered at 2006 model! kind of glad I did. not really feeling the new one.. i think time will tell if the new shape will be loved or not….
Bob

Yeah, I’m glad that I got my 2005. My initial impressions of these photos are that it’s not quite as hot as it was.
http://vinreddy.blogspot.com vin.

What size wheels/tires is the prototype wearing?

It might be the pics, but the styling revisions kind of make the wheels/tires look small.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Those are skinny snow tires on 16″ wheels.
duncan

it definitely looks more “tame” for lack of a better word. even the S doesn’t have quite the aggressive stance of the current model. it’s headed more towards cute, which i suppose is fine, just glad i got my order in for an ’06. should be here in april.
Nathaniel Salzman

Don’t know for sure, but it looks like the shot of the rear is photoshopped. The tail lights look artificial, which makes me doubt both of the photos’ authenticity. I could be wrong and probably am, but that’s what it looks like to me.
eto

Hmm… it looks like the split grill is back on the Cooper. I thought this was supposed to be “phased out” with the next generation MINI.

Overall, I don’t think the new MINI looks too different. An enthusiast will be able to spot the differences, but Joe or Jane Driver on the street will just see more MINIs… which can never be a bad thing. :)

The new turbo Cooper is really making my decision to get a new Cooper vs. a 2005-2006 Cooper S difficult when I get I finally get my MINI in a couple years.
http://whitemaleconsumer.com Zeke

I know eto. The only thing that I am really looking forward to with the redesign, is the new powerplant.

No, I don’t like the redesign, exterior or interior. This is to be expected. The differences are subtle, but still. They’re there.
Z4MINI

I dig the front grill. The front is also considerably less cute that the 02-04…which is fine by me.

Looks like it has some caomflage cladding on the rear bumper???
James

All the tail lights have been heavilly photoshopped, my only question is why? The front doesn’t appear to be masked over at all, so why alter the rear…was it covered or is someone simply trying to make it look “cool”?

It is nice to finally see the front end in all it’s glory. The slight split in the grille carries the look of the outgoing grille without altering their update too much and the hood bulge has a bit of the M3 in it. The turnsignals are a bit weak, but with some wider tires that fill the arches better, this thing could look quite aggressive!
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com Dave

I’m liking the new grille a lot. Visually it looks better integrated than the current two piece grille that has the lower piece on the front face of the bumper cover pushed out 2.5″ from the bottom of the upper grille.
Turtlebug

I’m looking to buy a new MINI Copper S in about a year but I’m not too thrilled with R56. I really like the new engine and the more upscale interior but the removal of the wrap around glass just makes it look cheap. I’m also not to keen on the larger front overhang. I suppose I’ll leave my final thoughts till we see the full undisclosed car – Geneva in March??
http://www.newministuff.com mikeythemini

The fog does not look real Don’t like the non wrap around rear windows BUT I suppose now they are a normal shape then they may open in the way the classic Mini did
NSS

Overall, I donÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t think the new MINI looks too different. An enthusiast will be able to spot the differences, but Joe or Jane Driver on the street will just see more MINIsÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦ which can never be a bad thing. :)

Agreed. I dig it. Even though my 06 MCS just got on to a boat headed for CA.
Richard

My guess is that the car had a fair amount of masking, and all of the following were added with Photoshop: *MINI logos, front and rear *tail lights *fog light *front grille (probably was black in the test car) *headlight surrounds (probably was black) Too bad they didn’t publish unaltered photos. The closest we have seen to the final design is probably the image from the model maker.
Xan

I really dig the new grill . . . our current split doesn’t really feel right to me. The best thing that I’ve seen done with it has been a fabricated delete of the bottom part, which gives a mean edge vs. the awkward bumper in between grills look.

