Last Auto News – Sporty-Looking Mini Coupe Concept Debuts

Last Auto News –

BMW’s wildly successful Mini division has set the automotive press abuzz with photos of a car that may never be built – but if consumer reaction is taken into account, it may be.

Autoblog explains, “Rumors have been swirling for months about what BMW would do on August 26, 2009 for its Mini brand. After all, that is the fiftieth anniversary of the public debut of Alec Issigonis’ original Mini. With most of the speculation revolving around either a coupe or some kind of cropped windshield speedster, it turns out the reality was somewhere in between.” The brand is showing off photos of a sportier, more aerodynamic two-seat Mini Coupe that will make its first public appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Automobile Magazine reports, “the Coupe Concept keeps most of the Mini’s styling and mechanicals intact, but tops it all off with a rakish fastback roof.” Everyone seems to agree that it’s a sharp-looking car. The steeply-raked roofline hides a hatchback, “which opens to reveal a scant but usable 8.8 cubic feet of storage.”

Under the hood, Motor Trend reports, “The Mini Coupe Concept is powered by the same 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the Mini Cooper JCW, but with output increased slightly to 211 horsepower. Torque remains the same at 192 pound-feet, but can be temporarily pumped up to 206 pound-feet by the overboost feature.”

Mini hasn’t officially said the car is headed for production, but many believe it is. Motor Trend notes, “It would be very easy to adapt into production due to the relative lack of changes” from the standard Mini Cooper. Autoblog, meanwhile, speculates that “the shape of the roof indicates that should Mini move ahead with production, and it could easily be replaced by a folding fabric unit to create the anticipated speedster model.”

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