Concept Patents of MINI Coupé & Roadster Surface
Our friends at Autoblog have what they believe are patent rendering of the final MINI Coupé and Roadster. While they are very close to final they are in reality simply patents of the concept cars shown last September in Frankfurt.
With help from our sources we can exclusively report that these renderings are nothing more than CG images of the concept that debuted last year. In fact the coupé has the wheels from a GP while the Roadster carries wheels from the R57 convertible. Both will ultimately feature unique body kits and wheels along with a couple new exterior and interior colors.
Production should start in the summer of 2011 for a fall introduction in most markets.
<p>“Production should start in the summer of 2011 for a fall introduction in most markets”</p>
<p>WOO!!</p>
<p>1st on the list in my market for a Coupester. On paper it looks like hoot for the track.</p>
<p>Maybe I missed this in a previous article, but how much lighter is the Coopster than the hardtop, approximately. Effectively, my question is: Besides the subjective styling differences, why give up the practicality of the hardtop for a Coopster?</p>
<p>@Blainestang — Why? I had thought that the two-seater concept would be fun and “different” for my next MINI. But if the door opening is actually 60mm lower than the hardtop’s, it’s not the car for this senior citizen.</p>
<p>I’ll guess the Coupster comes in only about 100lbs lighter, with a <i>slightly</i> lower CG.</p>
<p>Blainestang –</p>
<p>Because a smaller cabin and no back seats make it feel faster! Just look at it! Yeah!</p>
<p>This is the MINI i thought would pop up on MTTS 2010 with its sister of course.</p>
<p>Well at least we know the GP rims look good on it.</p>
<p>I thought these two cars were jokes, but I guess I was wrong and they are going to be made. I don’t see them doing well, but maybe I’ll be proved wrong.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cool and that they could be a sales hit. That being said, I prefer the added utility of a hatchback or wagon as opposed to a coupe or sedan if the performance and cost differentials are small. Unless the Coopster weighs or costs significantly less than the Hardtop, I doubt I’ll be interested in one, personally.</p>
<p>I am with you Blainestang. If I have to give up rear seats and space for gear I want serious performance and RWD.</p>
<p>I’ll stick with my R53 thank you</p>
<p>The Coopster is STILL number one on my list for my next car…I will keep the R53 I have right now and add to my MINI stable.
Who cares how much lighter than the hatchback this MINI is…LOOK AT IT!!! Its undeniably beautiful!
This MINI is not going to replace the Hatch, only add to the lineup what everyone was crying for just a year ago…</p>
<p>Wish it didn’t, but it reminds me of the GEO METRO CONVERTIBLE. Say it ain’t so, MINI.</p>
<p>I’m with Sideways… It’s not “why produce a Coopster”, it’s “WOO! Produce a Coopster!”</p>
<p>And as for utility, it’s still a hatchback though with a shorter roof the volume will go down.</p>
<p>Some day I will need to replace my R53 with something larger. That is the day I buy a roadster.</p>
<p>The Coupe is definately my next MINI.</p>
<p>Again, I’m not saying “don’t produce the Coopster”, or “why are they producing the Coopster”… I’m asking if there is any reason other than styling that I would want one. Is it significantly cheaper or lighter? If not, I probably won’t give up the practicality of the Hardtop in exchange for the styling. That’s not to say that other people won’t… I DO think it will sell well… but I <em>personally</em> am not totally convinced on the practicality/styling trade-off.</p>
<p>In Munich they are trying out several different front facia concepts for the Coupe and Roadster. They have a standard car but they add on fibre glass bonnets of each design idea. In principle they are trying to distinguish the Coupe and Roadster from the outgoing R56 in light of how the car will compare to when the new MINI comes to the market.</p>
<p>Some ideas are interesting with some taking the idea of smaller lights placed on the corner as seen on the original MINI Clubman Concept Car series giving the car’s a mini-Aston Martin vibe. Others use a similar idea to the Bentley Mulsanne with additional side light. It’s all in aid of giving the Coupe and Roadster their own identity as they have in character.</p>
