Former Head of MINI Design Anders Warming had a loopy concept in 2006: constructing a “Minarri”, a MINI Ferrari. Warming, former head of BMW Exterior design as properly, and now boss of Rolls-Royce Design, has been toying with this concept for years, however nothing got here to fruition till 2013. BMW was on the lookout for a brand new associate to construct a Imaginative and prescient automobile for Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and so they turned to Touring Superleggera, the famed Italian coachbuilder. Adrian Van Hooydonk was doubtlessly taking a look at one other BMW-branded challenge, however Warming had different plans: a futuristic and costly MINI. The story is revealed in Steve Saxty’s “BMW by Design” and “Hidden Gems” books.

Nonetheless Contemporary 10 Years Later

The MINI Superleggera Imaginative and prescient is an idea automobile that mixes the basic design of the British model with the magnificence of Italian craftsmanship. The result’s a shocking roadster that blends custom and innovation, efficiency and magnificence. The automobile was unveiled on the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2014, the place it obtained a heat welcome from the general public and the critics. The MINI Superleggera Imaginative and prescient is impressed by the enduring MINI Cooper, but additionally by the legendary Superleggera (super-light) building approach developed by Carrozzeria Touring within the Thirties.

The physique of the automobile is fabricated from hand-crafted aluminum panels, which give it a glossy and aerodynamic form. The entrance grille, the headlights and the tail lights are all LED-based, creating a contemporary and futuristic look. The distinctive inside makes use of a single untreated sheet of aluminum for the rounded dashboard fascia and huge centrally mounted monitor that harks again to the instrument panel used on the unique MINI.

BMW Virtually Constructed The Superleggera

For years, media, together with ourselves, lobbied MINI and BMW to construct the automobile. Regardless of the possible steep value of roughly 120,000 euros, the visionary MINI had the potential to be fully offered out. Kudos to the BMW Group, as they made a real effort to convey this automobile to life. They constructed a second, absolutely useful Superleggera and actively sought a producer for sequence manufacturing.

Former head of R&D, Herbert Diess, went to motorbike maker KTM to construct automobile, however the MINI’s complexity put a cease to any additional talks. One other impediment in entrance of MINI’s Superleggera? The MINI vary had too many fashions. Regrettably, the marketing strategy did not progress any additional. Additional insights into this challenge might be discovered within the “BMW by Design” e-book, offering further particulars on the matter.

Even in the present day, the MINI Superleggera Imaginative and prescient is a fantastic idea with trendy Italian strains and futuristic tech that may completely promote even with none modifications. It’s a mix of retro and avant-garde design that we’ve been longing for years. There are additionally further chapters within the e-book that cowl different coachbuild tasks. The three-volume boxed set will probably be accessible quickly – at a pre-order worth of $299.95/€270/£78.11. Alternatively, the principal e-book, “BMW by Design” is obtainable instantly for $99.95/€90.02/£88.10; all with free transport in USA, UK and EU.