Over the past few days, we’ve been focusing on MINI Design’s roots—first through an interview with the lead exterior designer of the R50, and then with a look back at some of the key concept vehicles that helped launch the brand. Today, we want to shift focus again—but in a different direction. This time, it’s a direction more relevant to the F56 and to where MINI is headed.

In late 2010, MINI unveiled the Rocketman concept after intense development by the Gert Hildebrand-led design team. The idea first came together earlier that year, during an impromptu sketch session at JFK airport, where Hildebrand and Head of Exterior Design Marcus Syring (who after moved on to Rolls-Royce and then BMW M) began sketching ideas for a smaller, more simple MINI.

In hindsight, the Rocketman reads like a condensed preview of the F56, sharing many of the same thematic design cues. Internally dubbed “MINI Pure,” the Rocketman wasn’t signaling that MINI planned to downsize anytime soon. And while it featured a bespoke carbon fiber chassis, that kind of advanced construction wasn’t (and still isn’t) in the cards for any production MINI. If that’s what you’re after, BMW will happily sell you a premium, all-electric three- or five-door hatch in the form of the i3.

Still, the Rocketman offers plenty of stylistic clues that informed the next generation of MINIs, debuting with the F56. Let’s start with the front grille, where MINI continued a design theme first seen in the Traveller concepts from 2007. Moving up to the LED-rimmed headlights, we find the eyes of MINI’s evolving face—modern, elegant, and closer in spirit to the original R50 than anything from the R5X generation.

Looking back, it’s clear the Rocketman was intended to move the brand forward and mentally prepare us for the F56. Its stance feels more athletic yet curvaceous—dare we say, more MINI-like. In fact, we’d argue it channels the R50’s design language more effectively than the cars that immediately followed it. Are there elements we could do without? Absolutely. We’re not fans of the rear lights or the shape of the front air dam. But taken as a whole, it’s hard to look at the Rocketman and not feel that “MINI Pure” is a spot-on name.

Will MINI ever build something as small as the Rocketman? BMW has been transparent about its desire to do so—but not without a development partner to help offset the substantial costs. BMW board member Ian Robertson recently mentioned that while a few partners had been identified, none currently have the right chassis—or plans—to support a vehicle with the performance credentials the MINI brand demands. And so, for now, the search continues—and the concept lives on.

Rocketman
Next generation MINI hatch
The MINI Rocketman concept