I think the new car looks good, but I have mine and it’s not going anywhere . . . and neither is my dad’s 06.

cheers- thanks for the photos
alpha-6

Is it me or do the side mirrors look slightly larger??!?!
eto

Richard’s comments regarding photoshop certainly look to be true. Upon closer inspection, the MINI badge on the bonnet definitely looks to be pasted on. And of course that rear tail-light looks awful… must have been the new guy who was given that job. ;)
Bill

This is a pre-production R56. The bumpers are not the final design and god knows why the taillights have been masked BUT I can tell you, as I’ve said before, the tail lights are taller and wider than current model spec, as in the “More Next Generation MINI Mock-ups” rendering (blue one) I am not involved with the R56 like the so-called Launch champions are, but I help to build almost every R56 that comes down our line. SO in short, this is the R56 – barring the final bumper design.
http://www.jwardell.com/mini/ Josh Wardell

Why is one headlight oval and the other round? Fake photoshop, that’s why.

The rear taillights and foglights are also clearly photoshopped. They almost look airbrushed.
Z4MINI

The more I look at it the phonier it looks. The rear wheel tire tread seem really thin. Maybe because they are snow tires…or maybe because they were photoshopped from another car from a different distance??
Turtlebug

Does anybody know if the gastank cover is exposed on the R56? I really like the chromed gastank cover on the current MINI.
Owen

Looks like a piss poor attempt at photoshopping. Front bumper that’s matt black and doesn’t match the rest of the matt black parts, mini logo that doesn’t share the same brightness/contrast attributes, GP rear spoiler, R105s? It just doesn’t add up. I’m sure it’ll look like the real deal that will be launched later this year, but I don’t believe these are genuine spy photographs. I call shenanigans.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Why is one headlight oval and the other round? Fake photoshop, thatÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s why.

Actually it’s because the new headlights are tilted slightly to the outside of the car. One of the reasons is so that the integrated turn signals can be seen from the side.

The rear wheel tire tread seem really thin. Maybe because they are snow tiresÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦or maybe because they were photoshopped from another car from a different distance??

This car has on the MINI approved 16″ wheels with ~~185~~ 175mm snow tires – super narrow. This width is the same as what the current stock Cooper comes with.

Front bumper thatÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s matt black and doesnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t match the rest of the matt black parts, mini logo that doesnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t share the same brightness/contrast attributes, GP rear spoiler, R105s? It just doesnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t add up.

That’s because you’re looking at spy-photos of two different cars. There are three cars total in the linked story. The new Traveller, the GP and the R56. You’re referring to both the spyphotos of the R56 and the GP – two very different cars.
johnsocal

Looks pretty good to me.
giacomo

I wonder if there will be a pop-out rear side window using that crappy break in the glass? I’m thinking PhotoShop, poorly done at that, on the headlights also.

Are some of you blind or just in a hurry when viewing these shots? How do you miss the fact that there are multi cars shown?!
CraigE

This car has on the MINI approved 16ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â³ wheels with 185mm snow tires – super narrow. This width is the same as what the current stock Cooper comes with.

Hate to have to correct you but the stock Cooper tires are 175/65 R15, 0.4 inch narrower than 185 mm.

The spy-shots keep looking better. I agree that they should have also released the un-retouched versions of the pics. We are also still looking at test mules so it’s difficult to separate fact from obfuscation.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

I swear I meant to say 175 :)
http://whitemaleconsumer.com Zeke

The one thing I actually do sorta like is the turn signals integrated into the headlights. Which is coincidentally something a lotta people don’t. =P
JK

Gabe is totally right on the round/oval headlight question. Just as a circle viewed out of plane looks like an ellipse, so an ellipse viewed out of plane can look like a circle.

Also, these photos are credited to Hans Lehmann. Lehmann is a god among spy-shot photographers…he’s the best and most professional there is. If these really are Lehmann photos, they haven’t been altered nearly as much as people here seem to think. I concede that the rear 3/4 shot looks like it’s had some attention paid to the rear light cluster. Perhaps these aren’t Lehmann photos at all…who knows?

Keep in mind that once you convince yourself that you’re looking at an altered photo, you can see all sorts of artifacts, whether they’re real or not.

