A Dream Mini Seven Years in the Making
When you think of Mini, you think of cheeky little city cars. Which is why 2014’s Superleggera Vision raised some serious eyebrows. Picture a concept that previewed a lightweight sports car that could’ve been Mini’s Miata moment over a decade back. The concept paired gorgeous bodywork, penned by Mini designers and coach builders Touring Superleggera, with a hybrid drivetrain borrowed from the i3. Engineers who got behind the wheel even said it drove like a Porsche.
The project took seven years to develop, and Mini actually planned to build it, positioned as an i4 model under the BMW i8. Mini even constructed a running prototype finished in gold paint, which showed production-ready details throughout. Engineers refined the chassis, and designers even added an interior. Then, sadly, it never came to fruition.
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Mini’s Miata, Inspired By Ferrari, With Porsche Dynamics
What made the Superleggera special wasn't just its gorgeous proportions. The car would’ve packed genuine sports car credentials, going by what we know. The Superleggera Vision was initially pegged to be all-electric but eventually was engineered to use the i3’s 2-cylinder range-extender hybrid powertrain with an electric motor powering the rear wheels, making about 180 horsepower in the process. The inspiration drew from Ferrari's mid-engine philosophy, the same thinking that influenced making the BMW i3 rear-wheel drive.
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With a Miata-rivalling curb weight of around 2,200 pounds, you can just about imagine what it would’ve been like to drive. Engineers placed 58 percent of the vehicle's weight over the rear axle, creating a balance similar to the Porsche 993 Turbo. That's approaching a 40/60 front-to-rear split, the kind of setup that makes a lightweight sports car dance through corners.
Too Complex for Production
Mini never greenlit manufacturing despite having a production-ready prototype. The official explanation was that there were too many model variants already in the lineup. Adding another niche sports car would increase complexity rather than streamline operations.
BMW
BMW's development chief Herbert Diess tried partnering with KTM for production, but that plan collapsed too. The small sports car was ironically deemed too big a step despite its compact dimensions. All we’re left with is one near-production prototype that shows what could have been. Funnily enough, BMW is resurrecting the idea of range-extender hybrids so maybe it's time to dust off the plans for its sports car too.
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