The Electric MINI Superleggera And How MINI Almost Built It’s Most Stunning Concept Ever

DimON · December 29, 2023

For MINI fans the recently released book BMW by Design has a number of fascinating stories. But the one that particularly stands out is the story of the electric MINI Superleggera concept. It’s a story of a concept so beautiful that is almost defied all the odds and came to market. But what really happened and how close did it really come to being in showrooms?

if you’re a longtime MotoringFile reader it’s also a story you might remember as we’ve reported most of the details over the last decade. So what happened and just how close to production did the Superleggera get?

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As detailed in the book the concept started in the mid-2000s with Anders Warming wanted to build something he considered a the Ferrari of MINIs or Miniari if you will. Fast forward to 2013 Anders was leading MINI Design and devised a plan to introduce Italian coaching-building techniques to bring to life his idea of the ultimate MINI roadster. MINI Superleggera Concept publicly debuted at the 2014 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to dropped jaws. If MotoringFile comments can be counted as a key metric, this was by far the most successful MINI concept ever.

MINI’s designers teamed with coachbuilder Touring Superleggera to create something not typically seen in the modern automotive world – an entirely modern and hand-made concept that felt just as futuristic as it was retro. The superstructure, crafted by hand and moulded over a lightweight aluminium frame formed into surfacing that was both simple yet had many intricate details that demanded attention. When we first saw the Superleggera in person we were stunned at these details that are often missed in the official photography. An elongated wheelbase and short overhangs were at odds with the F56 (release during the same time) and felt much closer to the R53/R56 in comparison. This was also the first time we had seen the Union Jack taillight design which we know has ultimately become a MINI trademark.

With such a positive reaction globally, MINI knew they had to do everything they could to bring the car to market – even if it was a low volume, high price product.

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MINI Superleggera Concept – What Went Wrong?

Not only was the Superleggera gorgeous, it was also full electric. But the electric propulsion story was never told as MINI was unsure how (if ever) it could come to market. Could MINI leverage the just released i3 chassis? Likely not. How about partnering with another manufacturer? According to the book MINI looked at that route very seriously holding talks and doing quite a bit of technical investigation. Yet nothing came to be. Could MINI have simply made it an internal combustion vehicle and base it on the then new F56 chassis? We can imagine that was on the table but proportionally that would have likely changed the concept too much.

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Reportedly Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW’s board member in charge of Mini at the time, had been “pushing” to get the Superleggera into production since 2014. There was a lot of enthusiasm throughout MINI as many felt it would serve as an ideal halo product for the brand.

Yet making a case for an electric Convertible within the business climate at BMW circa 2015 likely wasn’t easy. MINI had just ended production of the R58 MINI Roadster with mediocre sales. And the convertible marketing was continuing to shrink. And don’t forget, MINI was just a few years from launching the F57 convertible replacing the R57.

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The Superleggera Lives On

In many ways the spirit of the Superleggera lives on. The recent shift in MINI design direction towards simplification begin with the various MINI LCIs from 2019 onward. Looking broadly it’s easy to see that each of these changes have moved MINI closer to the simple aesthetic from the Superleggera. It’s also even more clear to see some of this influence on the minimalistic philosophy of the 4th generations MINIs – the J01 and forthcoming F66.

Taken as a whole the concept represented what MINI Design Head Anders Warming (who now leads design for Rolls Royce) had been prepping us for – a more modern design language with clear links to the past. In many ways this was the boldest change we’ve seen from MINI design since the R50 debuted in 2001.