The 2014 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este kicks off tomorrow (May 24) on the banks of Lake Como in Italy, but already MINI is hoping to steal the headlines, by unveiling the rather gorgeous Superleggera Vision. Those in the know will nod approvingly at the partnership between MINI and the great Italian coachbuilder, Touring Superleggera, while those that have never heard of the outfit should be sitting up and taking notice.
Exterior
It's all about the exterior, isn't it? The concept is drop-dead gorgeous, mixing modern MINI cues such as the headlights and bonnet stripes with typical Touring proportions and shapes. And it has a dramatic fin down the centre of the rear deck. What's not to like?
Up front it's clearly related to the latest MINI hatch, with large circular headlights surrounded by a ring of LEDs for the daytime running lamps. That theme is echoed in two over-sized driving lamps in the usual hexagonal grille (though look closely at our pictures and you'll see it's blanked off - more on that below). The bonnet stripes that adorn countless examples of the regular MINI are reinvented for the concept in the form of embossed channels that are tipped by polished aluminium inserts. Next to these is the famous Superleggera badge.
From there on in there's little visually shared between the Vision concept roadster and any current MINI. The overall form is relatively simple, in keeping with the Touring way of doing things, and there's not much jewellery in the side profile - dinky door mirrors aside. Refreshingly for a concept car, the wheels and tyres appear to be of realistic dimensions, and the swage line down the side manages to be retro and modern at the same time. It's complemented by the superfluous, but oh-so-cool fin running down the centre of the back.
That truncates at the smooth and relatively minimal rear end, though there's a carbon fibre splitter (the lightweight material is plentiful throughout the concept without relying on it for visual impact). The LED rear lights are influenced by the Union Jack flag in terms of shape.
Interior
If you think the exterior of the Vision concept is special, take a good long gander at the images of the cabin; it's spectacular in an exceptionally minimal way. The whole dashboard is formed from a sheet of aluminium and it's untreated, just like they used to do in the good ol' days. However, it houses a thoroughly modern touch-screen interface. Next to that sit an analogue clock and the controls for the dashcam. Ok, it's not really for capturing cash-for-crash scams in action, and actually it's mounted between the two seats to record 'those particularly worthwhile moments on the road.'
Controlling those moments is a simply beautiful three-spoke steering wheel with a slender leather-trimmed rim, a single round speedometer behind it and a prominent 'Boost' button on the wheel itself. Leather is used abundantly though the cabin looks incredibly simple, mixing various shades of brown with black seats and magenta highlights here and there. We can see various other controls on the centre console that are not explained as yet, though presumably one of them is the driver selector. Might the other open the doors, TVR-style?
Mechanicals
Now clearly this car is all about how it looks and how it is handcrafted and coach-built, yet MINI has decided to give it electric propulsion and not said much else about that. Hence the blanked off 'radiator' grille up front and the tiny drive selector in the cockpit. Touring Superleggera creations of old were often front-engined and rear-wheel drive, but it'd make no sense to try that configuration in the MINI with an electric motor. And, as much as we love the idea, we don't believe that a rear-drive MINI fits with the brand anyway.
Anything else?
A few quotes for you. First Piero Mancardi, CEO of Touring Superleggera: "We are delighted that MINI wanted to stimulate an independent initiative and particularly Italian design for the first time. This project also shows MINIs attention to preserving and nurturing the skills of craftsmanship incorporated in modern coach building." Then Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design: "Touring Superleggera and MINI have much in common: both companies attach great importance to their history and this is something which defines their outward appearance to this day. What is more, they both emphasise iconic design and distinctive solutions. These elements are merged in the MINI Superleggera Vision to create an elegant automobile which interprets a British roadster under the influence of Italian style and hand craftsmanship."