Gear -- 11 days ago
Words: Holly Macnaghten
Amid a celebration of classic automotive architecture on the shores of Lake Como, MINI revealed the Superleggera Vision concept at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The sculptured two-seater sports car was built in conjunction with specialist Italian coachbuilders, Touring Superleggera; a company best known for coachwork conversions of Bentley’s Continental GT and as the creators of the stunning 2012 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante coupé.
The MINI’s bold and uncompromising design suggests the brand is planning to shoehorn a dedicated sports car into the model line up to replace the awkward looking Coupe and Roadster models – no love lost there, then. At a glance, the Superleggera Vision carries much of the design features seen on the latest Cooper S hatch including short overhangs, bug-eyed LED ring headlights, a chrome edged grille and a low-slung front air dam. Sporty design cues such as the raked windscreen, embossed bonnet stripes and a novel, shark-like rear fin hint at the potential for sporty performance while distinguishing the Superleggera from the rest of the MINI range.
Sporting an all-electric powertrain, the Superleggera appears to be rainforest friendly, however, it’s uncertain if such technology will make it into production. What we can expect from the Superleggera though, is the use of engines from the existing MINI line up, which include the 189bhp 2.0-litre turbo from the Cooper S, the possibility of three-cylinder petrols and diesels, as well as a 200bhp-plus flagship John Cooper Works edition.
Going after seasoned competitors such as the Mazda MX5 and Audi TT will be far from a ‘mini adventure’ when the new sports car is introduced in late 2015. This, alongside rumours of MINI increasing its range to between eight and ten models in the near future, suggests we’ll be hearing quite a bit more from the British-based brand in the coming years.
