MINI Considering Beachcomber Production
MINI is considering green-lighting the radical Beachcomber concept that debuted at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. That news comes from Dr Wolfgang Armbrecht (head of MINI band management) via Autoexpress. We can indeed confirm this having shared a similar conversation over dinner with the good Dr. at the Countryman launch last week. As he told Autoexpress, MINI has been blown away by the reaction to the concept and is studying the potential of a production version. As both Gert Hildebrand and Dr Armbrecht implied to me last week, the business case would be relatively straight forward in that it would share many components with the R60 Countryman. Further it would give the MINI brand another authentic.
We’ll have more on the Beachcomber as we get it.
<p>As long as they make the interior water resistant (like a Jeep Wrangler is), I can see them selling quite a few of these.</p>
<p>Closest thing to a MINI Moke we’ll probably get.</p>
<p>There are a set of gull wing doors just <em>begging</em> to be made for this thing.</p>
<p>All kidding aside, I think this would be one of those things that I probably wouldn’t buy myself, but I would thoroughly enjoy that such a thing existed.</p>
<p>So it’s all s-MOKE and MIRRORS so far?</p>
<p>Will they be bringing out a military version of the MOKE to replace the Hummer?
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<p>Goo that they’re keeping the old Mini names of models as a nostalgia touch. When will we see the Pickup and Van versions?</p>
<p>Would consider this over the other slug.</p>
<p>…oh goody! By the time this ride comes out,I’ll have miles of oil slick beaches from the gulf coast to the coast of Maine to choose from to drive this cool ride on…</p>
<p>I would be all over it, will be my 2007 R56 replacement, the Countryman is just too fat. I would really use it for my windsurfing/snowboarding trips.</p>
<p>I will buy it…regardless of cost…I will save my coins in my piggy bank…please build this!</p>
<p>Makes sense to take it to production, still feel its going to have tiny number of sales but actually should turn out ok since it will cost so little to take to production. I do wonder how they are going to get around the side impact on it though. Add to this its still a faux off road vehicle I do wonder who they are aiming this at.</p>
<p>I do think to date its been less argued about than the R60 however.</p>
<p>DO IT!!!!! ILLL BUY ONE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Great Incentive Mini make sure YOU just put in DIESEl form also and beleive me more people will buy it. I for one would consider it greatly so that I may use it here in Puerto Rico going to the beaches and climbing into the mountains going after the JEEPS!!!</p>
<p>Love the look, but I need doors.</p>
<p>Depending on the execution, this totally has my interest piqued. I’d love to see a JCW All4 version go the dune-eater route a la the Ford SVT Raptor (albeit far smaller, more efficient and less ridiculous, but still).</p>
<p>So it’s a Countryman without doors as a concept, but they’ll put doors on it for production, and it will just be a Countryman with more plastic? I’m not seeing the part where people that loath the Countryman will suddenly love this.</p>
<p>I think it would be great if they made these. Even if they were extremely limited production and mostly sat in showrooms, it would help them out a lot.</p>
<p>@ GregW – I’d actually like to see a pickup version.</p>
<p>But the Beach Comber? No sale here. And I would guess that once the initial rush of people who like it buy them they would see very few additional sales. But that’s just my guess. For a day to day car it just isn’t something that I would drive. I do like the styling, but until I’m wealthy enough to buy something that just sits in the garage most of the time, no consideration, no sale.</p>
<p>Bring it!! I’d definitely buy one to use as a 2nd vehicle next to my 2009 JCW Clubman. Certainly the costs can’t be that much more (well, OK, a little bit) than an R60 Countryman. Would give the Wrangler a run for its money!</p>
<p>@GaryD – yeah they can do them for Red Bull promotional vehicles already so why not make them official?</p>
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<p>Can they do this without a B pillar? I’m no engineer, but I would think that even with a suicide rear door hinge there would have to be a solid structure somewhere in the middle so that the optional doors can latch onto something. Perhaps a top and bottom latch would suffice, but I would think that safety would be severely compromised. Perhaps a production version would have a B pillar and use exterior hinges a la Jeep to make the doors easy to remove. They could also do away with the funky asymmetrical cut out in back, and have a rear window that fully retracts into the tailgate (like the windows on old 4-Runners or station wagons). If they do bring it into production they really should skip the nostalgic front grill, or at least redesign it. Not a fan of that grill, or the look of the faux spare tire/locker thingy.</p>
<p>It ain’t no Moke, but I might have to drive one. MINI would prove it’s adventurous nature by producing this model!</p>
<p>This vehicle is cool, and MINI needs cool so they should absolutely build this variant. <em>But</em> — they need to ensure, like JonPD and Matt McD suggest above, that it has credible dirt road rally / dune-jumping prowess if it is to be taken seriously. So more ground clearance, underbody skirting, an oil cooler, revised ALL4 programming to send more power to rear than front most of the time (can they do this easily with that diff?), etc.</p>
<p>This is a great idea to give the green light to.
If MINI didn’t do it in house, I guarantee you that an aftermarket company would have jumped all over this design idea and made a BeachComber kit available to bolt onto an R60</p>
<p>I just came back from France. There were billboards all over showing the new Clubman Woody. It looked really good. Is it coming to the states ?</p>
<p>I would buy a Beachcomber IMMEDIATELY, if they were available. I hope and pray that they decide to build this version of the Countryman!</p>