There’s a new car in the neighborhood, which doesn’t happen all that often unless it,s a Subaru or Prius. This is the first MINI Coupe I’ve seen; let’s just say I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to find one either. When I first saw pictures of it, it seemed a wee bit silly; another excuse to make another MINI variant. But why not; it’s not like I’ve ever seen a regular MINI with someone in the back seat. And it does reminds me of something, from 1965…
The Broadspeed GT was made for a couple of years starting in 1965, and their methods are obvious: rake the windshield, chop the top, and graft a whole new tail onto an Mini Cooper S.
The tail had a decidedly Aston Martin DB6 vibe to it. The Broadspeed competed with a whole raft of Mini-based pocket rockets, and obviously, none too successfully, as it lasted just two years. Presumably the MINI Coupe will be around a bit longer.
I think the new Mini Coupe answers a question that no one ever bothered to ask. Just can’t see the justification in chopping the top like they did and would be curious to see what the sales numbers for this car are. I predict a short and quiet run before it disappears from the scene. Like the looks of that Broadspeed GT, however and see it had the required Kamm rear end on her, a must-have for all 1960’s sports cars and sports cars wannabes! Nice looking little car.
Agreed. It would be rational if it at least produced some sort of improved performance. But since it’s based on the Cabrio chassis, it weighs MORE than the standard 4-seat hatchback version, with the same drivetrain. Extra money for less room, less performance, and less utility. I don’t see alot of people falling in love with the look, and the look is the sole reason to buy it. Here in the “south of San Francisco” area, I’ve only ever seen one, and regular Minis litter the streets here like cast-off gum wrappers.
In way cool yuppiesville Yaletwown (a part of downtown Vancouver) I have seen several hipster-driven Mini coupes.
I personally detest these unreliable conglomeration of all worst of two automotive nations’ traditions, one know for indifferent quality and the other for none at all but I do have to admit, they are very popular with hip-chicks, while the Eco-Grannies seem to love the Countryman abomination.
The hatchback is by far the better Mini to own. We have one, and it’s possible to fit four adults whose heights range between 5’4 and 5’10 in one for trips under an hour.
I agree with Michael’s view, but my thought goes one step further-
What’s the raison d’etre for the Mini? Answer- Maximum utilization of available space.
What’s the raison d’etre for the Mini Coupe? Answer- Minimum utilization of available space.
Sometime in the past, the Mini moved from “brilliant design” to “iconic fashion statement,” and this coupe exists as proof of the theorum.
BMWs Mini coupe is just another bloated BMW mini the Broadspeed on the other hand is quite rare today and worth seeing
Back in the 60’s Broadspeed were the No.1 tuning firm in England, and the Broadspeed GT would have been rare and short-lived because it was very expensive for what was still, after all, a Mini. Buying a wrecked Cooper S and building a Mini Marcos would have been cheaper.
I’ve never seen either a GT or a MINI Coupe , but I’m not losing any sleep.
Ive seen all sorts of Broadspeed aftermarket gear like manifolds etc I guess its the same outfit?
Never seen the Broadspeed before I learn something new every day on this site.
Late MINIS are the Taco Bell of cars…just another variation of the same 7 ingredients….yawn
Amen. I was looking at the Mini display at my local auto show recently. So many variations that it took me a minute to find the regular one, which (along with the ragtop) is the only one I would ever have any interest in.
My first thought at seeing the Broadspeed GT’s roofline was a VW Type 3.
As for the current Mini Coupe, the roof reminds me of nothing so much as a backwards baseball cap, which I suppose makes it the Chav of Minis. I certainly wouldn’t pay a premium over a regular Cooper to drive something uglier and less usedul.
The (current) stylists will be pleased, since that was precisely what they were aiming for with that roofline.
So it’s a Mini-Couper?
That mini is wearing a toupae(hummm). And not wearing it well at all.
I think it looks fantastic, but then I am exactly the target demographic for this car… Male, 21 years old, urban home owner, and never having kids.
I think you fellas are looking at it the wrong way. This is a Mazda Miata for people who can only have one car and live in the northern half of the US. Sure its more cash for less utility, but its front wheel drive and available with a hardtop, so it can still get you to work when everybody’s Miatas are wintering in storage units with a Battery Tender plugged into the cancer jack.
Thank you for a reality fix, young fella . . . . .
It’s tough for the geezers on this site (I’m one) to make the effort to move their eyes around to the front of their heads.
Keep the comments coming.
Jim, I largely agree. It makes a fairly practical alternative to a sports car. And don’t we always bemoan the lack of different body style alternatives?
Not quite the thing for me, although I wouldn’t kick it out of my garage; at least not until I had some fun with it.
Variety is the spice of life, Friend!
I’ve seen a few of these Mini Coupes, and I think they look pretty dumb. But then again, I’m way past the target demographic in age.
I have seen a red-and-black one of these in town, but it just doesn’t do much for me. It looks like it’s wearing a bicycle helmet. I did test drive a white base Mini in 2009, and liked it quite a bit, but the lack of a dealer in the QC prevented me from seriously considering it.
I think they should have stopped with the hatchback, convertible and Clubman. I could go for a Clubman.
I ride in a friends “S” now and then, that thing is nice
A friend of mine has a Porsche 911 and a Mini S. He likes to drive the Mini more.
The Mini Coupe, however, is just a cartoonish little pig. Overpriced, too.
Indeed the smile-o-meter is buried while driving a Mini. Even the base ones are fun to flog around as they handle well and rev like no tomorrow.
Problem is it is not advisable to own one out of warranty. You’ll be doing four figure work in it regularly. I’d budget $2000 a year for one with less than 100,000 km on it. Even better is buy the best factory extended warranty you can get. It will be worth it but even that won’t cover “wear” items which are really pricey on these cars and are replaced often.
May I ask how much experience you have with Mini Coopers?
My wife’s primary car is a 2nd generation R56 Mini hatch. While the first generation CVT automatics were crap and often broke around 60 to 80k miles, the 2nd generation non-turbo Minis easily rack up over 100k miles with few issues as long as one maintains them.
If you question this, go over to North American Motoring and read the forums over there.
The $2000/year maintenance is ridiculously high, even for a supercharged or turbocharged Cooper S out of warranty. I don’t even spend that on my out of warranty E46 BMW 330i that I’ve owned for years. Then again, I know how to do some DIY repairs and don’t run to the dealer if I need a headlamp bulb changed.
I wanted to like the MINI Coupe so bad and made a similar connection in my mind. Not with the Broadspeed GT specifically (new one to me, very cool), but with all the specialty versions of small Euro cars from the 60’s. Fulvia Sport Zagatos, 128 3P’s, even the Fiat we saw yesterday.
Somehow, it just doesn’t live up to the spiritual/conceptual link I imagined would be there. This styling does not work for me at all, with or without my expectations, and I’m a very big fan of the regular MINI in all it’s other suits. I could see it possibly growing on me, but for the moment it’s downright strange and shocking. I like Jim’s assessment and I do “get” what they’re trying to do with this car, so instead of dismissing it entirely I’m gonna put it on hold for now and see how I feel a couple years from now.
FWIW, I’ve seen very few of these on turf where the MINI has been a huge success since it’s introduction.
Hmmm, Scion FRZ or Mini Coupe? Well, that thar’s one real doosey of a corundum, ain’t it? Well, it’s any easy one, too, MINI!
And just for why? Well, I am a messed up, inbred idiot who needs a real woman to sort me out. I figure the Mini’ll do that way better than the FRZ!!
Sir Alec is rolling in his grave.