<p>The aim of the Coupe and Roadster is to further strengthen the MINI brand by being more original than the imitations. I use the term imitations because a MINI does not have competitors it has imitators.</p>
<p>I so dislike the back of the roadster.</p>
<p>So so much….</p>
<p>Just a small correction guys, Motorigfile has been calling the Twins the Roadster (convertible) and the Coopster (Coupe).</p>
<p>Interesting news Herr26! I tend to think that the twins are being targeted towards the performance crowd. One thing I wait to hear is if we will see an eventual JCW offering. I think it would make sense since the lower half to the car is still a standard build. I would love to see MINI relaunch the JCW sub-brand on it or just give it to /M to properly develop the car they should have when they released the factory JCW imo.</p>
<p>@Herr26 — Is there any flexibility in door/roof design, allowing the Coupe to be as friendly as the Hardtop for ingress and egress?</p>
<p>Some of my fellow MINI fans are asking why this car over the standard hatch? Here are a few reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li>it will be better looking and more aggressive than the rest of the R56 family (see Herr26’s comments about hood and headlight changes being considered).</li>
<li>it will be more sporting to sit in and drive due to the “chopped” roof line and the intimate feel that only true 2 seaters provide. (If you haven’t owned a 2-seat sports car, you just won’t understand their appeal, and will cite only their drawbacks.)</li>
<li>it should be lighter. How much lighter? We don’t know yet… but if they could find a way to drop 80-100lb this would be VERY noticeable to a serious driver.</li>
<li>it will likely have a more serious suspension tuning right out of the box, no more 4×4 ride height (this isn’t confirmed but I can’t imagine the Coopster and Roadster being released in Canada with the wheel gap and soft squishy stock suspension the other R56 cars get…).</li>
<li>it will be a lot more exclusive on the road… MINIs are not everywhere but you are more likely to encounter a hatch or Clubman than you will be to encounter one of the Twins.</li>
</ul>
<p>So to all the naysayers above, you got your damned Crossover R60, can you let the driving-oriented MINI fans enjoy speculating about the Twins please? :)</p>
<p>Perhaps to see on Paris Motors show, in october</p>
<p>Interesting that they decided to use GP wheels on this picture. Foreshadowing maybe?</p>
<p>@goat I’ve owned a 2-seat roadster, I’ve auto-x’ed my current MINI, I’m building an open-track car as we speak, and I have zero interest in the R60 except possibly as an alternative to a bigger, more numb family vehicle.</p>
<p>My point is that I don’t want to trade the practicality and sportiness of the hardtop for the same exact car minus the practicality. Essentially, I hope it’s not just a chop-top R56. Based on the picture and the concepts, that’s essentially what they were. However, if they ultimately have a combination of lighter weight, better suspension, significantly different styling (besides just the chopped top), etc., I will certainly be interested. For instance, if they build a light-weight, lightly optioned version that’s not stupidly expensive (along the lines of an R-spec Genesis Coupe), there would be a fairly good chance I’d buy one. On the other hand, if it just drives like a Hartop with less headroom, then why give up the practicality of the hard top? If I’m going to buy a vehicle with limited passenger and cargo space, it needs to be a significantly better performance car than my hardtop. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.</p>
<p>@goat, I’m not interested in the R60. Mini shouldn’t be in the suv business in my opinion. But as far as these twins, they look like the offspring of photoshop more than organic creations in themselves. Just my opinion and it could change.</p>
<p>Cant wait for that white convertible, my 06 MCS has almost 60k and raring to go</p>
<p>After owning 4 Mini JCWs I have decided on taking a break from the brand and purchase an Elise SC. I am watching this closely to see if Mini can win me back.I like the idea of a coupe and thought it might be nice if they used the JCW engine and a sub 2500lb body. At this point it looks like a mutated R56 inside and out so I feel they haved failed to impress me or others who never cared for the R56. I’ll consider another Mini when the next generation version of the coupe is released in it’s JCW version.Sorry, butI feel like Mini lost it’s original spirit in 2007. Sales over substance.</p>