Frankfurt 2009 Preview: Mini Coupé Concept (w/Video)
Just yesterday, the MINI Coupe Concept was unveiled as a preview to its Frankfurt Motor Show official debut next month. We now have a bunch of b-roll video footage as well as a slew of new photos. To recap, Mini just celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 26th and revealed a new prototype after months of speculation.
The smart money was on either a coupe or a speedster and strangely enough, it turns out to be a little of both. Gone is the original Mini Coupe’s upright windshield and simple fastback design, replaced with a completely reworked upper portion featuring sloping glass and a truncated roof-line with an integrated spoiler edge.
This new two-seater has been engineered to accommodate the strongest engine from the MINI lineup and features a 1.6-liter turbocharged twin-scroll with 211 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. A special overboost function ups the torque to 206 lb-ft.
Source: MINI Cooper
That’s a shockingly good looking car! The profile looks angry, I really like it. It takes away the Mini’s practicality though, hatch backs are loved for their usability. It will be interesting to see how the public responds to the change in layout. Either way, the design is fantastic. I just hope it’s as fun to drive as it looks like it ought to be.