Motoramic
By Justin Hyde
@ BOLD RIDE
Every year, some of the world's most beautiful automobiles gather by the shores of Italy's Lake Como for the Concorso d'Eleganza at the Villa d'Este, a show unlike any other. And for the past several years, BMW has used its sponsorship to stage a reveal of a concept car or two. This year's reveal was for the first time not a BMW, but a MIni — a stunning reworking of the stubby British bulldog into a sleek Italian greyhound.
Dubbed the Mini Superleggera Vision concept, the cari was designed by BMW in concert with Touring Superleggera, the same Italian shop responsible for the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, another breath-takingly beautiful motorcar. Unlike that Alfa Romeo, the Mini relies on electric power for movement, although BMW didn't reveal anything specific about the car's interior workings.
Mini Superleggera Vision concept
And why should it with a shape like this? If the new Mini loses some of the original's appeal due to its more modern (read: larger) proportions, the Superleggera alters the traditional MIni look just enough to make it unusual while still unmistakably a Mini.
The hand-formed aluminum body wraps around a roadster shape with a vestigal fin offset to the passenger side. The rear taillights are a split model of the Union Jack, the one clear bow to Mini's British roots, while the dashboard does away with most instruments in favor of a curved piece of aluminum.
Dubbed the Mini Superleggera Vision concept, the cari was designed by BMW in concert with Touring Superleggera, the same Italian shop responsible for the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, another breath-takingly beautiful motorcar. Unlike that Alfa Romeo, the Mini relies on electric power for movement, although BMW didn't reveal anything specific about the car's interior workings.
And why should it with a shape like this? If the new Mini loses some of the original's appeal due to its more modern (read: larger) proportions, the Superleggera alters the traditional MIni look just enough to make it unusual while still unmistakably a Mini.
The hand-formed aluminum body wraps around a roadster shape with a vestigal fin offset to the passenger side. The rear taillights are a split model of the Union Jack, the one clear bow to Mini's British roots, while the dashboard does away with most instruments in favor of a curved piece of aluminum.
Sadly the chances of Mini building an electric roadster that evokes the hills of Italy stand just above zero. The Concorso d'Eleganza concepts are meant to show how BMW designers can stretch themselves, rather than proposals for new production models. But Mini would be wise to consdier that not everyone likes the look of a bulldog.
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