Oxford by way of Milan: Mini shows hand-built Superleggera concept

Have you ever wondered what a Mini Cooper would look like if it had been conceived of and designed in Italy? No need to teleport to Earth 2—Mini and the Milan-based coach builder Touring Superleggera have collaborated on the Mini Superleggera Vision. Superleggera has built the custom Mini concept car using hand-shaped metal sheeting with typical Italian flair.
The design was penned by Anders Warming, head of Mini Design. “The MINI SuperleggeraTM Vision elegantly perpetuates what the Classic Mini started 55 years ago: reduction to the essentials. Its energetic, minimalistic design embodies the dynamic essence of an automobile,” he said.

The concept features trademark Mini round headlamps flanking a hexagonal grille. The grille is sealed off, as the car is electrically-propelled. Meanwhile, the Italian side of the design follows the “Touring” line, with tight, seamless surfaces from front to rear. The bodywork uses hand-shaped aluminum sheets. For those hoping for a production version, the coachbuilder says that the form would be virtually impossible to achieve by machine manufacture. The ‘super light’ method of car body fabrication, using thin aluminum on a body frame, was pioneered by the Italian company.

The interior is no less beautiful. Untreated aluminum is used for the single-piece dashboard. Structural elements in the doors form the Union Jack. Meanwhile, the center instrument panel uses a touch panel and circular instruments to still contain all necessary features while looking minimalist. The interior uses leather, aluminum and black chrome.

Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design on the concept: “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 SuperleggeraTM Vision to create an elegant automobile which interprets a British roadster under the influence of Italian style and hand craftsmanship.”

The Mini Superleggera was created for the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2014, a car show for historic vehicles at Lake Como.