JK
giacomo

JK………I think your totally WRONG my friend! If that ain’t a PS job I’ll buy you a beer. That headlight shot is so bad even my wife looked at it and said “PS”.
JK

Giacomo,

Wrong about what, exactly? The headlights? I’m a mechanical engineer and I work with 3-D engineering design and stress analysis applications all day…I’m continually rotating things in 3D. Unless your wife calculates Euler angle transformations on a daily basis, I’m sticking to my guns on the headlights. :)

I’m not saying that the photos are entirely unaltered…just that Gabe’s explanation for the headlights in particular makes a great deal of sense from an engineering perspective.

So…if the R56 is released and has headlights as described by Gabe you’ll buy me a beer? Sounds good!

JK
Chris M

JK,

Euler angles–you mean you’re not using quaternions? :-)

The headlights look fine to me, too.
ChrisW

Meh.

The front grille looks…incomplete.

I love when redesigns of something I own leave me blasÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â©. The last thing I need right now is an irresistible desire to get a newer car. Gotta make it 20 years with my ’05 MCSc. That’s what I promised the wife. :)

I wouldn’t mind the additional power though…
JK

Ack! I’ve been out-mathed! I’m not using quaternions because, uh, I’m suspicious of anticommutative algebra. That’s it!

JK
giacomo

My wife doesn’t need any whatever that was to see it’s crap, Hell MR. F’n MaGoo could.

I have a pic of almost the same angle of the front of my MINI, the headlight is still is an oval. No way an oval somehow turns into a circle no mater what the angle of the viewing or what astral plane you reside on. So if your 3D program is doing that you need to get it fixed. A small clue for you would be the chrome treatment, hell my 2 year old grandson can do better chrome on his Etch-A-Sketch.

ÃƒÂ¯Ã‚Â¿Ã‚Â¼
http://www.blokspeed.net Eelke

Just glad that most the things I don’t like on these shots are reported to be not the final deal. The rear does look heavily Photoshopped, but with this rear light design it just looks like the next “design” job from Japan. Also, glad a factory worker is commenting that this is not the final bumper design, because I think it is way too bland, way behind the current bumper design and also behind the first bumper design, which I’m not too keen on in the first place.

Then there’s the indicators in the headlights, which is a shame, but seems to be pretty consistent across all rumours, so probably have to live with it. Just happy to see a hint of a normal side repeater in the A-panel instead of the wing mirror mounted ones that were rumoured, fingers crossed they are keeping those and it is not just a camouflage trick.

Commenting on whoever said they don’t like the front overhang: the only pictures where you can actually make out the front overhang is on the pictures of the traveller, and I think it is already commonly agreed there is a serious amount of cladding on the front of the photographed traveller (just have a look at the headlights, you can clearly see they are perspex, with the real headlights mounted behind them a good inch or two).
http://steven993.smugmug.com StevenBoone

The R56 will never look as good as the current MINI! You can’t beat perfection!

With the new 911 (997), Porsche did the same thing, trying to copy the design of the oh so marvellous looking 993… Close but no cigar…
PaulG

Hmm, I thought those windscreen wipers were supposed to be lower down?
planeguy

I actually like the looks.

Nobody has mentioned that the spy shots are no where close to the concept car shown in Frankfurt or Detroit. The concept was hideous! This is pretty good.

I like the grille.

I will always like Mk1 better….Time will tell whether this is a better look to the soon to be MINI community
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

If you read my analysis of the Frankfurt Concept you’ll see that I touch on the fact that the next MINI’s front design is a little different (especially the lights) than the traveller concept.
Stevie

Gabe, do the headlamps still go up with the hood or is that a big ol’ gap between the chrome ring and lens that I see???
http://xp.solidhelium.com Lucas

Mmm I don’t like the new hood shape, too flat. But it looks like the new 07 Minis will have a bigger boot.

Overall not much of a change, which is a good thing :)
Richard

Another interesting photo (unaltered and with the bonnet open!): http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109635
http://www.lokisnake.com/blog/ LokiSnake

hmm, the front end kind of reminds me of the new 911 look, with the oval headlights and all.

I can’t say I love the grille though. The older one seems to look more “friendlier”

Well, I won’t say anything definite until I see it in person.

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