DETROIT — Saying it wants to leave behind "all conventional standards," Mini on Wednesday previewed the all-wheel-drive Mini Beachcomber Concept, which strips away such elements as the doors and roof, just in time to provide a bit of warm-weather whimsy for the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
The new concept "does without doors, a conventional roof and all other body elements which might possibly limit the intensity of the occupants' encounter with their surrounding world," said Mini in a statement.
The Beachcomber Concept takes its inspiration from the Mini Moke of the 1960s. As Mini recalls in its rollout of the new concept, the Mini Moke "was made up of hardly more than a floorpan, wide sills at the side, the engine compartment lid and the windscreen."
Details of the Beachcomber Concept include run-flat tires. That touch allows Mini to skip a spare tire and provide more storage space for passengers. Surfboards can be loaded into the concept, said Mini. In the event of bad weather, plastic inserts fit on the roof, sides and rear of the car for protection. A soft roof folds into a compact unit.
The striptease even goes as far as the instrument panel, where the number of air vents has been reduced "in the interest of additional loudspeakers as well as special instruments for off-road motoring," said Mini.
The plastic surfaces in the cabin use a special grain designed to look like dry earth, and the trim surfaces get a magnetic paint that Mini said it is using for the first time.
No details on powertrain are offered at this point, and it is unclear whether this concept is bound for production.
Inside Line says: This appealing Mini concept has production potential written all over it. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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autodesignguru says:
04:10 PM, 01/11/2010
All round great design, just add more detail on the side below the doors. change the grille to Chrome surround and black hexagon mesh, flatten the grille a litte ..
.ill take it... hell,, ill have two... one here and one for China.....oh did you know to the average wealthy person in China the MINI is a better status symbol than a Bently.
roar02ram says:
01:54 PM, 01/11/2010
LOVE IT! Makes more sense than the BMW X1.
zoomzoomn says:
05:30 AM, 01/11/2010
I think that as long as they included a model with real doors and roof that they could make a real case to build this. Albeit in small numbers. Think Honda Element. It's concept was originally designed for "active" lifestylers. Yet it has sold decently to everyone else.
123xlr8 says:
08:36 AM, 12/27/2009
Seems MINI/BMW wants to go Dakar'ng and WRC'ng so I applaud them if they do otherwise why does MINI need a slug like this? Though I will say I like this vehicle looks over the SAV thing but I wonder how the heck the company that slammed SUV's during their early ad campaigns can square this with it's followers?
andres_atx says:
10:45 PM, 12/21/2009
I think this rocks! I want one. If it's as stable as a Mini Cooper, that'd be all mine. It's like an A6/AllRoad.
andres_atx says:
10:43 PM, 12/21/2009
Awesome!
iskch says:
09:03 AM, 12/16/2009
They miss the truck! Where is the truck version, MINI?
perrito says:
08:33 AM, 12/16/2009
Just like the cross-over, "Why?" Silly. Dumb.