Those familiar with BMW are likely aware of some of the wild concepts the brand has brought to life over the years. But MINI’s been with BMW a while now, and occasionally, some of the novelty spills over. One of the best examples? The wild “MINI Ferrari,” or as you might know it, the MINI Superleggera. The open-top two-seater looks like nothing else from the brand — and it almost made it onto a production line. Thanks to Steve Saxty’s BMW books, we have more insight than ever into what it took to make the roadster spring off the page and into reality.
Origins of the MINI Superleggera
In 2006, Anders Warming, then BMW Group’s creative lead, had a brainwave. Now a few years after the BMW Z8 came to market, he thought it might be a good idea to show the smaller brand some love and bring a car with similar halo power wearing a MINI badge. It didn’t happen until nearly a decade later, but the “MINI Ferrari,” as Anders envisioned it, would eventually see the light of day. Funny enough, it would in some ways end up sharing more with BMW’s electric offerings than the Z8.
For Ville d’Este 2014, Adrian van Hooydonk reached out to Touring Superleggera. BMW teamed up with the Milanese coachbuilder in the past to develop the 328 Touring Coupe. It wasn’t hard to convince van Hooydonk to do the MINI Ferrari project. “We do the Minarri — imagine that with all the Dusenbergs,” Warning said. Considering most of the point of Ville d’Este was telling unique automotive stories, van Hooydonk went for it. It was the perfect opportunity to bring to life a separate project, currently dubbed the i4. While not exactly the electrified 4 Series we know today, it was an EV — sans roof and sporting roadster lines. Why the “i4” badge? The car’s design was originally intended to parallel the relationship between the Porsche 911 and Boxster. Except, in this case, the i8 takes the place of the 911.
Ultimately, the MINI Superleggera ended up leaning heavily on existing MINI design language. Working side by side, MINI and Touring Superleggera developed the concept, retaining brand hallmarks like the hexagonal grille. It even used F56 headlights and Union Jack taillights, the latter which later debuted in production MINIs. Shockingly, it even retained the electric powertrain that its predecessor touted.
Why MINI Superleggera Never Made It
MINI initially planned to build the Superleggera. BMW had even built a second car, presuming everything was greenlit. But it never happened. But BMW was serious about the car, even probing motorcycle manufacturers to see if a low-volume run was possible. Sadly, it all fell to the wayside. Today, BMW’s electric offerings are much more streamlined — they had almost zero electrification when the Superleggera debuted — which was allegedly some of the reason the MINI Superleggera never came to fruition. A crowded lineup with too many models meant no room for the Superleggera. So…maybe we have a better shot today?
Quotes and some information for this story came from BMW by Design, which we always recommend picking up. Inside, you’ll find stories like these in even more detail. Even better, you’ll enjoy images you can’t find anywhere else. Go get yours!
