MINI’s Next Two Seater Under Development

A class dominating small performance car with a clear message what its about. Build on the GP, refine the sport offered in it to a much higher level. Make it unique, cut serious weight, scale up the suspension.

Basically give us a higher end tuned /M styled car. I would love to see a something that can spank cars such as the Focus RS. With the top end performance cars slowly getting pushed to extinction building a smaller performance car makes perfect sense. I really want to see BMW/Mini make a screaming little car that refines some of the luxury out of the GP and focuses it on performance.

Sorry, I don’t see this as a GP …. the market is too small. Instead I can envision BMW going with something to go against the Miata.

i thought they lost most of the money on the gp with the crazy delivery and the hand assembly in italy, no? that means if they build it with all the other minis it won’t cost them as much, and if they don’t pr the crap out of the delivery it won’t cost them as much. i think there’s a big difference between making it a special range-topping model and making the buyers feel like complete royalty.

with that said, i think it should be along the lines of the original gp; a stripper, race-ready r56. i like the idea of a small two-seater, but save it for it’s own model line. i think they have a good process/tradition for the core car and should stick to it.

how about both

@ JonPD: Not sure how a MINI John Cooper Works lapping the ‘ring faster than an R32 and within 3 seconds of a Lotus Exige makes it an embarassment…

Whatever that 2-seater may be, I won’t be able to afford it. Seems likely that it’s the coupe concept. It would be cool if the coupe turned into something like the M Coupe–a distinctive, sports-first car that the general public would have no interest in, but Mini enthusiasts would drool over.

It’s nice to see R53 GPs coming down to reasonable prices, though. Carmax had one with under 10,000 miles on it for $25,000 the last time I looked. As long as those aren’t 10,000 miles on a racetrack, I figure that’s about the best $25K you could spend on a Mini.

gokartride,

time to face the facts, my friend. The MINI brand cannot just be a one-horse-show. This stable needs some variation and grow, or else it’ll fade away, eventually. It’s called reality.

If I am going to give up rear seats, then this car would have to be mid-engined and RWD.

Take and inch and half out of the beltline. Keep the general appearance, but reduce the roof to the two seats only. Create a hard drop-top. Turn the engine 90 degrees and run the drive wheels as the back wheels.

If the SUV/SAV turns out to be the cash cow and the brand savior that some think it will be, then why can’t MINI can build the speedster and a GP style factory JCW along the lines of the Renault Megane R26r.

It’s an uncompromising drivers car first and foremost and there some of us that would love to see a car like that from MINI :-)

I’m hoping Dimitri and others are right and it’s a successor to the GP – lighter, 2 seats, bit more power, optimized suspension, more sound, more feel. The R56 needs this to regain some lost credibility as a full-on driving-oriented car. If done right, it’s “halo effect” will help all MINIs maintain their status as drivers’ cars.