Mini Superleggera Vision concept graces Villa d'Este Concourse

Mini and the quintessential Italian coach builder – Touring Superleggera presented Mini Superleggera Vision concept at the on-going Villa d’Este Concourse in Cernobbia, Italy. The super light roadster features an iconic Mini's design adoring hand-shaped metal sheeting - a classic Italian craftsmanship; the legendary British marque meets the Italian flair. Defying the saying – 'let bygone be bygone' – Mini Superleggera Vision concept offers classic curves of the roadsters from 50's and 60's era while featuring a modernized state of the art all-electric powertrain - best of both the worlds!

Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design, commented "The MINI Superleggera 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. At the same time it creates unique emotional beauty in combining the past and future of the automotive industry, that is traditional coachwork craftsmanship and modern design styling. It was a pleasure for me to design a concept like this."

Speaking of the front design, first look gives you the impression that its a Mini Cooper. The rounded head lamps, hexagonal grille and fog lamps, all mimic Mini. The classic Mini stripes are contoured into aluminum hood imparting 3D effect. Most of the sections of the car are carved out of a single larger piece of metal, so panel gaps are bare minimum. The shot curved wind screen and the boot mounted large fin give the essence of the classic cars era. At the rear, the vehicle features oval layout that houses tail lamps and chrome detailing. The Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (CFRP) diffuser completes the rear in a sporty style. The concept vehicle is dressed up in Como Blue color.

Commenting on the master piece Piero Mancardi, CEO of Touring Superleggera, “We are delighted that MINI wanted to stimulate an independent initiative and particularly Italian design for the first time”, “This project also shows Minis attention to preserving and nurturing the skills of craftsmanship incorporated in modern coach building.” 

The interiors of the Mini Superleggera Vision concept are elegance personified. Complementing the large sheet exterior aluminum and tubular construction, the dashboard is a combination of a large unpolished aluminum sheet central console with light brown leather inserts. The structural tube shaped elements peep out from the doors speaking of lightness and agility of the vehicle. The instrumentation cluster is typical of a Mini; the concept car features a digital circular instrumentation cluster along and a large screen infotainment system. Things likes circular analog clock, retro styled steering wheel and chrome interior-rear-view-mirror reminds of the golden period.