It seems like we’ve been talking about the MINI Superleggera for a while. Even though it debuted over a decade ago, we just last week looked at its origin story as the “MINI Ferrari,” only for MINI to then post pictures of a gold-hued MINI Superleggera on its Instagram. After we ran that story, commenters weighed in and made us do a double take. This was not, in fact, the same MINI Superleggera we saw all those years ago wearing Cosmo Blue paint. After gathering some new photos from MINI, we’ve confirmed that this is a MINI Superleggera we haven’t yet seen.
This MINI Superleggera is Nearly Production Spec
Looking at the pictures, it’s quite apparent that this MINI Superleggera is more ready for production than the MINI Superleggera Vision. As we covered in our original article on the car, there are some giveaways. The black-painted wheels are JCW-spec, and two-piece bumpers replace the painstakingly crafted bodywork of the original MINI Superleggera Vision. Single-piece units would be far too expensive to mass-produce (and replace), which indicates this vehicle as more production-spec.
The roll bars area also different from the Vision car’s. They now sit higher, leading us to believe it’s what a production car might look like. New headlights, seemingly lifted right off the last generation MINI Cooper, and a smaller rear “fin” add to the more “realistic” aesthetics. Oddly, the hood on this car goes the other way. This version has vents and scoops that make it look more aggressive than the concept.
There’s one other big clue that this car is way different than the original MINI Superleggera. Around the back, we can see MINI identifies this car as a “Hybrid Test Vehicle.” The original MINI Superleggera was all-electric. We have to imagine the car borrows the 2.0-liter, 228-horsepower four-pot found elsewhere in the MINI lineup. Supplementing it with battery power would make the likely lightweight Superleggera a ball of fun. Considering the engine has 280 pound-feet of torque on its own, throwing electrification in the mix would make the MINI Superleggera a true go-kart around town. A unique rear spoiler not seen on the original car sits atop the rear lights. Which, surprise, are also slightly tweaked from the original car.
MINI Superleggera Interior Changes
Maybe most importantly, this car appears to have a nearly full interior. The interior has a steering wheel we’ve seen in other MINI products, fronting what appears to be a production speedometer. While Recaro race seats and a harness system replace conventional seats and a seatbelt, it appears that the cabin is pretty well put together. We don’t have a full shot of the cabin, unfortunately. In the sole interior shot provided, we do see a full center stack full of buttons and switches. Considering the MINI Superleggera Vision had nearly nothing in the cockpit, this is a clear step towards production readiness.
We don’t know whether the MINI Superleggera is facing a real possibility of production. What we do know is that this is a new version, was apparently built with production in mind. Do you want to see a production version of the MINI Superleggera? We know we do. [Photos provided by MINI and BMW Classic to BMWBLOG for publication / Shot by: David Pentek]
